Duke Energy has lost the first round in a legal battle to force Duke to excavate all 6 of its coal ash ponds in North Carolina. It just wants to line them with plastic, but they contain an exotic mix of toxic chemicals that will mix with the water supply. A preliminary ruling this week says Duke must excavate al the ponds and bury the ash in lined landfills. It’s almost not worth looking at Duke’s results after that, as it says that the cost of lining and sealing its coal ash will knock $billions from its cash supply. But it had revenues of $5.4 bn for the quarter, up $250 million on this time last year, with net income…