COAL: In an agreement with the EPA, owners of the S.S. Badger will face tougher penalties if they fail to meet a deadline for dumping coal ash into Lake Michigan. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
ALSO: As demand softens in Europe and China, U.S. coal companies cut back their export projections. (New York Times)
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TRANSPORTATION: A research project in Minnesota seeks the best ways to improve fuel efficiency in buses; Ann Arbor, Michigan seeks to add more electric vehicle charging stations amid growing demand; suburban sprawl sees a resurgence, though likely a temporary one; and a conference in North Dakota promotes natural gas vehicles. (Midwest Energy News, Ann Arbor News, New York Times, Bismarck Tribune)
ETHANOL: How Wall Street speculators caused a price spike in renewable fuel credits. (New York Times)
OIL: An expanded Enbridge pipeline will run 14 feet from a Michigan man’s home, a sign of how property owners are increasingly powerless to influence pipeline projects. (InsideClimate News)
WIND: Tribes join the fight against eagle “take” permits, and an Illinois county increases setbacks to 12 times the turbine rotor diameter, or nearly 4,000 feet in some cases. (Greenwire, Champaign/Urbana News Gazette)
GRID: Why storage might make sense for solar power, but not for wind. (Futurity)
OHIO: Further details in an Ohio EPA official’s dismissal reveal the tension between coal companies and state governments over enforcement of EPA regulations. (Columbus Dispatch)
SOLAR: An effort to install 1,000 rooftop solar panels in Ypsilanti, Michigan moves forward; and a Minnesota Wisconsin co-op cuts its solar incentives amid objections from some members. (MLive, Hudson Star-Observer)
CLIMATE: Conservative and business groups step up attacks on the social cost of carbon metric, a House hearing on climate policy will only feature two witnesses, and a group of state attorneys general accuse the EPA of overstepping its authority on emissions. (The Hill)
SMART METERS: Siting privacy concerns, a bill in Wisconsin would prohibit utilities from installing smart meters if customers object. (Wisconsin State Journal)
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EFFICIENCY: A Missouri school district saves $16,000 a year through voluntary energy-saving measures. (Springfield News-Leader)
COMMENTARY: Does coal mean electric cars are bad? Actually, it’s the other way around. (Christian Science Monitor)