COAL: As deadlines loom for a deal cut with the state of Illinois to cut sulfur dioxide emissions, Ameren now says it needs more time. (Midwest Energy News)

CLIMATE: NASA’s James Hansen takes to the Washington Post editorial page to announce a new study linking recent extreme heat events to climate change, while congressional Republicans remain steadfast that the string of record-breaking weather is all part of a natural cycle. Meanwhile, a review of survey data shows Americans’ opinions on climate change shift with the weather. (Washington Post, The Hill, Huffington Post)

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WIND: A group opposing Minnesota’s Goodhue Wind project says it’s dropping its legal fight, citing financial problems; and Wisconsin’s PSC rules that a proposed wind farm just east of the Twin Cities won’t have to submit an environmental impact statement. (Finance & Commerce, New Richmond News)

BIOFUELS: Leaders from the advanced biofuels industry urge Congress to preserve renewable fuel mandates, and the Senate Finance committee voted last week to extend two tax credits for “next generation” fuels. (ClimateWire, The Hill)

FRACKING: A tea party-affiliated group with undisclosed financial backers is urging lawmakers to sign a pledge not to increase taxes on drilling, which they say would amount to “predatorily redistributing the wealth of Ohio in the most disgusting way”; and a Wisconsin frac sand mine seeks to triple in size. (Associated Press, Chippewa Herald)

OIL: Residents along Enbridge’s Line 6B in Michigan prepare for major disruptions as the company expands the pipeline. (Battle Creek Enquirer)

SOLAR: Minnesota’s Department of Commerce begins an initiative to cut red tape holding back solar installations. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

HYDRO: A Colorado company plans to study the feasibility of installing generators on the Coralville Dam in Iowa. (Iowa City Press-Citizen)

COMMENTARY: The Toledo Blade says Enbridge’s inaction leading up to oil spills in Michigan and Wisconsin is “buffoonery” that “gives political ammunition to environmentalists who wage war against new pipelines,” and the Des Moines Register cites the government’s long history of subsidizing “traditional” energy in a call for extending wind tax credits.