OIL & GAS: ExxonMobil, once the world’s largest company, is dropped from the Dow Jones Industrial Average — a move analysts say reflects a broader shift in the American economy toward tech companies. (Dallas Morning News)

ALSO:
• A coalition of states is challenging a Trump administration rule allowing trains to transport liquefied natural gas. (Michigan Advance)
• Oil and gas companies are bracing for Tropical Storm Laura, which could hit Gulf Coast oil refineries, petrochemical plants and offshore platforms. (Houston Chronicle)

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COAL:
• More sustainable economies are possible for coal country, but coal’s long legacy of hope, promises and failure has instilled a political inertia that won’t be easy to overcome. (Energy News Network)
• Federal stimulus investment could help Appalachia transition from coal, especially after coal company Blackjewel abruptly shuttered and left hundreds of miners out of work last year. (Bloomberg)

OHIO: The Ohio Senate plans to return to session next month to consider repealing a power plant bailout law at the center of an alleged bribery scheme. (Columbus Dispatch)

NUCLEAR:
• Operators decide to permanently close Iowa’s only nuclear plant ahead of schedule after significant damage from a severe storm this month. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• Citing cost concerns, a northern Utah city withdraws from participating in a next-generation nuclear power plant and another city is considering doing the same. (Deseret News) 

WIND:
• The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is developing a 235 MW wind project, the first of its kind on tribal land in North Dakota. (Bismarck Tribune)
• New York and New Jersey so far are allowing offshore wind developers to plan their own interconnections with land, but industry advocates say there is a need for a more coordinated and cost-effective approach. (Politico)

BIOGAS: Iowa researchers are studying ways to make renewable natural gas from agricultural waste more profitable for farmers. (Energy News Network)

GRID: A study by a clean energy group says an integrated grid in the Southeast could increase adoption of clean energy and lower costs. (Greentech Media) 

UTILITIES: Pacific Northwest utilities are working on a new model of regional coordination in sharing resources in a bid to overcome the threat of power shortages. (Utility Dive)    

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POLITICS: A new survey finds the proportion of voters concerned about climate change continues to rise. (New York Times)

COMMENTARY:
• An analyst explores why European and U.S. oil companies are taking divergent paths on clean energy. (Forbes)
• A clean energy advocate says we can easily afford to end energy poverty in the U.S. (Union of Concerned Scientists)

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.