OHIO: As state regulators reject a second utility “bailout” plan for older power plants, FirstEnergy’s case is facing even longer odds. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: Two Ohio facilities will be included in a round of American Electric Power plant closings; the PJM Interconnection says the state still has plenty of capacity. (Columbus Dispatch)

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UTILITIES: “Fixed-cost recovery” will continue to be a priority for utilities into 2015, according to an industry briefing. (Utility Dive)

OIL BY RAIL: Federal regulators say railroads will have to move more quickly to retrofit or replace unsafe tanker cars. (Associated Press)

FRACKING: Recent earthquakes have Oklahomans worried whether their towns will survive a major seismic event. (EnergyWire)

EPA:
• North Dakota will study how carbon rules will impact the state’s coal industry. (Bismarck Tribune)
• The North American Electric Reliability Corp. will offer feedback on how to ensure reliability under the Clean Power Plan. (EnergyWire)

COAL: The CEO of St. Louis-based Patriot Coal is stepping down. (St. Louis Business Journal)

FRAC SAND: The “ripple effect has taken hold” as a drilling slowdown begins to impact the Minnesota and Wisconsin frac sand industries. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

SOLAR:
• A Michigan winery plans a solar array to offset about 40 percent of its electricity use. (Traverse City Record-Eagle)
• A proposed Indiana solar project is expanded from 2 to 3 megawatts. (Crawfordsville Journal Review)

WIND: A Missouri wind developer will shut down after selling off its last two projects. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

POLLUTION: A spill of an unknown substance into Lake Erie may have originated at a Cleveland power plant. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

NUCLEAR: A Michigan reactor is back online after a two-week shutdown to repair a water leak. (Associated Press)

POLITICS:
• Activist Tom Steyer plans to push climate change as a central issue in the 2016 presidential campaign. (The Hill)
• A new interactive map charts public opinion on climate change down to the county level. (Bloomberg)

COMMENTARY: Why more pipelines won’t necessarily prevent rail disasters. (Grist)

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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