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Wisconsin pipeline spill increases pressure on Line 5

By Andy Balaskovitz

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PIPELINES: Opponents say Wisconsin regulators shouldn’t have approved Enbridge’s plan to reroute the Line 5 pipeline after the company reported a spill in the state just days earlier. (Inside Climate News)

ALSO: A federal judge allows 13 more GOP-led states to intervene as co-defendants in the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s latest lawsuit attempting to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

TRANSMISSION:

  • The Grain Belt Express transmission project will move forward despite a Biden administration decision to remove the proposed route from a program offering assistance to transmission lines. (Missouri Independent)
  • While some lawmakers welcomed the decision to scale back the program from 10 corridors to three, one proposed route moving forward aims to benefit tribes in three Great Plains states. (Utility Dive)

OIL & GAS:

  • Michigan consumer advocates question a rate increase request from the state’s largest gas provider to modernize its gas distribution system as electrification becomes more common. (MLive)
  • South Dakota regulators approve a settlement agreement allowing a gas utility to raise rates for the first time since 2011, as the utility cited rising operational costs and 13 years of infrastructure investments. (South Dakota Searchlight)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The U.S. Department of Energy closes on a $9.63 billion loan to Ford under a joint venture that will support construction on up to three electric vehicle battery plants. (Utility Dive)

POLITICS:

  • A nonprofit connected to Michigan utility DTE Energy gave $100,000 to an account linked to the state’s Democratic House leader as legislation to combat widespread power outages failed to advance. (Detroit News, subscription)
  • Federal prosecutors expect to rest their case today against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan who is accused of exchanging jobs for associates at ComEd for legislation favorable to the utility. (ABC 7)

CARBON CAPTURE: South Dakota regulators will charge a carbon pipeline developer up to $876,000 in fees to cover the costs of evaluating a new permit application after a previous request was denied, bringing total filing costs up to nearly $1.5 million. (South Dakota Searchlight)

BIOFUELS:

  • Congress approves a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open into next spring that will allow sales of E15 blends of ethanol in all states throughout the year. (States Newsroom)
  • U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa raises concerns about an increase in used cooking oil imports from China that could replace soybeans in the making of sustainable aviation fuel. (Radio Iowa)

SOLAR:

  • Construction is completed on two Iowa solar projects totaling 200 MW of capacity for Alliant Energy. (Solar Power World)
  • Minnesota utilities rely on solar panels that tilt to prevent snow buildup and absorb sunlight on both sides to maintain production during winter months. (Northern News Now)

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