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)