SOLAR: Minnesota regulators provide some clarity on the state’s community solar garden rules, rejecting proposals by Xcel Energy to limit the program and set lower rates. (Midwest Energy News)
ALSO: Officials in Linn County, Iowa are planning for a 2.5 megawatt solar project. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
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IOWA: Bills that would have expanded solar power in the state, placed a moratorium on frac sand mining, and placed tougher restrictions on transmission siting have failed to win committee approval and are most likely dead for the year. (Des Moines Register)
TRANSMISSION: Illinois regulators approve a final route for a 375-mile long transmission line. (Carbondale Southern)
FUTUREGEN: The Illinois Commerce Commission signs off on a carbon dioxide pipeline and transmission lines for the FutureGen “clean coal” project. (Jacksonville Journal-Courier)
COAL: A political committee controlled by Illinois’ top mining regulator has accepted thousands in contributions from a major coal mine owner, why Ameren essentially gave away its Illinois coal plants, and Peabody Energy faces a tough crowd at a hearing in southern Illinois. (Illinois Times, Bloomberg, Huffington Post)
PETCOKE: After pledging to no longer store petcoke on the Detroit River, a company is staking out a new location a few miles away. (Detroit News)
FRACKING: An analyst says there are still a lot of unknowns about Ohio’s shale gas potential. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
OIL: BNSF Railway plans to buy 5,000 tanker cars with updated safety features; and in addition to rent, housing prices are also soaring in North Dakota. (Reuters, Associated Press)
KEYSTONE XL: A court ruling invalidating a Nebraska law on routing Keystone XL could delay the project another year. (Omaha World-Herald)
POLITICS: Despite committing $100 million to fight climate change, activist Tom Steyer is still vastly outgunned by Charles and David Koch. (Politico)
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OHIO: A new state website will make it easier for consumers to compare utility prices. (Columbus Dispatch)
COMMENTARY: Why Ohio’s clean energy law is still under attack. (The Equation)