POLLUTION: Thanks to a settlement between BP and the EPA, neighbors of a northwest Indiana refinery will get daily updates on levels and types of pollution coming from the facility. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: A federal court rejects challenges to the EPA’s nitrogen dioxide standards, documents show the White House weakened a proposed EPA soot regulation, and climate scientists call for the State Department’s review of Keystone XL to include an evaluation of how oil sands development will impact the climate. (Greenwire, Washington Post, The Hill)

HOT, HOT, HOT: Yesterday’s heat led to record demand for electricity in the Midwest, leading the PJM Interconnection to order some businesses to cut power use, while utilities in Minnesota and Michigan said their systems are holding up well under the increased load. (Reuters, Columbus Dispatch, Minnesota Public Radio, Grand Rapids Press)

FRACKING: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce enters the Ohio fracking debate with a series of advertisements touting the benefits of oil and gas drilling, and demand for frac sand is causing property values to soar in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. (Columbus Dispatch, Finance & Commerce)

NATURAL GAS: The governors of Colorado and Oklahoma meet with major automakers in Detroit to encourage them to develop a natural gas-powered car, and a landslide and a cracked weld are found to be the cause of a pipeline explosion that destroyed three homes in Ohio last year. (Bloomberg, Columbus Dispatch)

GREEN ECONOMY: A report finds Ohio’s clean energy industry employed more than 25,000 people in 2010. (Columbus Business First)

BIOMASS: Backers of a proposed biodigester in Indiana are seeking a new location after being denied a zoning change at their preferred site. (Lafayette Journal and Courier)

EFFICIENCY: A pilot project beginning later this year will collect energy and water usage data on apartment buildings in Minnesota to encourage conservation measures. (Finance & Commerce)

NUCLEAR: Operators of a retired Wisconsin nuclear plant begin the process of moving waste into permanent storage nearby. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY: David Roberts explains why no one is talking about how the U.S. is leading the world in cutting CO2 emissions. (Grist)

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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