TONIGHT: Join us in Chicago for the official release of Closing the Cloud Factories, our new ebook about the fight to shut down the Fisk and Crawford coal plants.

GRID: Amid reliability concerns, grid operators are increasingly stepping in to delay retirement of uneconomic power plants, even offering subsidies to keep them online. (Midwest Energy News)

***SPONSORED LINK: Midwest Energy Policy Conference 2014 — Get the early-bird discount now for the Midwest Energy Policy Conference on Sep. 30-Oct. 1 in St. Louis!***

EPA: Republicans will try to block funding for enforcement of carbon regulations, and what we know so far about the impact of the new rules. (Bloomberg, Associated Press)

OHIO: As expected, Gov. John Kasich on Friday signed a two-year freeze to the state’s renewable energy and efficiency laws; and another bill expected to be signed this week could severely limit wind development in the state. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Columbus Dispatch)

SOLAR: A report by Michigan regulators outlines ways to advance solar power in the state. (Crain’s Detroit Business)

ALSO: A Minnesota solar manufacturer halts production after cracks are found in some panels; an Ohio State lab researches solar panel efficiency; and Columbus, Ohio lags other cities in per capita solar power. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, Columbus Dispatch)

COAL: A St. Louis company bets on Illinois coal. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

NUCLEAR: The shutdown of the Kewaunee nuclear plant will make it harder for Wisconsin to hit carbon targets. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

UTILITIES: Efficiency advocates say the “utility death spiral” is overblown. (Greentech Media)

FRACKING: An Ohio advocate says selling water for fracking could leave the Muskingum watershed more vulnerable to drought. (Mansfield News Journal)

TRANSPORTATION: Minnesota becomes the first state to require off-peak charging rates for electric cars, automakers save fuel with lighter materials, and new compressed natural gas buses are expected to save Lincoln, Nebraska $1.3 million over their lifetime. (Autoblog, Associated Press, Lincoln Journal Star)

***SPONSORED LINK: Support Solar in Illinois – Purchase a raffle ticket to win a Tesla Model S and Bosch Home Charger from the Illinois Solar Energy Association! Only 2,000 tickets will be sold.***

MICHIGAN: How an Escanaba man went from power plant employee to owner. (Escanaba Daily Press)

COMMENTARY: Is the party over for small modular reactors? (NRDC Switchboard)

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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