POLITICS: A New York Times investigation finds attorneys general in at least a dozen states are teaming up with industry to oppose federal regulations, and receiving millions in campaign contributions at the same time.
CLIMATE: Recently recognized by the White House, Michigan’s Sault Ste. Marie of Chippewa say their climate efforts are a “sacred obligation.” (Midwest Energy News)
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MICHIGAN: A state lawmaker says a bill to count waste incineration as renewable energy “makes a mockery of this legislature.” (Lansing State Journal)
EPA: The chair of the Kansas House energy committee makes a “scientific comment” denying climate science as grounds for opposing EPA carbon rules. (Topeka Capital-Journal)
OIL AND GAS:
• While shale production is transforming the petroleum economy, scientists warn low oil prices will mean “a dramatic reversal of fortune for climate progress.” (Business Insider, Climate Central)
• An Ohio report finds the state’s gas production continues to surge. (Columbus Business First)
• North Dakota officials reduce a fine for a trucking company that was operating without a license. (Associated Press)
• West Virginia officials OK fracking beneath the Ohio River. (Columbus Dispatch)
• Landowners in the Bakken oil patch form a new association. (Jamestown Sun)
WIND: Neither supporters nor opponents are happy with a proposed short-term extension of the production tax credit, opponents of a Minnesota wind farm say the developer has violated the terms of a state permit, and Michigan legislation would make it harder to file “nuisance” lawsuits against wind farms. (Topeka Capital-Journal, Watchdog Minnesota, Detroit News)
NUCLEAR: A change by the PJM Interconnection will help Exelon’s Illinois nuclear plants, and Republicans seek to ease regulations on the nuclear industry. (Crain’s Chicago Business, The Hill)
COAL: Operators of an Illinois mine plan to expand waste storage, and communities dependent on coal mining confront a future without it. (Springfield State Journal-Register, Associated Press)
RENEWABLES: Why Wisconsin’s Gundersen Health System is pursuing energy independence. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
EFFICIENCY: Wisconsin businesses save money with energy efficiency, and Ford prepares to debut its aluminum-bodied F-150. (La Crosse Tribune, Houston Chronicle)
COMMENTARY: An amended Ohio bill to deal with drilling violators “replaces the hammer with a tattered white flag.” (Youngstown Vindicator)