COAL: Supporters and opponents of a proposed coal-to-gas plant in Chicago hold competing rallies this week, as Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn considers a bill that would pass along the plant’s costs to ratepayers. (Midwest Energy News)

CAP AND TRADE: Eyeing the success of RGGI, officials in some states are looking for ways to revive long-dormant regional cap-and-trade programs. (InsideClimate News)

FRACKING: A former Wall Street consultant warns an Ohio business group that the shale boom is overhyped, newly released emails support accusations that two drilling companies colluded to drive down land prices in Michigan, and a Minnesota town’s selective restrictions on frac sand shipping may not hold up to legal scrutiny. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Reuters, Winona Post)

MICHIGAN: Only three of the state’s 72 electricity providers will not meet Michigan’s 10 percent renewable energy standard by 2015, according to state officials. (Detroit Free Press)

WIND: Wisconsin’s supreme court rules state regulators properly approved Wisconsin Power and Light’s out-of-state wind farm, and the co-founder of Clean Line Energy Partners sees a bright future for wind energy even without the production tax credit. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, E&E TV)

ALSO: Actor Kevin Costner is turned away from the S.S. Badger in Wisconsin, because a shipment of wind turbine components didn’t leave enough room on the ferry for the actor’s tour bus. (Ludington Daily News)

CLIMATE: A conservative group is using public record requests to obtain emails between journalists and climate scientists, seeking “collusion” between “media and environmentalist establishments.” (Greenwire)

SMART GRID: A new study finds utilities are having trouble managing the flood of information from smart meters. (New York Times)

NATURAL GAS: A Wisconsin company that will receive $3.4 million in federal funding to develop natural gas-powered vehicles will be on Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s itinerary as he visits the state today. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

ETHANOL: A gas station in Lawrence, Kansas will be the first in the U.S. to sell E15. (The Hill)

COMMENTARY: Barry Cinnamon, former chief executive of Westinghouse Solar, says solar costs could be cut in half simply by eliminating red tape; and Will Nissen says North Dakota should not be held up as an example for energy diversity. (Forbes, Minnesota 2020)

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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