South Dakota

The murky future of South Dakota’s Big Stone II coal plant is getting even murkier.

In Minnesota, two administrative law judges have ruled against the building of the power lines that Big Stone II needs to run, overturning a recommendation they made last year.

Why? Because the five power companies trying to build it couldn’t justify the need for hundreds of new megawatts of the dirty fuel.

Not when the judges considered the rising costs -- the four million tons of CO2 pollution each year plus rate hikes for Minnesota customers after a federal price on carbon kicks in that forces coal polluters to pay.

The better bet for the state, say the judges? Renewable energy. Mainly wind, and efficiency measures.

Huge.