KEYSTONE XL: The U.S. Senate is expected to vote today on a bill to push approval of Keystone XL, but doesn’t appear to have a veto-proof majority. (Reuters)

ALSO: Why the vote is more about politics than pipelines. (Grist)

OIL AND GAS:
• A new report raises safety concerns about reversing pipelines. (InsideClimate News)
• Early testing fails to find evidence of water contamination in the Bakken oil patch, but researchers caution it’s too early to measure long-term effects. (Associated Press)
• Amid public backlash, a company withdraws plans for a wastewater injection well near a Michigan park. (Oakland Press)
• A waterless fracking technique gets a trial run in Ohio. (Columbus Business First)
• A major oil company merger raises concerns for smaller drilling operations. (Columbus Business First)
• Minnesota’s governor says more pipelines will be part of the solution to rail congestion. (Associated Press)

SOLAR: Assuming she survives a recount challenge, a South Dakota lawmaker plans to continue her quest for a net metering law in the state; and an Iowa county pursues a third-party solar deal. (Midwest Energy News, Cedar Rapids Gazette)

RENEWABLES: Major solar firm SunEdison enters the wind business with a proposed $2.4 billion acquisition of First Wind. (New York Times)

WIND: Hearings begin on a proposed wind farm in Illinois. (WYZZ)

NUCLEAR: The head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says existing rules are inadequate to deal with decommissioning plants. (New York Times)

CLIMATE: FERC says it’s not responsible for measuring the climate impact of proposed natural gas projects. (Greenwire)

CARS: Hydrogen cars make a comeback, Wisconsin proposes a $50 annual fee on electric cars, and Minnesota advocates push for more diverse fuel sources. (New York Times, Associated Press, Minnesota Daily)

TECHNOLOGY: New nanoscale battery technology could have big implications for energy storage. (National Geographic)

COMMENTARY: The outcome of Illinois’ fracking rules is “a sad object lesson in what happens when you exclude the public from a process that directly affects it.” (NRDC Switchboard)