Minnesota judge says state should account for social costs of carbon

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Backers of a plan to extend a freeze of Ohio’s clean energy standards for three more years say it’s due to the legal uncertainty around the federal Clean Power Plan. (Midwest Energy News)
• Groups challenging the Clean Power Plan in federal court say the U.S. EPA is downplaying its ​“radical” approach to power plant regulation. (EnergyWire)

CLIMATE: An administrative law judge in Minnesota recommends that the state use updated cost-of-carbon estimates that factor in health and societal costs. (Minnesota Public Radio)

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UTILITIES: At the center of the federal challenge to recent utility income-guarantee plans in Ohio is whether the deals will cost or credit ratepayers in the long run. (Toledo Press)

NUCLEAR:
• As state regulators were deciding the fate of the Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Ohio, its owner was already working on a multi-million-dollar upgrade that would get even more years of service out of the plant. (Toledo Blade)
• An Illinois lawmaker warns of ​“sky high” electric bills if Exelon’s nuclear plants are retired prematurely. (WJBC)

SOLAR: Some Minnesota landowners are concerned about the impact of community solar projects on farmland. (KMSP)

COAL:
• Before its bankruptcy, Peabody Energy was making plans to ​“right-size” its coal mining operations amid the vastly shrinking industry. (SNL / Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)
• Industry officials say U.S. railroad companies are facing an ​“energy depression” due to low coal, oil and natural gas prices. (Platts)

FRACKING: Researchers in Oklahoma look to use algae to clean and reuse wastewater from fracking operations. (Oklahoman)

CONGRESS: The U.S. Senate hopes to wrap up work on a sweeping, bipartisan energy bill this week. (E&E Daily)

TRANSPORTATION: An Illinois lawmaker backs off a plan that would have taxed motorists by the mile in order to pay for road repairs. (Associated Press)

GRID:
• Federal regulators are seeking input from grid operators on how energy storage can be a part of wholesale energy markets. (RTO Insider)
• Grid operator executives say they worry about affordability, reliability and cyber issues as the nation’s energy mix changes. (EnergyWire)

BIOFUELS: A North Dakota ethanol plant surprises its investors by paying off millions of dollars in debt three years early. (Agweek)

COMMENTARY:
• Clean-energy and consumer advocates say utilities should join them in developing 21st-century rate designs. (Utility Dive)
• Will Ohio lawmakers remain hostile toward clean-energy development or will they embrace the economic potential of the advanced energy industry? (Advanced Energy Perspectives)
• Reducing carbon emissions should come from emissions standards, not renewable portfolio standards. (Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette)