MICHIGAN: Will natural gas or renewable energy be the cheaper way to meet EPA carbon targets? Michigan researchers have developed a tool to help answer that question. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: A leader in Michigan’s tourism industry says wind power is a key part of a “no regrets” energy policy. (MLive)

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FRACKING:
• New regulations governing fracking on federal lands are quickly challenged by the oil and gas industry. (New York Times, The Hill)
• Kansas regulators order limits on wastewater disposal in two counties. (Wichita Business Journal)

OIL TRAINS:
• Why government-ordered rerouting of oil trains is unlikely to happen. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• The rail industry awaits tougher tank car rules. (Bismarck Tribune)

OIL AND GAS:
• North Dakota producers face conflicting orders on flaring. (Bismarck Tribune)
• A newspaper takes a closer look at the state of pipeline safety in Ohio. (Canton Repository)
• The oil boom has some North Dakota graduates returning home. (Associated Press)

SOLAR:
• How third-party solar leases can complicate home sales. (Los Angeles Times)
• A Minnesota city considers getting involved in the siting of a proposed solar garden. (Red Wing Republican Eagle)
• An Iowa university will host an open house for its new solar array. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)

NUCLEAR:
• Michigan’s Fermi 2 plant shuts down after a water leak is discovered. (Associated Press)
• Michigan lawmakers push the feds to revive the Yucca Mountain waste storage project. (CBS Detroit)

COAL:
• Illinois officials seek more information on a permit application for a proposed coal mine. (Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette)
• An Ohio utility will be laying off 62 workers as it retires coal plants. (Columbus Business First)

KANSAS: Two proposals in the Kansas legislature would increase taxes on the renewable energy industry. (Associated Press)

ETHANOL: Illinois researchers say higher ethanol blends can significantly cut carbon emissions. (Crain’s Cleveland Business)

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MEDIA: A Michigan reporter says he’s “dreaded” writing about the state’s energy policy debate because “the subject is mired in complexity” and “lacks reader appeal.” (MLive)

COMMENTARY:
• Laurence Tribe’s legal analysis of EPA authority “seems suspiciously contingent on which large corporation has hired him.” (Grist)
• Why coal can be cleaner, but never “clean.” (Forbes)