The company planning a controversial pipeline reroute in northern Wisconsin recently told officials that it spilled approximately 69,300 gallons of crude oil in the southern part of the state, making this Wisconsin’s largest oil spill since at least 2012. Enbridge first reported the spill, which was caused by an underground equipment failure on its Line 6 pipeline, on Nov. 11, then increased the estimated volume by tens of thousands of gallons about a month later. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has said it is investigating the spill and monitoring the cleanup.
In November, days after Enbridge reported the Line 6 spill, the Wisconsin DNR issued its first permits for Enbridge’s reroute of the Line 5 pipeline around tribal land. The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has fought to have the pipeline removed from its reservation — but the tribe also opposes the reroute amid concerns that a leak from the new stretch of pipeline could devastate the local watershed. The tribe and several other groups filed a lawsuit on Dec. 12 seeking to reverse the permits.
“This is our whole reasoning for trying to get this out of our backyard,” Robert Blanchard, chairman of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, told Inside Climate News as word spread about the spill from a different Enbridge pipeline.
A Wisconsin coal plant will stay open longer than expected after its owners — Alliant Energy, Wisconsin Public Service and Madison Gas and Electric — once again pushed back its retirement date, citing grid reliability concerns and projected demand growth. The Columbia coal plant, north of Madison, was originally scheduled to close this year. It is now expected to stay in service through 2029 and may then be converted to burn natural gas.
The Baldwin coal plant in southern Illinois is getting similar treatment “amid widespread concern over reliability,” owner Vistra Corp. said. The company said it is postponing the planned 2025 retirement to 2027 to allow time for additional generation sources to come online.
Ohio’s General Assembly passed a bill this month that would label nuclear power as “green energy.” (The state awarded the same legal definition to natural gas two years ago.) Lawmakers who supported the bill said they hoped it would attract nuclear development and jobs to Ohio. Though Ohio currently does not have state incentive programs for “green energy,” environmental groups opposed to nuclear have argued that adding it to the state’s definition could weaken future clean energy standards.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to cut off the province’s energy exports to the United States if President-elect Donald Trump follows through with 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports.
“We will go to the extent of cutting off their energy — going down to Michigan, going down to New York State and over to Wisconsin,” Ford said, according to Politico. “I don’t want this to happen, but my number one job is to protect Ontarians and Canadians as a whole.”
More energy news, in case you missed it:
- An $820 million sustainable aviation fuel plant is coming to Illinois, though the location is reportedly still being finalized.
- At least 78 gallons of water containing radioactive material spilled at an Ohio nuclear power plant this year, its owner reported.
- Several Ohio companies are investing in hydrogen cars even as refueling infrastructure remains a major limitation.
- Only about one in five Indianapolis buildings subject to a new energy benchmarking requirement have complied — though the deadline passed nearly six months ago.
- Xcel Energy has committed to studying racial disparities in utility shutoffs amid pressure from advocates in Minnesota.
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
Energy News Roundup: Line 5’s potential reroute plus mining permits stoke fears of contamination
Energy News Roundup: More energy transition ups and downs
Featured image: Oil spill. (Photo Credit: Great Lakes Now)
