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)

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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