Congress authorizes Keystone XL construction, setting up veto

MICHIGAN: Gov. Rick Snyder’s office and the Public Service Commission believe We Energies is double-dipping in the U.P. by collecting SSR payments from ratepayers and also rates from a returning industrial customer. (Midwest Energy News)

KEYSTONE XL: Congress authorizes construction of Keystone XL, setting up Obama veto. In final hours, a top union official said Democrats “perverted” the process. (New York Times, The Hill)

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EPA: A coal-dependent utility in Missouri marks subtle shift in policy by supporting EPA’s Clean Power Plan but with revisions. (EnergyWire)

LED: A Wisconsin-based energy-efficient lighting developer announces a $15 million stock offering to expand its LED business. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

OHIO: State regulators could decide on American Electric Power’s “bailout” proposal for a coal plant as early as next week. (Columbus Business Journal)

EV: Kia plans to unveil its new electric, all-wheel drive, off-road vehicle this week at the Chicago Auto Show. (MLive)

OVERSIGHT: Minnesota lawmakers vote to change agencies that oversee a troubled energy assistance grant program. (Minnesota Public Radio)

NATURAL GAS: New research says that EPA numbers “vastly underestimate” the amount of methane emissions from producing natural gas. Pennsylvania governor proposes a 5 percent severance tax on fracking, expecting to generate at least $1 billion for schools. (Phys.org, Reuters)

WISCONSIN: Wisconsin Electric Power Company’s fourth-quarter profits dip, in part due to costs related to planned merger with Integrys. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

TRANSMISSION: A new report by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council suggests how to modernize the grid with new generation from renewables. (Cleantechnica)

CLIMATE: The new Republican-controlled Senate begins taking aim at Obama’s climate change policy. (The Hill)

COMMENTARY: Michigan Congressman Fred Upton’s “Architect of Abundance” energy plan only seeks to increase profits for oil and gas industry. (EcoWatch)