FRACKING: Six months after landmark fracking regulations became law in Illinois, the coalition that produced them is starting to unravel. (Associated Press)
ALSO: A Cleveland Radio Disney station will no longer participate in an industry-sponsored pro-fracking school tour after widespread criticism from environmental groups and parents. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Al Jazeera America)
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TECHNOLOGY: Harvard researchers develop a low-cost battery based on an organic molecule nearly identical to one found in rhubarb. (Greenwire)
OIL:
• Wisconsin regulators reject a permit for construction related to a proposed oil shipping terminal on Lake Superior. (Duluth News Tribune)
• North Dakota’s senators meet with top transportation regulators to discuss rail safety, while two committee chairs push for an investigation of recent oil train derailments. (The Hill)
• Railroad officials say the crew member who thought a derailed oil train was carrying ethanol was working on a different train. (Fargo Forum)
• Enbridge misses an EPA deadline for cleaning up its 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill. (Battle Creek Enquirer)
• The State Department’s environmental review for Keystone XL was conducted by a company that once lobbied for the industry. (Politico)
WIND: An analysis of how the 2013 effort to extend the production tax credit failed, and Honda completes two wind turbines at an Ohio manufacturing plant. (SNL, Columbus Dispatch)
COAL: How the proliferation of new scrubbing technology is increasing the market for high-sulfur Illinois coal, and how many coal plants will be built under new EPA rules? (Wall Street Journal, InsideClimate News)
POLICY: President Obama orders a review of federal energy policy across all departments, and Wisconsin may expand renewable energy credits to benefit some paper mills. (The Hill, Wisconsin Public Radio)
ETHANOL: Ice and extreme cold are slowing shipments of ethanol, which is hauled primarily by rail and truck. (Bloomberg)
UTILITIES: A resident’s petition to disband a municipal utility prompts a debate over energy prices in an Ohio town. (Cincinatti Enquirer)
EFFICIENCY: Republicans take one last shot at repealing light bulb efficiency standards. (The Hill)
MEDIA: The guy who wrote that one “global cooling” article back in the 1970s speaks out about becoming a climate denier talking point. (Daily Climate)
COMMENTARY: Is nuclear power the answer on climate change? (Reuters)