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Generating a Brighter Future for Renewable Energy in Arkansas

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NorthStar Clean Energy and General Motors launch Newport Solar to help power GM facilities

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NorthStar Clean Energy proudly announces the official opening of Newport Solar, a 180 MW project designed to source renewable electricity for General Motors’ operations in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) territory including Lansing Delta Township Assembly and Lansing Grand River Assembly in Michigan, as well as Wentzville Assembly in Missouri, which underscores a shared commitment to providing creative renewable energy solutions and aggressively pursuing a low carbon future.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony, happening August 15, marks the launch of one of the largest single-axis photovoltaic projects in Arkansas – and will serve as a shining example of NorthStar’s leadership in renewable energy development, and operation.

“NorthStar is committed to helping our customers reach their sustainability and business goals and the Newport Solar project demonstrates how our approach enables companies like General Motors to achieve both,” said Brian Hartmann, President of NorthStar Clean Energy. “The collaboration with GM exemplifies our shared obligation to creating a future powered by renewable energy.”

Rob Threlkeld, Director of Global Energy Strategy for General Motors, further emphasized the strategic alignment, saying: “By expanding our renewable electricity portfolio, we are taking a major step forward in reducing our carbon footprint and advancing our broader sustainability goals. This facility not only supports our renewable electricity strategy but also demonstrates our dedication to a sustainable future for all. We are proud to help lead the way in sustainable practices and continue driving positive change.”

This solar project is the result of growing innovative and collaborative sourcing effort between General Motors and NorthStar Clean Energy. It is a key component in General Motors’ overall strategy to reduce its Scope 2 energy emissions globally, which includes improving energy efficiency, sourcing renewable electricity, using more reliable power, enhancing supply reliability, and making significant global investments in an ever-expanding network of renewable energy collaborators.

The new facility is projected to produce approximately 410,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy annually, the same amount of electricity needed to power more than 30,000 Arkansas homes.

Under a 15-year renewable energy purchase agreement, the renewable energy credits generated by this new facility will have the same impact as planting nearly 5 million trees.

About NorthStar Clean Energy:
NorthStar Clean Energy helps companies with ambitious sustainability targets decarbonize through renewable energy solutions. Based in Michigan, NorthStar Clean Energy owns and operates over 1,500 megawatts of generating capacity nationwide —including solar installations in Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio, wind assets in Texas and Ohio, natural gas and co-generation facilities in Michigan, and biomass plants in Michigan and North Carolina— and has a development pipeline of 1 gigawatt of renewable energy. NorthStar Clean Energy plans to convert its only coal-fired power plant, the TES Filer City Station co-owned with Tondu Energy, to a 60 MW biomass-fueled plant capable of capturing 500,000 tons of Carbon Dioxide annually, one of the first bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (“BECCS”) projects under development in the United States. Founded in 1987, NorthStar Clean Energy is a wholly owned subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS).

For more information, please contact:

Mary Cullen
Media Relations Manager, NP Strategy for NorthStar Clean Energy
Mary@npstrategy.com
630.272.5691

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/generating-a-brighter-future-for-renewable-energy-in-arkansas-302216050.html

SOURCE NorthStar Clean Energy

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RocketReach Launches RocketReach MCP, Giving AI Assistants Direct Access to 700M+ Verified Contacts

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New integration empowers sales, recruiting, and marketing teams to prospect within ChatGPT, Claude, and others using existing RocketReach data

NEW YORK, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — RocketReach, the leading sales and lead intelligence platform trusted by more than 30 million users and 95% of the S&P 500, today announced the launch of the RocketReach MCP Server. This milestone gives AI assistants direct, real-time access to RocketReach’s database of 700 million verified contacts and 60 million companies via the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

The RocketReach MCP Server provides immediate compatibility with ChatGPT, Claude, and other MCP-enabled clients. The integration features a streamlined OAuth setup and allows users to perform lookups utilizing their current RocketReach credit balance without requiring additional billing or account creation.

“The best tools show up wherever people are already working. RocketReach MCP puts our entire contact database directly inside the AI assistants our customers use every day, no new tab, no new workflow, just a faster way to reach the right person. As AI transforms professional workflows, our strategy is to provide verified data exactly where teams are active. By integrating the world’s most accurate professional database directly into the AI assistants our customers rely on daily, we are removing friction and enhancing the speed of connection “

— Scott Kim, CEO, RocketReach

Optimizing Workflows Through Native AI Integration

The RocketReach MCP Server addresses the disconnect between AI assistants and the verified company data essential for sales teams. Users can ask a natural-language question such as ‘find me 20 VPs of Sales at Series B fintech companies in New York’ and get verified contact results directly inside their AI assistant, automatically saved to their RocketReach account.

