OHIO: State Sen. William Seitz abruptly cancels a vote on a controversial bill to weaken the state’s renewable energy law, and vows to hold hearings on a different bill that would repeal what he calls the “enviro-socialist mandates” altogether. (Columbus Dispatch, Cleveland Plain Dealer)

CLIMATE: At least two dozen major U.S. corporations, including oil companies and utilities, are preparing for a price on carbon; and polls show Americans across the political spectrum support action on climate change. (New York Times, Forbes)

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EFFICIENCY: An Iowa utility’s efficiency plan contains a new suite of energy-saving options, but critics say regulators have set the target too low for benefits to be fully realized. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: Rural co-ops will be able to tap a $250 million USDA loan fund starting next year for energy upgrades. (Des Moines Register)

RENEWABLES: President Obama orders federal agencies to increase their use of renewable energy to 20 percent by 2020. (Associated Press)

SOLAR: SolarCity will team with Tesla Motors to produce batteries to back up solar power. (New York Times)

BIOENERGY: A Michigan assembly plant will get more than half its energy from landfill gas as part of a $24 million GM initiative. (MLive)

FRACKING: Ohio Republicans offer an alternative to Gov. John Kasich’s failed drilling tax proposal, and a massive West Virginia ethane processing plant is expected to provide economic benefit to Ohioans. (Columbus Business First, Columbus Dispatch)

OIL: North Dakota’s oil spill website is now live, and Enbridge takes landowners to court to gain access to the Kalamazoo River for continued cleanup of a 2010 pipeline spill. (Fargo Forum, WOOD-TV)

COAL: Ameren’s credit is upgraded after unloading five Illinois coal plants. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

MEDIA: Minnesota Public Radio will broadcast a one-hour segment on climate change this morning.

COMMENTARY: Why the wind-energy threat to birds is overblown. (LiveScience)

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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