‘PETKOCH’: The Illinois attorney general is suing one of the companies piling up petroleum coke on Chicago’s Southeast Side. (Chicago Tribune)

MICHIGAN: In their final report to Gov. Rick Snyder, state energy and regulatory officials say Michigan can easily handle a mix of 30 percent renewable power, as the state becomes a leader in wind energy. (Detroit News, CBS Detroit)

***SPONSORED LINK: Total Energy USA provides several opportunities to network with other energy industry leaders, including Houston Business Journal Who’s Who in Energy reception. ***

UTILITIES: A forum in Minnesota explores models for the utility of the future. (Midwest Energy News)

EPA: EPA officials hear opposing messages on power plant carbon rules at a “listening session” in a Kansas City suburb. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

COAL: Johns Hopkins Medicine suspends its black-lung program after an investigation finds coal companies paid millions for medical opinions used to deny miners’ disability claims. (NPR)

FRACKING: Why the drilling boom may be over sooner than we think. (USA Today)

CLIMATE: A UN report warns we’re quickly running out of time to prevent the worst impacts of climate change, and the White House will revisit its “social cost of carbon” figure. (The Hill)

ALSO: The University of Nebraska will conduct its own climate study to coincide with a limited report on “cyclical” changes ordered by the state legislature. (Omaha World-Herald)

ALEC: A new report catalogs ALEC’s mostly unsuccessful efforts to repeal or roll back state renewable energy standards. (Huffington Post)

***SPONSORED LINK: Clean Energy Trust seeks the Midwest’s best researchers, entrepreneurs and students with innovative ideas. Apply now for the $500,000 2014 Clean Energy Challenge. Applications due: Jan 8. Final pitch in Chicago: April 3. ***

ELECTRIC CARS: Ford sold more plug-in hybrids than Toyota last month. (Detroit Free Press)

COMMENTARY: Five charts that explain the U.S. energy shift. (The Atlantic)

Avatar photo

Ken Paulman

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.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.