PIPELINES: Michigan’s attorney general says an oil pipeline running beneath the Straits of Mackinac doesn’t comply with state regulations and must have additional supports. (MLive)

ALSO: TransCanada proposes a new natural gas pipeline between Ohio and Michigan, and a Minnesota congressman wants a proposed pipeline routed around ecologically sensitive areas. (Columbus Business First, Forum News Service)

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MICHIGAN: Michigan’s “godfather” of wind energy, Rich Vander Veen, discusses his move into solar and the state’s renewable energy future. (Midwest Energy News)

COAL:
• A Michigan utility plans to shut down two coal units. (News-Herald)
• Coal companies’ financial struggles worsen. (Bloomberg)
• Labor officials face a backlog of thousands of black-lung disease cases. (National Journal)
• Inspectors issue more than 200 safety citations at 11 U.S. coal mines. (Charleston State Journal)

PETCOKE: A company storing petroleum coke in Chicago threatens to sue unless the city relaxes its new rules. (Chicago Tribune)

FRACKING: A court rejects a Colorado town’s fracking ban, an industry group wants Illinois to move faster on drilling regulations, and oil field workers downplay safety concerns. (InsideClimate News, Associated Press, Carbondale Southern)

NUCLEAR: A new report says U.S. nuclear plants are inadequately prepared for disasters, and neighbors of Michigan’s Fermi 2 plant express a range of opinions about relicensing the facility. (Los Angeles Times, Toledo Blade)

ETHANOL: The biofuel industry says it shouldn’t be drawn into rail safety discussions over crude oil; and Minnesota Sen. Al Franken says the EPA will likely propose a smaller cut to the renewable fuel standard. (Reuters, Associated Press)

GRID: A new transmission line and substation are expected to improve reliability in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. (Transmission and Distribution World)

WIND: A forum in Minnesota discusses eagle safety around wind farms, and Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback says he supports phasing out the state’s renewable energy standard. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, Associated Press)

SOLAR: Toledo’s port authority will buy back more than $600,000 in bonds issued for a failed solar company, and a Minneapolis restaurant adds a solar array partially funded by a Kickstarter campaign. (Toledo Blade, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal)

EFFICIENCY: Cook County, Illinois approves an ordinance to improve efficiency in public buildings. (Associated Press)

ELECTRIC CARS: General Motors is planning a new electric car with a 200-mile range that could see production as soon as 2016. (The Truth About Cars)

COMMENTARY: Could a minimum bill resolve utilities net-metering concerns? (Greentech Media)

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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