EPA: “Failure is not an option” as the EPA works to draft carbon rules for power plants. (New York Times)
MEANWHILE: Warning of “massive blackouts,” Sen. James Inhofe says he’ll introduce a bill allowing states to opt out of power plant regulations. (The Hill)
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PROPANE: Midwest governors seek federal assistance to deal with propane shortages, as high prices generate interest in alternative heating systems. (CBS Detroit, Midwest Energy News)
OIL: Federal regulators fine three companies for mislabeling North Dakota crude oil, a leaking rail car spills 12,000 gallons of oil along 70 miles of tracks in Minnesota, and recent oil-by-rail disasters prompt states to update their emergency plans. (Reuters, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Bloomberg)
FARM BILL: The U.S. Senate passes the farm bill, which includes $881 million for rural energy programs. (Des Moines Register, Agriculture Energy Coalition news release)
COAL: A GAO report finds lack of bidding on federal coal leases has cost taxpayers as much as $200 million. (Associated Press)
KEYSTONE XL: A bipartisan coalition voices its support for Keystone XL, as senators seek options to force approval of the pipeline. (Associated Press, The Hill)
POLITICS: Monte Shaw, the executive director of the [Iowa] Renewable Fuels Association, is running for Congress. (Des Moines Register)
UTILITIES: At a Chicago event, panelists call for a regulatory solution to the “utility death spiral.” (Forbes)
GRID: A Minnesota energy-storage company goes out of business, and Indiana Michigan Power announces plans for $500 million in grid upgrades. (Brainerd Dispatch, Fort Wayne News-Sentinel)
FRACKING: Environmental groups fight an Ohio company’s plan to dispose of radioactive drilling waste in landfills, and a Texas company proposes a new pipeline to move natural gas from Ohio to the Gulf Coast. (Marietta Times, Reuters)
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TRANSPORTATION: The chair of the House transportation committee says he prefers a mileage tax to increasing the gasoline tax. (Bloomberg)
COMMENTARY: Why politicizing renewable energy threatens U.S. security. (Roll Call)