NUCLEAR: Illinois may be nuclear power’s “short-term ground zero” as the industry looks to make a comeback nationwide. (Climate Central)
SOLAR: Clean-energy advocates in Minnesota respond to utility Xcel Energy’s complaints against the state’s community solar program. (Midwest Energy News)
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OIL TRANSPORT: A federal report says oil-train derailments could happen 10 times a year over the next two decades as quantities being transported increase. (Associated Press)
COAL ASH: Utility Duke Energy is charged over a major coal-ash spill from a year ago in North Carolina. (New York Times)
CIVIL RIGHTS: Activists in Flint, Michigan are upset that the EPA has not responded to civil rights claims filed in the ’90s against a wood-fired power plant. (Greenwire)
OHIO: U.S. energy secretary is impressed by First Solar’s manufacturing plant in Toledo. (Toledo Blade)
CLIMATE: New documents shed light on the extent to which a well-known researcher accepted money from corporate interests to cast doubt on climate change. (New York Times)
ALSO: EPA administrator is “looking closely” at utilities’ concerns about timelines for complying with proposed CO2 rules and Kansas lawmakers seek to delay or stop the new rules. (Climate Central, ClimateWire, Associated Press)
FRACKING: University of Michigan researchers outline policy options for tightening the state’s fracking regulations. In Ohio, a state Supreme Court justice suggests links between public policy and oil and gas donations. (Associated Press, Columbus Dispatch)
FRAC SAND: A Minnesota county moves closer to becoming the first county in the state to ban frac-sand mining. (Minneapolis StarTribune)
OIL: Exxon Mobil appeals $1 million penalty over Yellowstone River oil spill. The oil boom in North Dakota is leading to diversity and shifts in local school districts. (Associated Press, Bismarck Tribune)
MICHIGAN: Ann Arbor’s Public Housing Commission invests in energy efficiency, solar projects at public housing structures. (MLive)
RFS: An EPA official vows to industry groups to revive the federal Renewable Fuel Standard. (Greenwire)
EV: Chrysler and Jaguar prepare to bring new electric vehicle designs to market. (Cleantechnica, Electric Vehicle News)
COMMENTARY: Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s plan for increasing severance taxes on oil and gas drillers is a step in the right direction. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)