OIL: After the company agreed to stronger safety measures, federal regulators will allow Enbridge to restart a pipeline that spilled more than 1,000 barrels of oil in Wisconsin last month. (Reuters)

WIND: A new wind farm in Minnesota will feature turbines nearly 100 meters tall, making them the tallest in the state. (Midwest Energy News)

COAL: The municipal utility in Rochester, Minnesota, is expected to vote to shut down its 100 MW coal plant today; and Black Hills Corp. announces it will shut down older coal plants in South Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado. (Midwest Energy News, Associated Press)

POLITICS: While the Obama and Romney campaigns’ differences over wind tax credits may sway the outcome in Iowa, in Ohio the candidates are fighting to prove who’s friendliest to the coal industry. (The Hill)

TRANSMISSION: While the U.S. electrical system held up well during this summer’s heat wave, but as power plants go offline and summers grow increasingly hotter, grid operators  cast a wary eye toward the future. (ClimateWire)

PIPELINES: In Nebraska, advocates and scientists dispute the scope of potential danger the Keystone XL pipeline poses to the Ogallala Aquifer; and the company responsible for a pipeline break that spilled more than 54,000 gallons of gasoline in Wisconsin is expected to submit a groundwater remediation plan this week. (Washington Post, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

FRACKING: A new study links earthquakes in Texas to wastewater injection wells, a town official in Wisconsin faces a recall election after voting against a sand mining moratorium, and an industry group launches a website listing oil and gas job opportunities in Ohio. (New York Times, WQOW, Cleveland Plain Dealer)

GEOTHERMAL: Following the lead of Ball State University, businesses in Indiana show a growing interest in geothermal energy systems. (Indianapolis Star)

BIOFUELS: Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad urges Congress: “don’t panic over something like this drought situation and do something stupid” like cutting renewable fuel mandates. (Quad City Times)

EFFICIENCY: A Minnesota home becomes the first in the state and the third in the Midwest to meet the Thousand Home Challenge by cutting its energy bills more than 70 percent. (Rochester Post-Bulletin)

COMMENTARY: A National Journal forum explores opinions on whether the wind production tax credit should be extended.