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)