The initial release of the RocketReach MCP Server includes seven core capabilities:

Comprehensive person search by title, location, and company, and moreAdvanced company filtering by industry, size, and funding stage, and moreVerified contact detail retrieval via profile identificationOn-demand access to detailed company profilesUnified calls for simultaneous person and company data lookupsReal-time account credit and usage monitoringServer connectivity and status verification

Verified by Default

Unlike single-vendor AI integrations from some competitors, RocketReach MCP is client-neutral by design — one server connects to every major AI platform. Every lookup runs through RocketReach’s real-time email verification, so AI assistants are working with data that’s accurate now, not a static cache. Connections run on OAuth 2.1, RocketReach never shares credentials with the AI client, and users can disconnect any individual AI client independently at any time from their RocketReach account settings.

“From day one, our focus was on building an MCP that customers could trust. Every lookup through RocketReach’s MCP server is verified in real time, using the same proprietary verification engine that powers our core platform.

— Jeremy Livingston, CTO, RocketReach

Market Availability

The RocketReach MCP Server is currently available to all RocketReach users. Search for RocketReach in ChatGPT Plugins, add RocketReach as a new custom Connector in Claude, or reference our detailed documentation and setup guides that can be found at knowledgebase.rocketreach.co.

About RocketReach

RocketReach is the leading sales and lead intelligence platform trusted by more than 30 million users and 95% of the S&P 500. Powered by proprietary technology, RocketReach provides access to over 700 million contacts and 60 million companies worldwide. Sales, recruiting, and marketing teams rely on RocketReach to connect directly with the right people and decision-makers. Learn more at www.rocketreach.co.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rocketreach-launches-rocketreach-mcp-giving-ai-assistants-direct-access-to-700m-verified-contacts-302832384.html

SOURCE RocketReach.co

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Hood River Tree Farm Carbon Project Issues Core Carbon Principles (CCP) Labeled Offsets

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PORTLAND, Ore., July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Climate Trust (TCT), an Oregon-based nonprofit leader in carbon finance and project development, today announced the first issuance of carbon credits from the Hood River County Tree Farm project. The forest carbon project joins the initial cohort of projects to receive the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label from the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM). Carbon revenues will support the county’s complex multiple use forest management strategy that seeks to combine timber revenue generation for the county budget with world-class recreational opportunities and diverse wildlife habitat.

“Generating offset revenues gives us an incentive to store substantially more carbon when managing the forest for long-term benefits” explained Doug Thiesies, Hood River County’s Forestry Director. “We are excited to embark upon this new chapter with The Climate Trust.” The County plans to purchase additional forestland with carbon revenues and enroll it in the project.

Spanning over 32,000 acres of Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine forest, most of which are over 65 years old, the project provides significant climate benefits by committing the county to sequestering and storing forest carbon over the project’s 40-year term. Registered under the ACR Improved Forest Management on Non-Federal U.S. Forestland Version 2.1 Methodology, the project was developed by TCT in partnership with the Hood River County Forestry Department.

In the Pacific Northwest’s highly productive forests and strong timber market, there is immense potential to store more carbon through extending timber rotations beyond typical practices. Landowners frequently harvest all their timber over 45 years old in the northwest. Carbon crediting is based on the County Tree Farm committing to extend the average rotation age up to 90-years, far exceeding average age class and structural diversity observed on nearby industrially managed forests. The project will employ a dynamic baseline that requires recalculating carbon credit impact every few years to ensure ongoing crediting accuracy.

County residents and the larger community will benefit from the carbon project being located on a publicly owned and managed forest. “Community forest carbon projects like the Hood River County Tree Farm benefit so many people,” said Julius Pasay, TCT’s Executive Director. “We are thrilled that this project is generating public revenue in addition to supporting recreational opportunities for the community.”

“In timber-dependent counties, counties look to timber harvest as a means to fund essential services,” elaborated Allison Williams, Hood River County’s Administrator. “The carbon project provides an incentive to manage the forest for public benefit and disincentivize increasing timber harvest to fund general operations.”

