FRACKING: Optimism over an Ohio oil boom fades as drilling companies sell off leases after disappointing early results: “It’s not as good as we thought it was going to be.” (Bloomberg)

OIL: Owners of a Minnesota refinery reach a deal with environmental groups to limit emissions from the facility, the North Dakota House unanimously approves a bill aimed at curbing natural gas flaring in the Bakken oil field, and a court rules that a Michigan day-care center that says the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill forced them out of business can’t sue Enbridge. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, Associated Press)

ALSO: House Republicans try once again to force approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. (InsideClimate News)

EMISSIONS: While some turkey farms say LED lighting can improve production, a Minnesota study seeks to determine whether they can also save money. (Midwest Energy News)

SOLAR: The outcome of a major Ohio solar project — and the fate of the company promoting it — will be determined in the next six months., and anonymous donors step in to finance a solar project at a Michigan school. (Toledo Blade, Manchester Enterprise)

CLIMATE: The International Energy Agency says clean energy development has “stalled” globally: “the average unit of energy produced today is basically as dirty as it was 20 years ago.” (The Hill)

COAL: Fourteen people are arrested in St. Louis as nearly 2,000 union miners protest Peabody Energy’s efforts to cut retiree benefits. (St. Louis Business Journal)

TRANSPORTATION: Toll operators step in to fill the gap as gasoline tax revenues fall short of what’s needed to maintain roads, and TravelCenters reaches a deal with Shell Oil to build natural gas fueling stations at truck stops around the country. (ClimateWire, Cleveland Plain Dealer)

COMMENTARY: A Baptist minister raises eyebrows in Nebraska by also working as a land agent for TransCanada. (OnEarth Magazine)

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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