MICHIGAN: A state law allowing a limited number of customers to choose their electricity provider is expected to come under fire in the legislature next year, with some saying it threatens future reliability. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: Michigan lawmakers pass a bill that would allow burning tires and other waste to count as “renewable” energy. (MLive)

OIL AND GAS:
• A report finds an Ohio DNR official was assigned to inspect work done by his father’s company. (Columbus Dispatch)
• Federal regulators approve a pipeline to link Ohio gas fields to the Gulf Coast. (Columbus Business First)
• U.S. natural gas reserves hit an all-time high. (The Hill)
• North Dakota oil prices fall below $50. (Bloomberg)

WIND: The U.S. House approves extending the production tax credit through the end of 2014, why Illinois is a wind energy leader, and an Ohio event promotes the economic benefits of wind devleopment. (Bloomberg BNA, Peoria Journal Star, Akron Beacon Journal)

COAL: Wisconsin regulators authorize a rate increase to compensate for higher costs of shipping coal, and a North Dakota power plant is offline due to a mechanical failure. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Associated Press)

NUCLEAR: Xcel Energy says it doesn’t owe contractors for cost overruns at a Minnesota nuclear plant. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

EFFICIENCY: Two senators try again on efficiency legislation, and St. Paul’s convention center is the first in the world to obtain three international sustainability certifications. (The Hill, St. Paul Pioneer Press)

GRID: A plan to extend rate increases for Illinois grid development could still face a veto from Gov. Pat Quinn. (Quad-City Times)

TECHNOLOGY: Why Elon Musk’s battery plant is both a threat and an opportunity for utilities. (Bloomberg)

COMMENTARY: The Bismarck Tribune takes offense at the New York Times‘ coverage of the Bakken oil boom, and residents of an Ohio town praise the economic impact of wind energy. (Bismarck Tribune, Midwest Energy News)

CORRECTION: An item in yesterday’s digest about a Harley executive riding an electric motorcycle into a conference hall should have credited the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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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