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)

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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