WIND: A study from Illinois State University says the wind industry will contribute $6 billion to the state’s economy in the coming years, mostly in rural areas. (Midwest Energy News)
ALSO: Wisconsin’s first community wind farm, a 5 MW project co-owned by Organic Valley and Gundersen Lutheran, goes online near LaCrosse. (LaCrosse Tribune)
KEYSTONE XL: Nebraska regulators begin asking TransCanada uncomfortable questions, including the contents of chemicals used to dilute oil sands crude for transport, as the state’s landowners remain a significant opposition force to the pipeline. Also, Montana’s governor explains how his state pressured TransCanada to include a link to the Bakken oil fields in the project: “I’ll tie one leg up there and they’ll start listening.” (EnergyWire, Greenwire, Washington Post)
OIL: In response to protests marking the second anniversary of the Kalamazoo River oil spill, Enbridge officials say “we’re trying to do exactly what is the responsible thing to do” by repairing and upgrading pipelines through the state. (MLive.com)
ETHANOL: Ethanol production continues to decline, and a quirk in the renewable fuel credit market could help the oil industry dampen the impact of higher corn prices resulting from this year’s drought. (Des Moines Register, Reuters)
COAL: FutureGen has decided on its final site to store carbon dioxide from a retrofitted coal plant in Illinois. (ClimateWire)
SOLAR: While U.S. tariffs have slowed imports from China, prices for solar panels continue to drop. (Reuters)
MICHIGAN: Green activists and city officials in Holland, Michigan, debate whether a proposed community energy plan goes far enough to reduce the use of fossil fuels; and a poll finds a majority of small business owners support expanding the state’s renewable energy standard. (Grand Rapids Press, ThinkProgress)
NUCLEAR: The heat wave has created problems for nuclear plants across the Midwest, as cooling water temperatures rise above levels allowed by regulators. (New York Times)
NATURAL GAS: General Electric announces it will develop a home fueling station for natural gas-powered cars. (Bloomberg)
COMMENTARY: Allen Hershkowitz of the Natural Resources Defense Council says “few sectors can be as influential as the sports industry” – historically, in provoking social change, and today, in advancing clean energy. (New York Times)