UTILITIES: A $9.1 billion acquisition by Wisconsin Energy Corp. will combine We Energies with Wisconsin Public Service and other Midwest utilities. (Associated Press)

ALSO: Consumers Energy gets approval to drop renewable energy surcharges, Exelon seeks a path out of its economic struggles, and MISO’s president says he’s “never seen this much change converging at one time.” (MLive, Crain’s Chicago Business, St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

***SPONSORED LINK: Midwest Energy Policy Conference 2014 — Get the early-bird discount now for the Midwest Energy Policy Conference on Sep. 30-Oct. 1 in St. Louis!***

WIND: Developers of an Ohio offshore wind energy project say it will proceed despite losing out last month on key federal funding. (Midwest Energy News)

SOLAR: Critics say a Madison utility’s plan to increase service charges could put a chill on solar development, a Minnesota county approves a 10 MW solar farm, and Iowa lawmakers say support for solar is growing in the state’s legislature. (Madison Capital Times, St. Cloud Times, Quad-City Times)

EPA: Minnesota utilities balk at what they see as a disproportionate burden for the state under proposed EPA carbon rules. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

POLITICS: Michigan Rep. Fred Upton says EPA rules could “force states to ration energy,” and an Ohio Republican says the EPA is “nationalizing” the energy sector. (The Hill, Toledo Blade)

FRACKING: Additional drilling is planned at the site of an Ohio oil spill, and drilling operations continue to encroach on North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park. (Columbus Dispatch, Associated Press)

COAL: Illinois officials seek the public’s help in mapping long-shuttered coal mines. (Associated Press)

TECHNOLOGY: Argonne National Laboratory receives a $2 million grant for fuel cell research. (Chicago Tribune)

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REVIEW: The Great Lakes Echo reviews our ebook, Closing the Cloud Factories, “a story deep, broad and filled with rich personalities involved in struggles over power – electrical and political.”

COMMENTARY: Why wind and solar are key to a low-carbon future. (Greentech Media)

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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