Judge orders tribe, Enbridge to devise Line 5 spill plan

PIPELINES:
• A federal judge orders Enbridge and the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa to develop an emergency plan to prevent potential spills from Line 5 on tribal land in northern Wisconsin. (Wisconsin Public Radio)
• The judge also denied Enbridge’s attempt to invoke a 1977 treaty between the U.S. and Canada to stop the court from disrupting Line 5 operations. (Wisconsin Examiner)

COAL:
• The U.S. EPA’s recent denial of a plan to continue dumping toxic coal ash from Ohio’s largest coal plant into an unlined pond could doom the power plant if an alternative plan isn’t reached. (Columbus Dispatch)
• A southeastern Missouri coal plant will need to cut its emissions as the region exceeds federal sulfur dioxide emission standards. (Missouri Independent)
• A North Dakota commission awards $1.2 million for a research project to determine the commercial viability of extracting rare earth elements and other minerals from lignite coal. (Prairie Public Broadcasting)
• Advocates in northwestern Indiana call for NIPSCO to do a full coal ash remediation at the site of a soon-to-close coal plant along Lake Michigan. (Statehouse File)

MINING: The Minnesota Supreme Court will hear arguments today on an attempt by environmental groups to cancel a key permit for a planned copper-nickel mine. (Associated Press)

ELECTRIFICATION: Ann Arbor, Michigan, officials consider a plan to ban natural gas connections in new and substantially renovated buildings starting next year to compel developers to build all-electric projects. (MLive)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• President Biden’s visit to a Michigan semiconductor manufacturing plant signified a new phase as the administration begins to implement the Inflation Reduction Act. (E&E News, subscription)
• The U.S. Treasury Department issues guidelines for wage and apprenticeship standards that firms must meet to qualify for clean energy tax incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act. (CNBC)

UTILITIES: Some South Dakota residents push back against Xcel Energy’s proposed 17.9% rate increase that would help pay for clean energy investments, nuclear decommissioning and other technology upgrades. (Center Square)

GRID: Portions of South Dakota may be at risk of grid outages this winter as the Midwest region confronts potential shortfalls in the event of sustained cold weather, according to a recent report. (Argus Leader)

EFFICIENCY: A development agency in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula receives a $500,000 state grant to make energy efficiency upgrades in income-qualifying homes. (WLUC)

COMMENTARY: After a decade of legislative blockades, Minnesota can now be bold on climate, clean energy and environmental policy, an advocate writes. (Minnesota Reformer)