KANSAS: State lawmakers reject another attempt to repeal the state’s renewable energy standard. (Wichita Eagle)
OHIO: Gov. John Kasich is at odds with legislative leaders over a bill to freeze the state’s energy standards, and has reportedly threatened a veto. (Columbus Dispatch)
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EFFICIENCY: Small towns and counties compete for a $5 million energy efficiency prize, start-ups develop new lighting technologies, and Chrysler cuts energy use 22 percent at a Michigan facility. (Midwest Energy News, New York Times)
ELECTRIC CARS: After three years, Chicago’s network of EV charging stations is in “shambles”; a Kansas City EV manufacturer suspends production; and electric cars come to a Sioux City suburb. (Chicago Tribune, Kansas City Star, Sioux City Journal)
OIL: A crude-oil train that caught fire in Virginia was using new “safer” tanker cars, North Dakota officials may allow increased use of oilfield wastewater to control dust on roads, and a leak leads to increased scrutiny of tar sands production in Canada. (Sightline Daily, Associated Press, New York Times)
FRACKING: Despite warnings the U.S. shale boom will be short-lived, industry insiders see no end in sight; and a study finds wastewater injection wells could cause earthquakes more than 30 miles away. (Forbes, Columbus Business First)
CLIMATE: The National Climate Assessment, to be released tomorrow, warns that climate change is a present danger rather than a distant threat; and President Obama sees climate action as a key part of his legacy: “This is personal for him.” (The Guardian, Washington Post)
HYDRO: A new Department of Energy report says the U.S. could double its hydropower capacity. (Climate Central)
COAL: North Dakota officials warn Minnesota’s plan to reassess the external costs of coal energy could lead to a “breach” of earlier agreements. (Prairie Public News)
WIND: A new Nebraska transmission line is intended to help expand the state’s wind energy resources, and a proposed wind farm raises wildlife concerns in Missouri. (Omaha World-Herald, Kansas City Star)
SOLAR: A panel led by Michigan regulators is expected to call for more solar power in the state, and an investor sues an Ohio solar company. (Crain’s Detroit Business, Toledo Blade)
UTILITIES: Clean energy advocates follow DTE Energy shareholders to a private meeting at a Pennsylvania resort. (Crain’s Detroit Business)
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WASTE-TO-ENERGY: Iowa City decides to hold off on a proposal to convert municipal waste to biofuel. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
COMMENTARY: What the lessons of Chernobyl mean for nuclear power today. (New York Times)