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WISCONSIN: A leading Tea Party activist will be in Wisconsin next week to advocate for solar power and other distributed renewable energy. (Midwest Energy News)
***SPONSORED LINK: Midwest Energy Policy Conference 2014 — Get the early-bird discount now for the Midwest Energy Policy Conference on Sep. 30-Oct. 1 in St. Louis!***
OIL: A Coast Guard commander says emergency responders are not prepared for a major oil spill in the Great Lakes, and Statoit is expanding a project to capture natural gas in North Dakota’s oil patch. (Detroit Free Press, Associated Press)
FRACKING: A Yale study finds people living near gas wells are twice as likely to experience respiratory and skin problems, a former Ohio steel mill will become a logistics hub for drilling operations, and industry groups will seek changes to Illinois’ proposed fracking regulations. (USA Today, Columbus Business First, Associated Press)
POLITICS: A former Murray Energy foreman sues the company, saying she was fired for not making political contributions to the CEO’s preferred candidates. (Charleston Gazette)
EPA: A letter from 15 Republican governors claims proposed EPA carbon restrictions would violate federal law, and a judge rules a former EPA official can’t testify on behalf of a utility in a Missouri pollution case. (The Hill)
COAL: Peabody Energy’s CEO explains how to improve coal’s image. (Wall Street Journal)
SOLAR: When accounting for small projects, new solar capacity outpaced natural gas in the first half of 2014; and a Cedar Rapids apartment building claims the largest multi-tenant solar project in the Midwest. (Greentech Media, KGAN)
NUCLEAR: Nuclear opponents call for a formal hearing over cracks in the concrete structure at Ohio’s Davis-Besse plant. (Toledo Blade)
BIOFUEL: The University of Iowa experiments with a tropical tallgrass as a biofuel stock. (Iowa City Press-Citizen)
SMART METERS: An Illinois utility is keeping consumer energy data locked down until regulators clarify how it can be used. (Chicago Tribune)
SECURITY: Experts say it’s extremely unlikely that hackers could cause sustained outages on the U.S. grid. (Politico)
***SPONSORED LINK: On Oct.29, experts will converge on Madison, Wisconsin to discuss the energy, water and food challenges created by growing cities. Hosted by the Wisconsin Energy Institute. Register before Oct. 1 and save 20%.***
WIND: Wind turbines at an Ohio Honda plant are producing more energy than expected. (Bellefontaine Examiner)
COMMENTARY: A legal challenge could be Republicans’ best shot at derailing EPA carbon rules. (The New Republic)