** Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration asks the U.S. Supreme Court to consider whether the state has immunity from lawsuits involving an order to revoke Enbridge’s Line 5 easement in the Straits of Mackinac.
** New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent moves to approve a gas pipeline and delay action on building electrification has the state’s Democrats choosing between support for the governor and continuing to pursue climate action.
** Indiana startup Sortera Technologies raises $45 million in growth capital to advance its technology that uses AI to find high-value alloys in scrap aluminum.
** A developer pulls out of plans for a northern Michigan data center that would have included an on-site gas plant with carbon capture capabilities, while a central Michigan town enacts a six-month data center moratorium after pushback over a $1 billion proposal.
** At least 22 Minnesota local and tribal governments have published climate action plans in the face of a growing number of costly climate events and as the Trump administration rolls back federal efforts.
** A federal report finds Kentucky’s coal production fell 14% in 2024, as the state fell to seventh in the nation in coal production after spending much of the ‘70s and ‘80s ranked first.
** Texas utility CPS Energy issues a request for proposals for 600 MW of new solar capacity.
** An Alabama city council votes to rezone nearly 700 acres for a 4.5 million square foot data center despite criticism that a non-disclosure agreement is preventing transparency.
** Virginia should invite data center developers to contribute a percentage of their avoided sales-tax liability to purchase credits under the state’s distributed generation carve-out for small-scale solar projects, writes the CEO of developer Secure Solar Futures.
World
** The Trump administration said it is seeing signs that its sanctions on major Russian oil producers are crimping the economic engine that has allowed Moscow to continue to fund its war in Ukraine.
** India’s largest conglomerate Reliance Industries, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, has stopped importing Russian crude oil for its export-only refining unit at Jamnagar in the western state of Gujarat. The move is to ensure compliance with an EU announced ban on import of fuel made from Russian oil.