CLIMATE: Proposed EPA carbon rules to be released today will call for a 30 percent emissions reduction by 2030 over 2005 levels. (Washington Post)
ALSO:
• A recently passed freeze to Ohio’s clean energy laws will make it more difficult for the state to comply with the new carbon rules. (Columbus Business First)
• Several states are already pushing back at the new regulations. (Associated Press)
• A new survey finds support for shifting from coal to clean energy sources, even if higher costs are involved. (The Hill)
• Carbon rules may not take effect quickly enough to help Exelon’s nuclear fleet. (Chicago Tribune)
• Five co-ops will be hit hardest by new EPA regulations. (Forbes)
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SOLAR: Weeks before a stakeholder report on expanding solar power is due, Michigan’s largest utilities say they’re unlikely to change course; and Illinois lawmakers pass a bill freeing up $30 million in state renewable energy funds for new solar power. (Midwest Energy News, Chicago Tribune)
COAL: Kansas regulators give the go-ahead for the contentious Sunflower coal plant. (Associated Press)
POLITICS: Barack Obama’s record as an Illinois lawmaker doesn’t mesh very well with the current “war on coal” narrative. (The New Republic)
BAKKEN: An energy company says it will cow-proof its North Dakota facilities after a spill last week. (Associated Press)
OIL: A citizens group proposes alternate routes for an Enbridge pipeline through Minnesota. (Forum News Service)
FRACKING: Emails show discussion of a plan to push for fracking in Ohio state parks went on longer than previously thought. (Columbus Dispatch)
BIOFUELS: “Trashanol” — biofuel made from garbage — is a growing part of Iowa’s ethanol industry. (IowaWatch)
COMMENTARY: “… any national leader that takes environmental protection and the fate of the planet seriously will need to launch a war on coal.” (Time)