Michigan AG: Supreme Court ruling a victory for ​‘family budgets and job creation’

SUPREME COURT:

• The U.S. Supreme Court rules against the EPA, saying its Mercury and Air Toxics Standards did not properly account for costs when being implemented. (New York Times)
• There is still uncertainty over how many coal plant closures may be reversed or new pollution controls removed if the industry’s argument holds. (Associated Press)
• Utilities in Michigan and Iowa say they will continue converting plants to natural gas because it makes more sense economically and is in line with a variety of other regulations. (Platts)
• Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, who led the legal challenge to the rules, said the decision is a ​“victory for family budgets and job creation in Michigan,” while critics accused him of siding with polluters. (Detroit Free Press)
• Despite reports to the contrary, the high court didn’t strike down the rules, but rather put their fate in jeopardy. (ClimateProgress)

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SOLAR:

• One year after receiving a favorable state Supreme Court ruling, a developer is still battling a utility over third-party solar projects in Iowa. (Midwest Energy News)
• A small Minnesota town signs a deal to power all city-owned buildings with solar within the next two years. (CBS Minnesota)

COAL: A PJM analysis shows coal use could decline by as much as 40 percent under the Clean Power Plan, but — depending on natural-gas prices — it could also increase in some areas. (Utility Dive)

VEHICLES: Owners of some new car models report that their vehicles are burning too much oil. (Associated Press)

FRACKING: After a seven-year environmental and health review, New York officially institutes its ban on hydraulic fracturing. (Associated Press)

RAIL: Kansas residents say a vast nearby railroad yard is causing health problems associated with exposure to diesel exhaust. (Kansas City Star)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: Will the proposed rules stoke the historical tension between politicians and regulators? (ClimateWire)

DETROIT: Police are looking for a suspect who has been robbing utility crews at gunpoint who are in the field restoring power after a weekend storm. (CBS Detroit)

MERGER: The Wisconsin Energy/​Integrys merger is officially a done deal. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

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TRANSPORTATION: Michigan lawmakers are considering raising the state gasoline tax by 15 cents over three years to help pay for road infrastructure. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY:

• Establishing a tribal commission to regulate some aspects of oil development in North Dakota could be beneficial. (Rapid City Journal)
• Despite Monday’s Supreme Court ruling, ​“Coal’s slide into obsolescence will not be stopped.” (Bloomberg)

CORRECTION: Michigan’s large investor-owned utilities are taking steps to comply with federal Mercury and Air Toxics Standards while the state attorney general challenges them in court. An item in Monday’s digest said they were complying with the Clean Power Plan.