IOWA: As Iowa faces a potential surge in distributed generation, advocates and some legislators are concerned the state isn’t prepared. (Midwest Energy News)

GRID: A new study from GE Energy Consulting finds the PJM Interconnection could move to 30 percent renewable energy by 2026 with no impact on reliability and a potential decline in energy costs. (EnergyWire)

***SPONSORED LINK: The 2014 Clean Energy Challenge business plan competition on April 3 awards over $500,000 in prizes to innovative Midwest clean tech startups! Hear keynote speakers David Crane and Tom Steyer. Use code “EARLY_BIRD” & register today! ***

EPA: A bill to block proposed EPA carbon regulations passed the House on Thursday but faces hurdles in the Senate, where its odds likely hinge on whether sponsors can convince Democrats from coal-rich states to join the cause. (The Hill, E&E Daily)

SHALE: Oil and gas production in Ohio continues to soar, with 2013 production roughly double the previous year’s total, but the state shouldn’t hold its breath for a new refinery to be built in the state, industry officials said at an annual meeting Thursday. (The Plain Dealer)

FRACKING: An Ohio company is scrapping plans to recycle crushed rock and shale leftover from fracking because drilling companies are unwilling to pay the trucking and processing costs, it says. Meanwhile, county officials in Wisconsin are wary about a new bill that curbs local governments’ ability to regulate frac sand mining. (The Columbus Dispatch, LaCrosse Tribune)

PIPELINES: As environmental groups in Minnesota prepare to fight a proposed Enbridge pipeline replacement project, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker toured Enbridge’s facilities in Superior, Wisc., on Thursday and called the company’s expansion plans a “tremendous opportunity.” And 29 Nebraska lawmakers signed a letter of support this week for the Keystone XL pipeline. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Associated Press, Omaha World-Herald)

OIL-BY-RAIL: The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a two-day forum next month on safety issues related to shipping crude oil and ethanol by rail. (The Kansas City Star)

ETHANOL: South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard on Thursday announced that the state will begin testing higher-blend E15 ethanol in part of the state’s vehicle fleet. (The Associated Press)

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SOLAR: The U.S. solar industry grew by 41 percent in 2013, bringing the nation’s photovoltaic solar capacity to more than 12,000 megawatts, according to a new annual report from the Solar Energy Industries Association. (ClimateWire)

OPINION: As Keystone XL supporters attempt to link the issue to the chaos in Ukraine, Bloomberg Businessweek associate editor Matthew Phillips writes that the argument is “tenuous at best,” and that the pipeline would do little to change Ukraine’s current situation. (Bloomberg Businessweek)