POLITICS: Obama and Romney step up their fight for support from the coal industry, and West Coast coal exports could be stymied if Democrats maintain control of the Senate. (The Hill)
EPA: The White House appeals a court decision that overturned the cross-state pollution rule. (Associated Press)
TECHNOLOGY: At an event in Chicago last week, scientists and investors came together in search of the next game-changing energy breakthroughs. (Midwest Energy News)
WIND: A USDA study of more than 1,000 counties found that wind energy increases overall personal income at a rate of $11,000 per megawatt installed. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)
COAL: Following a study showing significant ratepayer costs related to a proposed Indiana coal-to-gas plant, state lawmakers want to reconsider the project. (Indianapolis Star)
CLIMATE: U.S. farmers recognize the reality of climate change and experience its effects first hand, but are reluctant to say that human activity is the cause; and a study finds U.S. newspapers are more likely than those in other countries to publish uncontested claims from climate deniers. (ClimateWire, Climate Progress)
FRACKING: A USGS study finds the Utica Shale holds 38 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas. (Associated Press)
MICHIGAN: If a ballot measure expanding Michigan’s renewable energy standard is approved by voters, what will that look like for the state? (Detroit Free Press)
EFFICIENCY: South Dakota officials reject the state’s low ranking in an efficiency survey, saying the report is biased in favor of urban states that are more open to regulation. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)
SOLAR: A solar- and wind-powered greenhouse kicks off Ohio’s Green Energy Tour, and a South Dakota man develops a solar “utility in a box” intended to power Third World communities. (Columbus Dispatch, Associated Press)
COMMENTARY: The future of Hyperion’s South Dakota refinery remains unclear, why environmentalists should embrace fracking, and how to make energy journalism better. (Sioux City Journal, Washington Post, Grist)