EPA: In separate cases, the U.S. Supreme Court and a federal appeals court will take up two key pollution rules today. (Greenwire)

ALSO: The agency announces changes in enforcement priorities. (Greenwire)

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COAL: Duluth officials plan to bring the city’s 80-year-old coal-fired steam plant “into the 21st century,” in part by adding sawdust to the plant’s fuel mix. (Midwest Energy News)

GREEN ECONOMY: The energy industry is providing a boost for Minnesota manufacturers. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

NUCLEAR: The end of an Illinois-based program to convert Soviet warheads into fuel means U.S. nuclear plants will need to find new sources of uranium; meanwhile, can thorium provide a viable alternative? (Chicago Tribune, Greentech Media)

WIND: Bird conservation groups say wind energy can be compatible with wildlife protection. (Earthtechling)

OIL: North Dakota tribes have collected more than $300 million in oil revenue since 2008, and a minor oil spill reaches a tributary of the Little Missouri River. (Bismarck Tribune, Forum News Service)

KEYSTONE XL: Environmental groups tell the State Department that Keystone XL will be a “linchpin” for the oil sands industry, increasing production and carbon emissions; and Canada scrambles to develop climate concessions that could win the pipeline’s approval. (The Hill, Reuters)

ETHANOL: Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad again warns that cutting biofuel mandates could trigger another farm crisis. (Des Moines Register)

ELECTRIC CARS: Tesla will open its first charging station in Michigan today, aimed at supporting drivers traveling between Detroit and Chicago. (Detroit Free Press)

GRID: A new power line between Wisconsin and Illinois is up and running, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee plans a renewable-powered microgrid. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

COMMENTARY: Why an Ohio lawmaker’s effort to roll back the state’s energy law “should not be switched back on.” (Crain’s Cleveland Business)

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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