EFFICIENCY: As Ohio’s Energy Mandates Study Committee takes up energy efficiency this week, data continue to show the programs are cost-effective for ratepayers. (Midwest Energy News)

TECHNOLOGY: Tesla announced Friday that its in-home battery, called the Powerwall, would sell for $3,500. (New York Times)

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OIL TRAINS:
The U.S. and Canada announce new regulations for trains carrying crude oil, industry and safety advocates immediately push back. (Greenwire, New York Times)

OIL AND GAS:
• A USGS report shows injection wells pose an earthquake risk for Ohio. (Columbus Dispatch)
• South Dakota regulators will hold a hearing on an expired Keystone XL permit in July. (Rapid City Journal)
• Slowdowns in drilling and mining are hitting Midwest heavy equipment manufacturers. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

SOLAR: An Iowa co-op is second among all U.S. utilities for the amount of solar power it generates per customer. (Electric Co-op Today)

UTILITIES:
• Why pay for ComEd’s CEO is tied to Exelon’s nuclear plants. (Crain’s Chicago Business)
• FirstEnergy says it will focus on “customer service-driven regulated growth.” (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

POLLUTION: A court strikes down an EPA rule change that would have let diesel backup generators run more often. (SNL)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY:
• How food waste from a Cleveland stadium is turned into energy. (New York Times)
• A landfill gas system is earning a Nebraska utility thousands of dollars for emissions credits. (Lincoln Journal Star)

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GRID: A Kansas company commissions the state’s first microgrid. (FierceEnergy)

COMMENTARY:
• Cutting funds for a Wisconsin consumer advocate will save ratepayers pennies but cost them millions. (Wisconsin State Journal)
• Exelon has a history of opposing clean energy. (Huffington Post)
• Did Tesla just kill nuclear power? (Forbes)

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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