GRID: Minnesota regulators approve key permits for a utility’s $940 million plan to upgrade and boost the capacity of a 465-mile transmission line, allowing it to carry more wind energy from North Dakota and help meet clean energy targets. (Star Tribune)

ALSO: 

  • American Electric Power’s commercial power sales spiked 12% in the second quarter compared to the same period last year, as utility officials forecast even greater demand as data centers come online. (Utility Dive)
  • FirstEnergy’s top executive calls grid operator PJM’s latest capacity auction a “canary in the coal mine” that suggests new generation isn’t keeping pace with rising power demand. (Utility Dive)

PIPELINES: Minnesota regulators conclude that a small portion of the Summit carbon pipeline in the state’s northwestern corner would have a net benefit on greenhouse gas emissions. (North Dakota Monitor)

TRANSPORTATION: Owners of the nation’s last coal-fired steamship, which runs between Michigan and Wisconsin, examine potential carbon-free ways to power the vessel. (Bridge)

UTILITIES: Michigan’s attorney general says DTE Energy’s $456.4 million electric rate increase, which the utility says prioritizes grid infrastructure, is “excessive and unnecessary.” (Michigan Advance)

CLEAN ENERGY: 

  • Illinois could replace its fossil fuel power plants by 2030 with 3,000 MW of storage and nearly 8,000 MW of resources looking to connect to the grid, according to a Natural Resources Defense Council report. (Utility Dive)
  • Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown cosponsors legislation that would block clean energy production tax credits for “foreign entities of concern,” which he says is intended for Chinese companies. (Toledo Blade)

POLITICS: 

  • Sen. Brown has increasingly strayed from fellow Democrats on climate and clean energy as he tries to hold on to his seat in a tough reelection. (E&E News, subscription)
  • Supporters of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz say his climate record, particularly over the past two years, would be beneficial as a potential vice presidential candidate. (E&E News, subscription)

EFFICIENCY: Homebuilders threaten to move their work to Kansas City’s suburbs as city officials consider stricter building codes for energy efficiency. (Kansas City Business Journal, subscription)

COMMENTARY: An Ohio building trades official says U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has backed key federal legislation that led to large clean energy manufacturing investments in the state. (Columbus Dispatch)

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Andy compiles the Midwest Energy News digest and was a journalism fellow for Midwest Energy News from 2014-2020. He is managing editor of MiBiz in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was formerly a reporter and editor at City Pulse, Lansing’s alternative newsweekly.