TRANSMISSION: American Transmission Co. plans to spend up to $3.6 billion upgrading power lines in Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and Illinois over the next 10 years. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

ALSO: A new 48-mile transmission line in Ohio will improve reliability following the shutdown of three coal plants. (Toledo Blade)

***SPONSORED LINK: Register today for the Midwest’s largest energy efficiency event, the Midwest Energy Solutions Conference, taking place January 14-16 in Chicago. Use Code MWEN25off for $25 off just for Midwest Energy News readers.***

EFFICIENCY: Wal-Mart joins the LED bulb pricing war, offering a 60-watt equivalent bulb for less than $9; and in addition to saving money, new LED lighting at a Michigan hockey arena will improve the game: “goalies say they can see the puck a lot better.” (Greentech Media, MLive)

CLIMATE: Business leaders in Cleveland get a first look at a plan to cut the city’s emissions 80 percent by 2050. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

FRACKING: A report released by an Ohio environmental group calls fracking “an environmental nightmare,” and truck traffic from drilling prompts closure of a historic Ohio bridge. (Youngstown Vindicator, Columbus Dispatch)

GRID: A surge in renewable energy is driving renewed interest in large-scale energy storage. (New York Times)

ELECTRIC CARS: Tesla’s battery fire revives a safety debate over electric cars, though still a tiny fraction of the nearly 200,000 car fires in the U.S. each year. (Associated Press)

FROM THE ARCHIVE: In 2011, when a fire in a crash-tested Chevy Volt made headlines, we took a closer look at safety issues surrounding lithium-ion batteries. (Midwest Energy News)

SOLAR: A new solar panel factory opens in northern Michigan. (UpNorthLive)

NATURAL GAS: A T. Boone Pickens-backed venture will announce today that it will begin selling motor fuel derived from landfill gas at filling stations in California. (New York Times)

MICHIGAN: Consumers Energy releases its first-ever accountability report, highlighting how it plans to continue meeting energy needs and cut emissions. (CBS Detroit)

COMMENTARY: Five charts that show why nuclear energy is going nowhere. (Business Insider)

 

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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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