OIL: North America “is being repiped” as the oil industry shifts its focus to exporting American oil, possibly negating the need for the Keystone XL pipeline. (InsideClimate News)

ALSO: Why the “U.S. could soon overtake Saudi Arabia as the world’s biggest producer” story requires an asterisk. (Washington Post)

CHICAGO: As Chicago moves closer to a decision on whether to adopt municipal aggregation for electricity, advocates are hoping the city’s purchasing power can be used to advance renewable energy. (Midwest Energy News)

FRACKING: Environmental groups petition the EPA to require disclosure of chemicals used in fracking, neighbors protest a proposed frac sand mining operation in northeast Iowa, and some environmentalists resort to radical tactics to block drilling in Ohio. (Bloomberg, Cedar Rapids Gazette, EnergyWire)

COAL: While cheap natural gas gets most of the blame for the coal industry’s decline, rising mining costs aren’t helping either. (Washington Post)

ALSO: Owners of another Lake Michigan ferry criticize Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker for supporting a permit extension that would allow the S.S. Badger to continue dumping coal ash into the lake. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

GREEN ECONOMY: As federal stimulus funds for renewable energy draw down, what happens next? (New York Times)

WIND: A new report finds U.S. consumption of wind energy increased even as electricity demand declined, and an ownership dispute over a Minnesota wind farm could put $22 million in subsidies at risk. (The Hill, Minneapolis Star Tribune)

MILITARY GOES GREEN: As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, the U.S. military remains committed to its renewable energy goals. (Greenwire)

NUCLEAR: Westinghouse pitches its small modular reactor to a Missouri utility. (Pittsburgh Business Times)

SOLAR: A report says solar employment will continue to grow as wind jobs decline. (Bloomberg)

COMMENTARY: Why the solar industry is wooing Mitt Romney. (Time)

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.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.