WIND: An Indiana wind industry group has a plan to increase renewable energy in the state without relying on government mandates, House Republicans vow to closely scrutinize the production tax credit this year, and Minnesota’s Attorney General asks a court to shut down a small-wind vendor amid fraud claims. (Midwest Energy News, The Hill, Minneapolis Star Tribune)

COAL: An Illinois town deals a setback to a controversial coal mine plan, and Xcel Energy defends its largest Minnesota coal plant against claims its emissions contribute to haze in national parks. (Midwest Energy News, Minneapolis Star Tribune)

***SPONSORED LINK: Register Now for the 2013 Sustainability Summit & Exposition, March 6-8 in Milwaukee. Keynote speakers include Will Allen, Ed Begley, Jr., Dr. James Hansen and Michael Mann. ***

TRANSPORTATION: Tesla Motors releases data logs it says contradict multiple assertions in a recent New York Times test drive of its Model S, including that at one point reporter John Broder drove around in circles in a parking lot trying, unsuccessfully, to run the car out of charge. (Tesla Motors)

ALSO: A Department of Energy review finds extensive mismanagement at a Michigan battery firm that has received more than $300 million in public funds and has yet to sell a single battery. (Detroit Free Press)

CLIMATE: How a little-known 2009 scientific paper, which says we have only a few years before reaching a tipping point on climate change, is driving urgency around the issue. (InsideClimate News)

KEYSTONE XL: Several prominent environmental activists are among nearly 50 people arrested in an anti-Keystone XL protest at the White House. (Washington Post)

OIL: President Obama’s “Energy Security Trust” proposal won’t require expanded drilling, and North Dakota lawmakers reject a bill to cut flaring of natural gas in the Oil Patch. (Greenwire, Associated Press)

TRANSMISSION: Citing a one-of-a-kind state law, Minnesota landowners seek to force utilities backing the CapX2020 project to buy out their land, but are running into legal obstacles. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

SMART METERS: A Naperville, Illinois woman leads an opposition movement against smart meters. (Chicago Tribune)

FRAC SAND: A Minnesota town voices its opposition to a frac sand loading facility. (Rochester Post-Bulletin)

HYDRO: The U.S. House unanimously approves a bill that streamline the permitting process for small hydropower. (The Hill)

COMMENTARY: Obama’s climate change pledge looks empty, why the AP’s story on hazardous waste from solar production is misleading, and is North Dakota’s oil boom already starting to plateau? (Grist, EarthTechling, The Atlantic)

 

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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