OIL: An Illinois oil train derailment poses an “imminent and substantial danger” of contaminating the Mississippi River, the train was en route to Chicago. (Los Angeles Times, ABC7)

ALSO: The White House considered tougher federal standards to control volatility of Bakken crude oil, but left it up to North Dakota instead. (Reuters)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join venture capitalists, civic leaders, and industry executives on April 14 at the Clean Energy Challenge in Chicago to watch fourteen cleantech startups compete for $1 million in total funding.***

CLIMATE: A small Michigan town has a plan to run on 100 percent renewable energy. (Midwest Energy News)

SOLAR: The Washington Post explores utility efforts to slow the growth of rooftop solar., and an Iowa court ruling has led to an explosion in public-sector solar projects. (Washington Post, Cedar Rapids Gazette)

TRANSMISSION: Backers say transmission should be a component of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, as utilities invest billions in the grid to support the expansion of renewable energy. (EnergyWire, St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

COAL: One worker is killed and two more are injured in a collapse at a West Virginia coal mine owned by Ohio-based Murray Energy, and Southern Illinois lawmakers push back against plans by Gov. Bruce Rauner to eliminate state funding for marketing the coal industry. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Carbondale Southern Illinoisan)

UTILITIES: A Kansas utility’s rate proposal would give customers four options to support renewable energy. (Topeka Capital-Journal)

NUCLEAR: Minnesota regulators rule that Xcel Energy can’t collect profits from cost overruns at a nuclear plant. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

GRID: A report projects the energy storage market will more than triple this year. (Greentech Media)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join Wind on the Wires March 19 for the “Energizing the Future” gala featuring former FERC Chair Jon Wellinghoff & former Congressman Bob Inglis. Reduced rates for NGOs.***

POLLUTION: Lawmakers struggle with how to control emissions from wood burning, still a primary source of heat for many low-income rural homeowners. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY: Why clean energy is good business for Iowa farmers. (Des Moines Register)

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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