KEYSTONE XL: Both opponents and proponents of the Keystone XL pipeline say the final environmental impact statement released Friday bolsters their case; a State Department official says the report “does not answer the broader question” of how the project would impact U.S. climate policy. (E&E News)
ALSO:
Nebraska landowners along the pipeline route are refusing payments from TransCanada. (Bloomberg)
Rail shippers say guidelines for classifying hazardous crude oil are unclear. (Fargo Forum)
Reflecting safety concerns, TransCanada lowers pressure limits on the existing Keystone pipeline. (Reuters)
Oil shipping on barges on the Mississippi River has increased 13-fold since 2010. (Wall Street Journal)
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WIND: A surge in wind farm construction will continue into 2014, but how long will it last? And developers of a southern Minnesota community wind project seek dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a turbine manufacturer. (Midwest Energy News, Minnesota Watchdog)
PROPANE: Propane shortages are getting worse in Wisconsin as some companies fail to make contracted deliveries, and state officials in Ohio help ration propane to those who most need it. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Columbus Dispatch)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A Wisconsin company announces plans for a $40 million plant near Sioux City to convert industrial waste into gas. (Sioux City Journal)
TRANSMISSION: The Kansas City Star takes a deeper look at landowner opposition to transmission lines.
FRACKING: Officials from eastern Ohio counties urge state lawmakers to ensure they get a fair share of drilling tax revenue. (Columbus Business First)
FRAC SAND: A Wisconsin district is fighting another plan to build a sand processing facility across the highway from a school. (Winona Daily News)
COAL: A Wisconsin utility has set a deadline of early March for prospective bids to buy a power plant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. (Marquette Mining Journal)
TRANSPORTATION: The chair of Iowa’s Republican Party calls a proposal to increase the state’s gasoline tax a “horrible bill” that “just won’t die,” and three Minnesota electric car enthusiasts are driving a Tesla Model S from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. (Des Moines Register, St. Paul Pioneer Press)
COMMENTARY: Why this year’s cold winter is shaking the conventional wisdom about shale gas. (Midwest Energy News)