GREEN ECONOMY: A new Pew Center report says the Midwest has the potential for a thriving clean energy industry, but only if coherent policies are enacted at the state and federal level. (Midwest Energy News)
CLIMATE: The Obama administration is likely to rely on existing rules and executive power for its second-term climate agenda. (Reuters)
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POLITICS: Sen. John Kerry will face questions about climate change and the Keystone XL pipeline at his formal nomination hearing today, Kerry is divesting stock he owns in oil companies that have operations in Canada’s oil sands. (The Hill)
BREAKING AWAY: Officials from 17 states, led by Ohio’s EPA director, form their own association of air pollution control agencies in a protest of the direction of the 30-year-old National Association of Clean Air Agencies. (Greenwire)
COAL: Murray Energy, which made headlines for blaming layoffs on President Obama’s re-election, is calling back workers to an Ohio coal mine. (The New Republic)
WIND: The Wisconsin Towns Association calls for a moratorium on new wind farms, citing a recent noise report. (Wisconsin State Journal)
FRACKING: An Ohio state lawmakers says shale drilling activity is already creating an economic impact in his district, which includes Youngstown. (Columbus Business First)
OIL: Developers of a proposed new North Dakota refinery seek tax breaks and other state support, and the industry makes its case during “Oil and Gas Lobby Day” at the Ohio state capitol. (Bismarck Tribune, Canton Repository)
NUCLEAR: The Perry Nuclear Plant in Ohio shuts down following an electrical problem. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
SMART METERS: Two women are arrested in Naperville, Illinois, after trying to block utility workers from installing smart meters. (CBS Chicago)
TRANSMISSION: Oil and gas companies building their own transmission lines to power drilling operations in Kansas could cause problems later for public utilities. (Garden City Telegram)
MEDIA: CNN, which just weeks ago hosted a “debate” on climate change featuring a skeptic with no scientific training, releases a poll showing fewer than half of Americans understand the science. (Media Matters)
COMMENTARY: Revisiting the question of the oil sands’ carbon impact, and Ohio’s PUC chair is taken to task for his Twitter comments disparaging clean energy. (Scientific American, Cleveland Plain Dealer)