WIND: A new study shows the patchwork of state and local zoning regulations is hindering wind development in four Midwest states analyzed. (ClimateWire)

SOLAR:
• A faith-based and environmental coalition in Minneapolis is actively pursuing residents in one low-income neighborhood to participate in community solar. (Midwest Energy News)
• As the number of net metering participants in Michigan grows, a Senate proposal would increase the time it takes customers to pay down investments. (MLive)

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PIPELINE: As calls to shut down Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac increase, Michigan officials say it would take “extraordinary action” to do so. (MLive)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• An analysis breaks down the level of difficulty for each state to comply with the plan, showing Wisconsin is in the top five with the hardest path forward. (SNL)
• Attorneys general in 16 states sent a letter Wednesday requesting the administration to temporarily suspend the rule while opponents mount a legal challenge. (Associated Press)
• Ohio says it will join with other states — possibly up to 25 — to mount a legal challenge. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• 
Illinois Congressmen join environmental and religious leaders in support of EPA plan. (CBS Chicago)
•  
A recent poll shows a majority of Republican and independent voters in Minnesota support the rules. (StarTribune)

PETCOKE: Chicago-area activists are waiting for the day when KCBX closes all of its petcoke storage facilities on the city’s southeast side. (Progress Illinois)

EMISSIONS: Carbon emissions from U.S. power plants hit a 27-year low in April. (Associated Press)

OIL AND GAS:
• A new metric is being used in North Dakota to measure population changes in oil boomtowns: the amount of sewage produced. (Reuters)
• Chesapeake Energy is scaling back gas production in Ohio until a pipeline is built connecting the area with the Gulf Coast. (Columbus Business First)
Township officials in southeast Michigan will begin looking at potential oil and gas drilling regulations. (WXYZ-TV)
Due to market conditions, North Dakota’s newest oil refinery lost money in its first few months of operating. (Finance & Commerce)

BIOFUELS:
• Developers are seeking investors to build a $140 million ethanol plant in South Dakota. (Capital Journal)
In Iowa, Jeb Bush takes a firm position on ending the Renewable Fuel Standard. (Grist)

KEYSTONE XL: Opponents in South Dakota make one last push before regulators to reject a state permit for the project. (Rapid City Journal)

ELECTION: Young conservatives in Ohio want GOP candidates to address energy reform and the environment during tonight’s debate. (Morrow County Sentinel)

EFFICIENCY: Cincinnati’s archbishop urges residents to take up energy efficiency and take climate change seriously. (WLWT-TV)

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LAWSUIT: Anti-coal activists are still fighting to keep John Prine lyrics in their federal complaint against Peabody Energy. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY:
• Gov. Scott Walker is “just plain wrong” about the Clean Power Plan. (Capital Times)
Polling shows business leaders in Michigan and elsewhere largely support clean energy and cutting carbon pollution. (Huffington Post)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

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