WIND: Illinois falls behind Oklahoma in a national wind power ranking as the state remains deadlocked over its renewable energy policy. (Crain’s Chicago Business)

ALSO: Officials in a Michigan county defend holding closed sessions to discuss a proposed moratorium on wind farms. (Huron County View)

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UTILITIES: Why a Missouri utility is betting big on electric vehicle chargers. (EnergyWire)

OHIO: In a call with investors, American Electric Power executives discuss how proposed income guarantees for their power plants will influence whether or not the company sells them. (SNL)

EPA: Wisconsin lawmakers debate impacts of the Clean Power Plan, and the Midwest’s main grid operator plans to release more studies this summer on how much transmission and natural gas capacity the carbon rules will require. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, news release)

BIOFUELS: A report by the World Resources Institute cautions against over-reliance on biofuels as a carbon strategy. (New York Times)

OIL AND GAS:
• Ohio officials finally release formerly secret records showing millions of gallons of volatile crude passing through the state each day. (Columbus Dispatch)
• Pipeline spills impact the Keystone XL debate. (Associated Press)
• A spill at a North Dakota well site releases 490 barrels of oil. (UPI)
• Why fracking isn’t the job creator some projections make it out to be. (New Republic)
• An Ohio utility isn’t expecting a big impact on sales from the shale downturn. (Columbus Business First)
• The U.S. House passes a bill aiming to expedite natural gas exports. (Associated Press)

CLIMATE: With “a tone of collegiality,” Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee agree to discuss climate change impacts over the next two years. (The Hill)

NUCLEAR: An Illinois plant is back online after being shut down for more than a week to repair a valve. (Bloomington Pantagraph)

MEDIA: An analysis finds increasing coverage of climate change on TV news, but much of it focused on politics rather than science. (Media Matters)

COMMENTARY: Indiana utilities “are trying to kill the only competition they have.” (Muncie Star Press)

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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