Data center rules fail to move in Minnesota

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DATA CENTERS

• New restrictions on data centers in Minnesota failed in recent months due to opposition from business and labor groups, though backers say they plan to come back with new bills. (MPR News)

• Republican majorities in the Ohio House and Senate fail to reach an agreement over how to structure tax incentives for data centers or whether to offer them at all, stalling efforts to pass broader regulations. (E&E News)

HYDROELECTRIC

• A Michigan administrative law judge recommends state regulators reject Consumers Energy’s proposal to sell 13 aging hydroelectric dams to a private equity firm, arguing it would not be in the public’s interest and would raise long-term maintenance concerns. (Bridge)

STORAGE

• A NextEra subsidiary seeks approval from South Dakota regulators for a $174 million lithium-ion grid battery storage project. (South Dakota Searchlight)

PIPELINES

• The federal government will pay North Dakota $28 million in compensation for the costs incurred during Dakota Access pipeline protests nearly a decade ago as part of a settlement agreement. (North Dakota Monitor)

UTILITIES

• Michigan Democrats and clean energy advocates prepare a new set of bills to restrict utilities from using ratepayer funds for executive compensation and political spending, and to cap rates of return on investments. (Michigan Advance)

• Detroit-based DTE did not pay federal income taxes in 2025 for the 12th straight year because of tax breaks on its clean energy and infrastructure investments, despite reporting $1.54 billion in profits. (Michigan Advance)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Milwaukee Public Schools will start transporting students on 50 electric buses this fall, with plans to add another 100 electric buses over the next three years. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

GRID

• Electric and transmission utilities hold two public meetings on plans for a major transmission project connecting southern Minnesota with eight other Midwest states. (Post Bulletin)

• A federal appeals court upholds federal regulators’ decision in 2024 to lower the return on equity for transmission owners in MISO’s footprint, ordering refunds to ratepayers. (Utility Dive)

NUCLEAR

• Minnesota state officials support lifting the state’s ban on new nuclear plant construction to contribute more zero-emissions electricity to reach climate goals. (Yale Climate Connections)