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UTILITIES: Two Ohio utilities are pursuing state and federal regulatory actions to help make their coal and nuclear plants more competitive. (Midwest Energy News)
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EPA: The vice president of an Ohio cooperative claims new EPA carbon rules will increase electric bills by $40 a month. (Celina Daily Standard)
ALSO: Carbon rules at the top of the agenda at one recent utility conference, but only a minor theme at another; and Standard and Poor’s says climate rules will spark “some increased interest” in new nuclear power. (Energywire, Greentech Media, SNL)
COAL: An analysis finds planned coal plant retirements — mostly smaller, older plants that don’t run often — will have a minimal impact on overall CO2 emissions. (USA Today)
COAL ASH: Duke Energy agrees to pay for cleanup of a North Carolina river following a February coal ash spill. (Associated Press)
POLITICS: Democratic candidates see climate action as a winning issue; and Senate Democrats invited Republicans for a debate on climate change, but only Jim Inhofe showed up. (New York Times, The Hill)
OHIO: The new PUCO chairman says a committee to study the state’s renewable energy laws “is a good thing.” (Columbus Business First)
OIL: Crews in North Dakota are cleaning up two pipeline spills that released nearly 1,000 barrels of oil over the weekend. (Bismarck Tribune)
PETCOKE: Developers of an industrial site in Gary, Indiana say it will not be used to store petroleum coke. (Times of Northwest Indiana)
WIND: Developers of a new wind turbine design say it can achieve 80 percent efficiency by harvesting wind from multiple directions. (Washington Post)
ELECTRIC CARS: The Milwaukee area’s first high-speed EV charging stations open at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
COMMENTARY: How power plant pollution rules can deliver economic benefits. (NRDC Switchboard)