WIND: Despite having bipartisan support, the wind production tax credit has become a political football leading up to the election, making any action in Congress unlikely until the lame-duck session. (Greenwire)
ALSO: A Wisconsin company hopes its turbine-climbing robot can make wind farm maintenance safer by keeping workers’ feet on the ground. (Midwest Energy News)
CLIMATE: A Brookings Institution report says the U.S. should follow Australia’s lead and implement a carbon tax, which it says will be more effective at cutting emissions than further EPA regulations. (The Hill)
NATURAL GAS: A proposed $1 billion fertilizer plant would make use of some of the natural gas that’s currently being flared off from North Dakota’s oilfields. (Fargo Forum)
FRACKING: Leaders of a small Minnesota Amish community worry the frac sand boom is a threat to their way of life. (Minnesota Public Radio)
OIL: Ohio-based Marathon Petroleum is spinning off part of its pipeline division. (Toledo Blade)
TRANSPORTATION: A report finds higher fuel economy standards will create 570,000 jobs in the U.S. by 2030, and the Chevy Volt outsells the Nissan Leaf for the fifth straight month. (CleanTechnica, AutoBlog)
COMMENTARY: Paul Blackburn says the “record” fine for the 2010 Michigan oil spill is a slap on the wrist, Gen. Wesley Clark says “no energy source is more American than solar,” and the Washington Post says last week’s court ruling affirming EPA climate authority should “persuade lawmakers to develop, at long last, a comprehensive response to climate change.” (Midwest Energy News, Forbes, Washington Post)