POLITICS: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who’s been tapped as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, has elevated climate change as an issue in his home state by signing major clean energy legislation with a slim Democratic majority in the legislature. (New York Times)

ALSO: Picking the two-term governor and former Congress member rallied national climate organizers while generating criticism from fossil fuel groups. (Inside Climate News; E&E News)

COAL: Tests of water contaminated with coal ash from a spill last month in Minnesota show evidence of sulfates, a potential threat to wild rice beds growing nearby. (Star Tribune)

PIPELINES: Enbridge officials say the company is making progress on engineering, design and pre-construction work for a proposed tunnel for Line 5, which still faces legal challenges from the state of Michigan. (Daily Press)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Major automakers plan investments in large gasoline-powered trucks still in favor with consumers as they scale back electric vehicle manufacturing plans. (CNN)

SOLAR: A renewable energy developer secures a $309 million loan backing a portfolio of 80 community solar projects in Illinois and Maryland. (PV Tech)

CLEAN ENERGY: 

  • U.S. businesses and consumers have invested $493 billion in factories and products related to clean energy since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law in 2022, according to two new reports. (E&E News, subscription)
  • More than 3.4 million households have claimed $8 billion in tax credits for energy efficiency upgrades under the Inflation Reduction Act. (E&E News, subscription)

OIL & GAS: Ohio appeals court judges hear arguments over whether a state commission’s decision to allow fracking under public land is reviewable by a court. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)

COMMENTARY: A clean energy analyst says demand-side programs to limit electricity consumption need to be considered as forecasts predict load growth from data centers and large manufacturing facilities. (Utility Dive)

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Andy compiles the Midwest Energy News digest and was a journalism fellow for Midwest Energy News from 2014-2020. He is managing editor of MiBiz in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was formerly a reporter and editor at City Pulse, Lansing’s alternative newsweekly.