COAL: Illinois towns that contracted with the Prairie State Energy Campus are paying significantly more for electricity than neighboring communities, and will continue to do so for years. (Chicago Tribune)

ALSO: Critics say Illinois officials are dragging their feet on updating a state-mandated coal curriculum that reviews have found to be heavily tilted toward the industry. (Midwest Energy News)

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OIL: Detroit’s infamous pile of petroleum coke was likely moved to Ohio, but company officials won’t say exactly where. (Columbus Dispatch)

PIPELINES: Refiners say Keystone XL is no longer needed, and aging pipelines in the U.S. will cost $50 billion to replace. (Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg)

CLIMATE: The Obama Administration is using key staffing appointments to advance climate policy. (National Journal)

MINNESOTA: Alliant Energy announces it’s selling its southern Minnesota utility business to a group of cooperatives. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

TRANSMISSION: How transmission upgrades helped compensate for coal plants shutting down in Ohio. (U.S. EIA)

WIND: Xcel Energy saved $22 million through weather and wind forecasting, a new wind farm is proposed in southwest North Dakota, and opponents of a Minnesota wind project say they’ve changed the way the state handles wind farm siting. (Renewable Energy World, Dickinson Press, Rochester Post-Bulletin)

NORTH DAKOTA: The North Dakota Supreme Court hears arguments over whether the state or private citizens own mineral rights beneath the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. (Bismarck Tribune)

EFFICIENCY: A factory in Lancaster, Ohio will manufacture small generators that can convert waste heat into electricity. (Columbus Dispatch)

COMMENTARY: Why Ron Binz is a good choice for FERC chair, and a closer look at the devastating impact squirrels have on the power grid. (Greentech Media, New York Times)

 

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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