COAL: Minnesota regulators say the state’s coal-fired power plants have cut their mercury emissions by more than half over the past 15 years. (Duluth News Tribune)

TRANSMISSION: An Iowa utility says it’s being unfairly burdened with costs for transmission upgrades that primarily move wind energy out of state. (Midwest Energy News)

***SPONSORED LINK: Register Now for the 2013 Sustainability Summit & Exposition, March 6-8 in Milwaukee. Keynote speakers include Will Allen, Ed Begley, Jr., Dr. James Hansen and Michael Mann. ***

OIL: A new study finds the energy return on oil sands mining is significantly lower than for conventional oil. (InsideClimate News)

FRAC SAND: Minnesota legislators are divided over how to approach frac sand mining, as concerns about the industry turn neighboring landowners into activists. (Minnesota Public Radio, Minneapolis Star Tribune)

SECURITY: A new report says a Chinese organization, blamed for hacking multiple American corporations, plans to target the U.S. power grid and pipeline network. (New York Times)

SOLAR: A Department of Energy report rates solar panels produced by a Minnesota company — which has run them over with a truck to test their durability — as among the most reliable and longest-lasting available in the U.S. (Duluth News Tribune)

WIND: Efforts to expand tax benefits for wind farms stumble in the Nebraska legislature. (Omaha World-Herald)

CLIMATE: An environmental group petitions the EPA to use a provision of the Clean Air Act to restrict greenhouse gases. (The Hill)

TRANSPORTATION: Duke Energy sues Cincinnati, saying it can’t be forced to pay for relocating power lines for a streetcar project. (Associated Press)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A Wisconsin company has found a location for a proposed plant that would generate electricity from wastewater. (McClatchy)

COMMENTARY: How grassroots activism can tip the scales on federal climate change policy. (CNN)

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Ken Paulman

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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