GRID: Advocates say regulators in many states aren’t moving fast enough on grid modernization. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: Duke Energy seeks a rider to pay for grid modernization in Ohio, and plans a 10 MW battery storage project. (Utility Dive / Energy Choice Matters)

CLIMATE: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is expected to sign an executive order committing the city to the Paris climate accord. (WBBM)

NATURAL GAS: Utilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin plan a 700 MW natural gas plant. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

OHIO: An Ohio Republican seeks a compromise on a legislation to weaken the state’s renewable energy standards to gain Gov. John Kasich’s support. (Columbus Dispatch)

NUCLEAR: An oil and gas industry group release a poll showing most respondents do not support plans to subsidize FirstEnergy’s Ohio nuclear plants; the plan also draws opposition from a regional chamber of commerce. (Columbus Business First, Youngstown Vindicator)

ELECTRIC CARS:
• Kansas City is leading the U.S. in electric vehicle growth, boasting a 95 percent increase after a local utility rolled out the country’s largest car charging network in 2015. (Kansas City Business Journal)
• Tesla seeks documents from Michigan lawmakers in a complaint over legislation that blocked direct sales in the state. (MLive)

COAL:
• Experts reject claims by EPA administrator Scott Pruitt that retiring coal plants makes the grid vulnerable. (E&E News)
• Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds praises the University of Iowa’s plan to phase out coal by 2025. (Daily Iowan)

UTILITIES: A report finds a majority of utility executives still see distributed generation as a threat to their companies’ viability. (Greentech Media)

PIPELINES: Nebraska regulators hold a public hearing on Keystone XL that focuses largely on water quality concerns. (Omaha World-Herald)

TECHNOLOGY:
• Illinois representatives oppose President Trump’s plan to cut funding for energy labs. (WBBM)
• A group of retired military officers warns that the U.S. has fallen behind China and the European Union in developing clean energy technology, posing a major risk to long-term security. (Huffington Post)

COMMENTARY: Minnesota’s climate and clean energy initiatives “came out of bipartisan compromise. And they’ve worked.(Minneapolis Star Tribune)

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Ken Paulman

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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