SOLAR: Why wind developers are getting into the solar business. (Midwest Energy News)

FRAC SAND: The mayor of Red Wing, Minnesota resigns amid scrutiny over his competing role as a lobbyist for the frac sand industry. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

***SPONSORED LINK: Early-bird tickets now available for the 2013 Clean Energy Challenge April 4 in Chicago.  Keynote speakers include DOE Assistant Secretary David Danielson, clean tech investor Ira Ehrenpreis.***

COAL: Neighbors take to the courts to address complaints over coal ash as the EPA delays regulation. (Center for Public Integrity)

OIL: State officials say North Dakota’s economy would still grow without the oil industry, “Real Oilfield Wives” blog about their experiences, and a Wisconsin refinery owner proceeds with plans to ship oil on the Great Lakes. (Bismarck Tribune, Duluth News Tribune)

FRACKING: Residents in Youngstown, Ohio, which has been the site of a string of earthquakes and a highly publicized incident of illegal wastewater dumping, will vote on a fracking ban in May; and in Traverse City, Michigan, neighbors raise concerns about water consumption of nearby drilling operations. (Youngstown Vindicator, Traverse City Record-Eagle)

CLIMATE: Climate activists turn to civil disobedience to make their points heard. (Politico)

ILLINOIS: A new survey raises questions about municipal aggregation. (Bloomington Pantagraph)

TRANSPORTATION: Rising pump prices don’t deter proponents of a higher gasoline tax in Iowa, and the transit authority in Columbus, Ohio, takes delivery of its first compressed natural gas buses. (Des Moines Register)

NATURAL GAS: A Wisconsin utility, which had decided to stop buying power from the soon-to-be-closed Kewaunee nuclear plant, is cleared to purchase a natural gas plant. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

TRANSMISSION: Why “Rodney Dangerfield is the patron saint of transmission systems.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

COMMENTARY: How ALEC uses bad data to fight clean energy laws. (Grist)

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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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