COAL: Congress dumps legislation that would have exempted the S.S. Badger from pollution rules, and a Clean Air Act lawsuit in Minnesota targets the state’s largest coal plant. (Chicago Tribune, Minneapolis Star Tribune)
NUCLEAR: Seventy years after the birth of atomic energy, nuclear opponents gather in Chicago to shape their message for the modern energy landscape. (Midwest Energy News)
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CHICAGO: Details of a city plan for bulk purchases of electricity show savings for ratepayers will likely be short-lived. (Chicago Tribune)
CLIMATE: Rejection by the U.S. Senate of a disability rights treaty on “sovereignty” grounds doesn’t bode well for the fate of a potential international climate agreement. (Greenwire)
NATURAL GAS: An Energy Department study finds the economic benefits of exporting natural gas would outweigh the cost to U.S. consumers; and Holland, Michigan approves a new $182 million natural gas plant. (New York Times, Grand Rapids Press)
CONGRESS: A North Dakota representative who says it’s “immoral” not to use fossil fuels because God gave them to us is named to the House science and natural resources committees, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers launches a caucus to promote performance-based energy efficiency contracts. (The Hill)
KEYSTONE XL: Hundreds pack a public hearing on the Keystone XL pipeline in Nebraska. (Beatrice Daily Sun)
WIND: A coalition of business and environmental groups in Michigan call for extension of the wind tax credit, and Iowa State University’s regents approve the country’s first Ph.D program in wind energy. (Crain’s Detroit Business, Omaha World-Herald)
FRAC SAND: Police are summoned to a frac sand hearing in Winona, Minnesota as speakers refused to stay on topic. (Winona Daily News)
SOLAR: The Milwaukee Brewing Company plans a 28-panel solar system to preheat water used in the brewery. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
COMMENTARY: Why the Doha climate talks still matter. (Washington Post)