SOLAR: In a ruling that has major implications for the state’s industry, an Iowa court rejects a utility’s argument that a Dubuque solar installer can’t sell electricity from solar panels it installs. (Midwest Energy News)

ELECTRIC CARS: Work grinds to a halt on Chicago’s plan to install 280 electric car charging stations; the company contracted to do the work is rumored to be the subject of an FBI investigation. (Chicago Tribune)

CLIMATE: A new study says climate change is not to blame for last year’s drought, but other scientists say the study ignored key climate-related factors; and major companies including Ikea, Unilever and Intel sign a declaration calling for action on climate change. (Associated Press, EarthTechling)

EPA: An EPA official says work on carbon emission rules for existing power plants is “on the table” for 2014. (E&E Daily)

ALSO: A confirmation hearing for EPA nominee Gina McCarthy largely disregards climate change and other environmental issues, focusing instead on email usage and other procedural issues; and the agency is criticized by a journalism group for being “one of the most closed, opaque agencies to the press.” (New York Times, Greenwire)

OIL: How Exxon employs a “pay first, ask questions later” strategy to avoid animosity from neighbors affected by an oil spill from an Arkansas pipeline, and the company gives inconsistent details about when it knew about the 22-foot-long rupture. (Reuters, InsideClimate News)

WIND: A new report from AWEA breaks down details of last year’s record surge in wind power installations. (Quartz)

COAL: A proposed Indiana coal-to-gas plant wins a reprieve after lawmakers amend a bill that would have required a tougher review of the project. (Indianapolis Star)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: Xcel Energy wants to sell renewable energy credits from a turkey-manure-fueled power plant in Minnesota to utilities in North Carolina, who are required by state law to get a portion of their renewable energy from poultry litter. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

EFFICIENCY: Officials from Duluth schools share lessons from their $300 million efficiency initiative. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

TRANSPORTATION: In an event in Detroit, Edison2 unveils its 100 mpg car which it says, in addition to meeting safety standards, “will be a ton of fun.” (CBS Detroit)

COMMENTARY: An attempt to calculate the social cost of carbon emissions resulting from the Keystone XL pipeline. (Elana Schor)

 

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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