SOLAR: GM plans a 2.2 MW solar array at an Ohio assembly plant, which would be the company’s fifth-largest solar installation. (Youngstown Vindicator)

ALSO: Minnesota-based 3M will offer discounts on solar panels as an employee benefit. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join Schlumberger, CN Rail & many more at the 2nd Annual Frac Sand Logistics & Market Forecast Summit USA as they find practical solutions for overcoming rail, storage and transloading bottlenecks. Midwest Energy News readers save 15% with code ‘FRSMEN15’ ***

EFFICIENCY: European passive house standards get a makeover for Midwest climates, and the Department of Energy will pursue new efficiency standards for water heaters and some fluorescent lights. (Midwest Energy News, The Hill)

COAL: Citizen groups in Illinois seek a federal takeover of the state’s mining regulator, and an Illinois county delays a vote on a proposed coal waste storage facility. (SNL, Springfield State Journal-Register)

CARS: Hybrid owners love their cars but still face a stigma on the road; Michigan’s governor signs a bill, supported by GM, that blocks Tesla’s sales model in the state; and Ford drops the price of its electric Focus. (Chicago Tribune, CBS Detroit, MLive, Autoblog)

OIL AND GAS: High pollution levels are found near Ohio drilling sites, a Canadian company considers a new refinery in North Dakota, and an industry gathering gives Ohio officials a look at other shale plays around the country. (Associated Press, Columbus Business First)

POLITICS: Environment and energy issues are playing a major role in midterm campaigns. (New York Times)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear a dispute over a proposed waste-to-energy plant near Green Bay. (Green Bay Press-Gazette)

NUCLEAR: Allison Macfarlane, chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is stepping down at the end of the year. (Washington Post)

GRID: Rural co-ops say bigger farm machinery is leading to more accidents with power lines. (Minnesota Public Radio)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join top executives from the area’s RTOs, utilities, transmission developers, and state regulatory agencies at EUCI’s Transmission Expansion in the Midwest, Nov. 4-5 in Indianapolis.***

TRANSMISSION: A Clean Line Energy Partners executive says she’s “a supporter” of distributed generation, but that it won’t negate the need for utility-scale wind and transmission. (Recharge News)

COMMENTARY: “…one rather despairs in turning to utilities for innovation. But nothing focuses the mind like the threat of bankruptcy.” (Grist)

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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