OIL: Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz says it’s time to reconsider the U.S. ban on exporting crude oil. (New York Times)

ALSO: North Dakota’s oil production increases at a slower rate as it approaches 1 million barrels per day. (Bismarck Tribune)

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ETHANOL: In Iowa, hopes remain high for the future of cellulosic biofuels, even as the ethanol industry loses clout in Washington. (Greenwire, Sioux Falls Argus Leader)

WIND: Siemens will supply more than $1 billion worth of turbines, manufactured in Kansas and Iowa, for MidAmerican Energy’s Iowa wind expansion. (Bloomberg)

CLIMATE: Wisconsin is on track to cut its carbon emissions by 22 percent from 2005 to 2020. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

COAL: An Illinois coal plant operator says its ash ponds are safe, and the FutureGen project faces a new lawsuit. (Associated Press, Decatur Herald & Review)

FRAC SAND: New Minnesota guidelines provide communities a blueprint for regulating frac sand mining. (Winona Daily News)

FRACKING: An Illinois environmental group says the state’s fracking rules overlook a major hazard: Tornadoes. (Carbondale Southern)

HYDRO: Why a Wisconsin company is buying up old hydroelectric dams. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

NUCLEAR: Waste from Illinois’ Zion nuclear plant, in the process of being decommissioned, will remain stored on-site indefinitely. (Chicago Tribune)

SOLAR: Consumers Energy will purchase power from 31 solar projects in Michigan. (CBS Detroit)

MEDIA: What Reddit learned from banning climate deniers from its science forums. (Grist)

COMMENTARY: Why Michigan should commit to more renewable energy, and conservatives are strangely quiet as another light bulb deadline approaches. (The Equation, CleanTechnica)

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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