WIND: In Chicago, Bill Clinton calls for a national grid to remove obstacles to wind power and other renewables. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO:
• The Department of Energy awards $4 million to help develop offshore wind in Lake Erie (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• AWEA calls for a six-year phaseout of the production tax credit (Bloomberg)
• A Wisconsin utility puts its extra wind turbines to work in Iowa (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• A Michigan county imposes a one-year moratorium on new wind farms (Ludington Daily News)

*** SPONSORED LINK: Join over 500 private- and public-sector thought leaders from around the nation at the 2013 Midwest Energy Solutions Conference taking place January 16-18 in Chicago. Register today! ***

CHICAGO: Chicago’s City Council approves a contract with Integrys Energy Services to provide the city’s electricity. Where that electricity will ultimately be sourced from, however, remains unclear. (Midwest Energy News)

GRID: A study finds the key to overcoming renewable energy’s intermittency is to overbuild capacity, and transmission company officials say FERC’s Order 1000 is adding even more complexity to the planning process. (ClimateWire, FierceSmartGrid)

TRANSPORTATION: Indianapolis plans to convert its entire fleet to electric, natural gas or hybrid vehicles; and an Iowa business group backs increasing the state’s gasoline tax. (Indianapolis Star, Des Moines Register)

FRACKING: A new $300 million natural gas processing facility is proposed in Ohio. (Youngstown Vindicator)

KEYSTONE XL: The State Department is close to completing its analysis of the Nebraska leg of the pipeline, as opponents in the state invite President Obama to a “Beef and Beer Summit” to discuss the issue. (EnergyWire, Omaha World-Herald)

BIOFUELS: A federal judge dismisses a lawsuit challenging a proposed ethanol plant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY: A climate scientist reviews Glenn Beck’s “Agenda 21” conspiracy novel, and how solar panels can provide an alternative to “an antiquated and vulnerable system of copper wires and wooden poles.” (Popular Science, New York Times)

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Ken Paulman

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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