Open to the public, The Hood River County Tree Farm serves as an important area for recreation activities such as mountain biking, OHV and hiking. In addition to these recreational opportunities, the Tree Farm’s sustainable management supports and protects a vibrant ecosystem that many threatened species rely on including the Northern Spotted Owl, Bull Trout, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, and Steelhead.

If you’re interested in supporting this project, click here to connect with our team.

About The Climate Trust
Founded in 1997, The Climate Trust (TCT) is a nonprofit project developer focused on utilizing carbon markets to scale climate mitigation outcomes. TCT believes that carbon emissions reductions and good land stewardship go hand in hand – a core belief that has driven the organization’s work for over 25 years. TCT seeks to promote healthy ecosystems and resilient communities by scaling nature-based solutions and mobilizing markets to solve ecological issues in three areas of carbon project development and financing: Reforestation/Afforestation, Grassland Conservation, and Improved Forest Management.

Julius Pasay, Executive Director – jpasay@climatetrust.org 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hood-river-tree-farm-carbon-project-issues-core-carbon-principles-ccp-labeled-offsets-302832389.html

SOURCE The Climate Trust

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DCI Strengthens Lobbying and Strategic Alliances Teams, Announces New Hires

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Two senior hires bring decades of experience to DCI

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bipartisan public affairs firm DCI Group announced the hiring of two seasoned professionals, Tim Dupin and Tim Martin, further strengthening the firm’s strategic alliances and government relations capabilities. Dupin brings decades of experience in labor relations, center-left coalition building, and stakeholder engagement to the firm’s strategic alliances team, while Martin joins DCI Senior Advisor Doug Davenport to expand DCI’s lobbying practice.

Tim Dupin joins DCI as a Director, where he will support coalition-building, stakeholder engagement, and advocacy efforts, with a particular focus on labor organizations and allied constituencies. He brings extensive experience in center-left strategic alliances, grassroots advocacy, third-party engagement, and labor relations.

“Tim Dupin has built an impressive career bringing together organizations, advocates, and stakeholders to advance meaningful policy priorities,” said Managing Partner Brian McCabe. “As a bipartisan firm, his deep relationships within the labor community and extensive experience leading center-left coalition and grassroots efforts will strengthen DCI’s strategic alliances team and create even greater opportunities for our clients to build broad-based support for their initiatives.”

Prior to joining DCI, Dupin served as Director of Political Action at the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), where he managed national political and legislative campaigns. Dupin previously served as a firefighter and labor leader in Kansas City, Missouri, including as President of the Greater Kansas City Fire Fighters IAFF Local 42, and retired as a Fire Captain. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Labor Studies from the National Labor College and attended the Harvard Trade Union Program at Harvard Law School.

“DCI was built on growing and maintaining relationships, and I’m thrilled to support the strategic alliances team,” Dupin said. “I’m impressed with the character of the people who work at DCI, their commitment to their clients, and their singular focus on execution. I’m excited to be part of the team.”

Meanwhile, Tim Martin joins DCI as a Senior Vice President, where he will help expand the firm’s government relations and lobbying practice. Working alongside DCI Senior Advisor Doug Davenport, he brings deep experience in transportation, energy, and regulatory policy.

“Tim Martin brings exactly the kind of experience clients need as they navigate an increasingly complex legislative and regulatory environment,” said DCI Managing Partner Justin Peterson. “His background advising on transportation, energy, and public policy, combined with years of experience on Capitol Hill and in private practice, will be instrumental as we continue to grow our government relations and lobbying capabilities.”

Prior to joining DCI, Martin served as Vice President at Invariant, where he advised clients on legislative and regulatory strategy and led the firm’s transportation and infrastructure practice group. He previously served as Public Policy Counsel at WilmerHale, legislative director for Congressman Rodney Davis (R-IL), and general counsel to Congressman Scott Tipton (R-CO). Tim received a Juris Doctor from New York Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is originally from Summit, New Jersey.

“I’m excited to help grow DCI’s lobbying practice,” Martin said. “For years, DCI has been known for having the best public affairs operation in the business. Adding lobbying services will only enhance the firm’s effectiveness for our clients, and I’m proud to be a part of that.”

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dci-strengthens-lobbying-and-strategic-alliances-teams-announces-new-hires-302832391.html

SOURCE DCI GROUP AZ, L.L.C.

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