Utilities propose $700 million transmission line to boost renewables as cities face power outage costs and community concerns.

A group of utilities have proposed spending up to $700 million on a 200-mile transmission line from South Dakota to Minnesota that officials say will be essential for integrating renewables on the grid. Ann Arbor, Michigan, estimates that prolonged power outages from recent storms cost the city nearly $2 million in emergency expenses. Southern Wisconsin officials want an alternative location for a proposed power distribution substation, claiming it would be an “abomination” to the surrounding neighborhood. Congress members from Illinois and Minnesota lead a group of Democrats urging President Biden to halt federal permitting for carbon pipelines, while a central Illinois county zoning board postpones a vote on regulations for drilling carbon sequestration wells until it can provide adequate meeting space for the public. The Electrification Coalition will host two state-specific events about the transition to electric vehicles, October 17 in Chicago and October 24 in Lansing, Michigan Learn from government and industry experts about the benefits of medium- and heavy-duty EVs and opportunities to accelerate their deployment.