FRACKING: Illinois lawmakers delay a decision on fracking rules until November; the state’s DNR says no drilling can take place without a court order. (Chicago Tribune)

ALSO: A study finds fracking is to blame for hundreds of small, unnoticeable earthquakes in Ohio. (Associated Press)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join Schlumberger, CN Rail & many more at the 2nd Annual Frac Sand Logistics & Market Forecast Summit USA as they find practical solutions for overcoming rail, storage and transloading bottlenecks. Midwest Energy News readers save 15% with code ‘FRSMEN15’ ***

COAL: A Sierra Club Ohio pollution complaint is unrelated to American Electric Power’s “bailout” plan for older coal plants, with the latter posing a PR challenge for the utility. (Midwest Energy News, Columbus Business First)

SOLAR: American Electric Power is challenging a provision in Ohio’s net metering policy that it says requires it to unfairly reimburse customers of competing providers, and how a Minnesota co-op overcame financial hurdles to launch a community solar project. (EnergyWire, Electric Co-op Today)

MORE FRACKING:
• Demand is soaring for frac sand, which may become a weak link in the logistics chain. (McClatchy)
• Officials in a Wisconsin county say they cited the wrong company for frac sand mining violations. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Fracking supporters rally in southern Illinois. (Carbondale Southern Illinoisan)
• Minnesota officials are seeking public input on frac sand air quality rules. (Winona Daily News)

EFFICIENCY: LED streetlights are paying off for a St. Paul suburb, and an awards event tonight will recognize energy-efficient buildings in Chicago. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, NRDC Switchboard)

NATURAL GAS: How Michigan residents forced a natural gas pipeline realignment, and a new plant goes online in North Dakota to capture natural gas from oil fields. (InsideClimate News, Bismarck Tribune)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join top executives from the area’s RTOs, utilities, transmission developers, and state regulatory agencies at EUCI’s Transmission Expansion in the Midwest, Nov. 4-5 in Indianapolis.***

WIND: A study finds bats may confuse wind turbines for trees. (MinnPost)

COMMENTARY: Are utilities pushing communities of color away from solar? (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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