CLIMATE: An anticipated IPCC report sets a benchmark for carbon emissions to avert the worst impacts of climate change, and says we’re on track to surpass it by 2040. (New York Times)

ALSO: The State Department says the U.S. is on track to cut emissions 17 percent by 2020; Wisconsin, on the other hand, has “lost a lot of momentum” in advancing policy to deal with greenhouse gases. (The Hill, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

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SOLAR: A report by California regulators finds the state’s net-metering program is shifting costs onto ratepayers who don’t own solar panels, critics say the report ignores other financial benefits of solar power. (Reuters)

MEANWHILE: Solar power is expected to surpass wind in new installations for 2013. (Bloomberg)

WIND: Regulators approve a $250 million wind farm in western Wisconsin, after developers showed they could meet state noise standards. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

OHIO: The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association opposes legislation to weaken the state’s energy efficiency mandate, but says the law has other issues that need to be fixed. (Columbus Business First)

COAL: A Nebraska power plant has been selected for a $19 million carbon capture pilot project. (Lincoln Journal Star)

OIL: Indiana regulators will require BP to drastically reduce mercury emissions from a Chicago-area refinery. (Chicago Tribune)

POLITICS: A Pew Research Center poll finds majorities of Americans support the Keystone XL pipeline, as well as President Obama’s plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants. (The Hill)

ETHANOL: All gasoline in Iowa and Nebraska will now contain ethanol. (Omaha World-Herald)

TRANSPORTATION: Supporters rally to save an Amtrak line connecting Indianapolis to Chicago. (WLFI)

EFFICIENCY: An Ohio utility announces a winner in its contest to find the oldest working refrigerator in the state. (Columbus Dispatch)

COMMENTARY: Are electric vehicle charging stations utilities? (Advanced Energy Perspectives)

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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