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)

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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