COAL: A Union of Concerned Scientists report highlighting coal plants that can’t compete economically includes a large number of Midwest facilities. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: Looming deadlines could determine the fate of the FutureGen project in Illinois; and the Sierra Club threatens to sue DTE Energy, alleging 1,330 Clean Air Act violations at three Michigan coal plants. (Springfield State Journal-Register, Detroit Free Press)

***SPONSORED LINK: Register by November 20, 2012 using code MWEN25off for the 2013 Midwest Energy Solutions Conference January 16-18, 2013 in Chicago and receive $25 off early bird rates.***

THE CARBON TAX DANCE: Grover Norquist quickly distances himself from any perception that he might be open to a carbon tax; the White House says it’s open to the idea if Republicans lead the push, to which Rep. Fred Upton says, “I’m not a carbon tax guy”; and the Brookings Institution remains hopeful a carbon tax could see bipartisan support. (Climate Progress, The Hill, ClimateWire)

WIND: Republican governors pressure their Congressional counterparts to support an extension of the wind production tax credit, and a North Dakota Minnesota tribe installs two wind turbines with the help of a federal grant. (The Hill, Fargo Forum)

CLIMATE: The IEA’s World Energy Outlook also contains a dire warning about climate change; a Yale survey finds an overwhelming majority of Americans want the U.S. to do more to reduce emissions; and energy reporter Thomas Content takes a closer look at how climate change is impacting Wisconsin so far. (Climate Central, Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

OIL: North Dakota posts another record year for oil production, as the boom brings dramatic changes to the Fort Berthold reservation. (Associated Press, Bloomberg Businessweek)

FRACKING: Natural gas storage fields pose an obstacle to new drilling in Ohio, the state resumes injection-well permitting after earthquakes prompted a moratorium, and the Chicago Tribune  explores the Wisconsin frac-sand boom. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Associated Press, Chicago Tribune)

BIOFUELS: Two plants say they are close to large-scale, commercial production of cellulosic biofuels. (New York Times)

TRANSPORTATION: The Tesla Model S is named Motor Trend‘s Car of the Year, the first fully-electric vehicle to win the coveted award. (AOL AutoBlog)

COMMENTARY: How much tax relief could a carbon tax provide? And don’t celebrate America’s energy independence just yet. (Washington Post, New York Times)