NUCLEAR: A federal court orders the Department of Energy to stop collecting fees for a central nuclear waste disposal site, saying the agency had no plans for the money. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced a plan on Monday to resume work on the Yucca Mountain site. (Washington Post, Las Vegas Review-Journal)
ICYMI: Amid the wrangling over a permanent disposal site, most nuclear waste remains onsite at reactors. A story we published Friday explores the issue. (Midwest Energy News)
***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.***
WIND: Wisconsin lawmakers hold a hearing on a bill that would make it easier to sue wind farms, which one lobbyist calls “wildly hypocritical” amid the legislature’s tort-reform push. (Madison Capital Times)
ALSO: A study projects job creation from Great Lakes offshore wind depends on stable policy, and a wildlife expert says a proposed wind farm in Lake Erie would have no significant impact on bird and bat populations. (Midwest Energy News, WKYC)
‘PETKOCH’: Illinois regulators delay a permit for a petroleum coke storage facility in Chicago as Mayor Rahm Emanuel orders “strict regulation” of the now-infamous piles building up along the Calumet River. (Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune)
OHIO: Legislation to weaken Ohio’s renewable energy law is stuck in committee after the bill’s sponsor abruptly cancels a hearing amid growing pushback; and the state’s attorney general urges voters to reject a ballot measure to establish a $13 billion clean energy fund via an out-of-state entity. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Columbus Dispatch)
OIL: North Dakota officials say two recent oil spills released 350 barrels and 500 barrels of oil, most of which has been recovered. (Fargo Forum)
TESLA: The NHTSA will investigate whether the batteries on the Tesla Model S are adequately protected from road debris after three fires in a short period. (Reuters)
HYDROGEN: Hyundai announces it will sell the first mass-market hydrogen fuel cell car in the U.S. starting next year, with Toyota expected to follow a year or two later. (Associated Press)
TRANSPORTATION: More research suggests that America has reached “peak car,” and Cleveland’s transit authority votes to purchase 240 natural gas-fueled buses. (Greentech Media, Cleveland Plain Dealer)
ETHANOL: The EPA’s plan to lower the renewable fuel mandate draws opposition from Iowa’s governor, and creates new urgency in Congress to pass a farm bill. (Des Moines Register, The Hill)
***SPONSORED LINK: Visionary energy entrepreneur Jigar Shah will discuss his new book, Creating Climate Wealth, at a free event Thursday at Macalester College in St. Paul. Click here to register. ***
TRANSMISSION: Farmers air concerns about a transmission project at a hearing in central Iowa. (Mason City Globe Gazette)
COMMENTARY: Why the Tesla fires still aren’t a big deal. (Climate Progress)