OIL: Michigan’s governor is speaking out against a plan by operators of a major natural gas pipeline to reverse its flow and use it to move bottlenecked crude oil to the Gulf of Mexico. (Midwest Energy News)
ALSO: Enbridge files plans to expand capacity on the Alberta Clipper pipeline, which carries Canadian oil through northern Minnesota to Superior, Wisconsin. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
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POLITICS: Ohio Democrats call for an investigation into whether Murray Energy illegally forced employees to support the Romney campaign; Paul Ryan tells an audience in Ohio that North America can become energy independent in eight years; and at a debate in Michigan, Rep. Fred Upton says he’s in favor of ending oil and gas subsidies. (Toledo Blade, Associated Press, Kalamazoo Gazette)
NUCLEAR: Wisconsin Energy CEO Gene Klappa says nuclear power should be “an option put back on the table” as current facilities near retirement. (Milwaukee Business Journal)
FRACKING: Officials in Youngstown, Ohio want to sell mineral rights in the city in order to pay for the demolition of vacant buildings. (Columbus Dispatch)
COAL: MISO offers to pay the city of Escanaba, Michigan to keep its two small coal plants running until transmission upgrades serving the region are complete. (Platts)
WIND: The municipal utility in Holland, Michigan buys a stake in a new Indiana wind farm. (Grand Rapids Press)
TRANSPORTATION: Amid an uptick in pedestrian fatalities, Minnesota cities experiment with more eye-catching crosswalk designs. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
EFFICIENCY: A bike tour helps promote energy conservation in Iowa. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
COMMENTARY: David Roberts reads the fine print on a new report on coal plant retirements, and finds news outlets are getting it wrong. (Grist)