FRACKING: An Associated Press report finds the EPA set aside an analysis connecting natural gas drilling to water contamination in Texas after complaints from the drilling company.

POLITICS: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, a strong advocate of wind and solar power, announces he’s stepping down. (Politico)

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TRANSPORTATION: At the Detroit auto show, electric vehicles still make a big splash, but even a hologram of Thomas Edison acknowledged “the transition will still take some time.” (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: A study finds drivers and cyclists are equally to blame for car-bike collisions in Minneapolis. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

COAL: A Republican lawmaker introduces a bill that would shield Indiana ratepayers from paying for a planned coal-to-gas plant, potentially derailing the project. (Indianapolis Star)

SOLAR: Construction is expected to begin soon on a community-owned solar project in Minnesota, and a new interactive map projects when solar energy will be cheaper than conventional generation across the U.S. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, CleanTechnica)

POLLUTION: The EPA issues revisions to a 2010 air quality rule, saying the changes will cut costs of the regulation while still improving public health. (The Hill)

CLIMATE: Minnesota legislators get a briefing on how climate change is impacting the state. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

OIL: The American Petroleum Institute launches an ad campaign promoting Keystone XL and natural gas exports, and North Dakota officials assure neighbors that a proposed oil field waste facility will be safe. (Politico, Dickinson Press)

MINNESOTA: On an energy tour of rural Minnesota, Sen. Amy Klobuchar says Congress needs to establish renewable energy incentives “for a longer term instead of year to year to year.” (Worthington Daily Globe)

BIOFUELS: A federal court rejects a challenge to E15 sales. (The Hill)

GEOTHERMAL: A Twin Cities suburb will heat its new fire hall with a $9.2 million geothermal system. (Finance & Commerce)

COMMENTARY: Ontario pushes coal out the door. (CleanTechnica)

 

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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