PIPELINES: Advocates and state officials are concerned that recently documented spills of drilling mud along the new Rover gas pipeline in Ohio suggest a larger problem where incidents may be going undetected. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: 
• Advocates say the Dakota Access pipeline is set to be transporting oil without a proper spill-response plan in place where it crosses the Missouri River. (InsideClimate News)
• State regulators will hold hearings this summer on a planned replacement and expansion of an outdated pipeline carrying gasoline and diesel fuel from Montana to North Dakota. (Bismarck Tribune)

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CLEAN TECH: Five Midwest startups are awarded nearly $1 million in early-stage funding at the Chicago-based Clean Energy Trust Challenge. (Midwest Energy News)

COAL: Lincoln Electric System in Nebraska agrees to pay $10.5 million to drop its 30 percent stake in a coal plant, a move that will allow the utility to break even in two years and save money in the long run. (Lincoln Journal Star)

EFFICIENCY: Columbus ranked the highest of Ohio’s three largest cities in a new energy efficiency scorecard. (Columbus Business First)

NUCLEAR: In new court filings, Exelon argues that Illinois’ Zero Emission Credit program supporting nuclear plants is legal because states have legal authority to determine their fuel mixes and FERC has supported similar programs in the past. (Utility Dive)

ADVOCACY: So far, “only a handful of advocates” have been vocal about saving a highly regarded U.S. EPA vehicle-emissions testing laboratory in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (E&E News)

OIL AND GAS:
• North Dakota officials say human error caused a 610-barrel spill after an oil storage tank overflowed. (Forum News Service)
• Local and state authorities are attempting to find the cause of an oil spill that impacted a creek in eastern Michigan. (MLive)

***SPONSORED LINK: Smart Cities Technologies in Wisconsin is taking place on June 6 in Milwaukee. Organized by the Midwest Energy Research Consortium and the City of Milwaukee, this workshop will explore how cities like Milwaukee are adopting Smart Cities Technologies. Register before June 2. ***

UTILITIES: To pay for infrastructure upgrades, Minnesota regulators approve a “landmark” multi-year rate increase for Xcel Energy. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

COMMENTARY:
• A northern Michigan municipal utility’s decision to enter into a 20-year power purchase agreement for solar energy “is the kind of forward thinking that will benefit both the environment and taxpayers,” says a local editorial. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)
• Researchers from Texas say wind and solar are not negatively impacting grid reliability, and in some places, “overall grid operation has improved, not worsened.” (The Conversation)
• A wind energy official says grid operators and utility executives across the heartland are realizing the potential for widespread wind generation in the region. (Forbes)