NATURAL GAS: The Department of Energy says natural gas will surpass coal as the leading source of electricity by 2035. (USA Today)

WIND: An AWEA official says MidAmerican’s $1 billion wind turbine deal is a sign that “the wind industry can compete on its own” without subsidies. (Bloomberg)

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SOLAR: A two-year legal dispute over a solar installation in a St. Louis suburb has prompted the latest legislative effort to clarify the rights of homeowners to go solar. (Midwest Energy News)

POLICY: ALEC-backed lawmakers in Kansas will try again to repeal the state’s renewable energy standard, and a report finds the White House delayed pollution rules and other regulations to avoid controversy prior to the 2012 election. (Lawrence Journal-World, Washington Post)

EPA: Illinois and Minnesota are among 15 states calling upon the EPA to adopt their policies as a template for federal rules to cut carbon emissions. (Reuters)

EFFICENCY: Ohio and Michigan will team up to promote the energy-efficiency manufacturing sector, and Iowa regulators approve MidAmerican’s plan to spend $500 million on efficiency through 2018. (CBS Detroit, Des Moines Register)

COAL: A court upholds permits for upgrades to a Michigan coal plant, rejecting a challenge from the Sierra Club. (Great Lakes Echo)

OIL: U.S. oil production will continue to grow over the next four years, a drilling company anticipates a new oil boom in eastern Colorado, and North Dakota officials plan a study to “dispel the myth” that the state’s crude oil is dangerous to ship by rail. (New York Times, Denver Post, Associated Press)

KEYSTONE XL: A contractor that worked on the State Department’s environmental review of Keystone XL is also a member of industry groups that support the project, and Nebraska is now the only state with landowners still resisting the project. (Politico, Omaha World-Herald)

FRAC SAND: Wisconsin fines a frac sand mining company $200,000 for pollution violations, a Wisconsin county will vote on sand mining rules, and officials in a Wisconsin town face a recall election tonight over support of proposed mining operations. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin Public Radio, Grist)

UTILITIES: A report finds utilities face challenges recruiting new workers and retraining existing ones as their business models evolve. (Greentech Media)

COMMENTARY: “It is time to move on” and stop attacking Ohio’s energy law. (Crain’s Cleveland Business)