OHIO: FirstEnergy withdraws its income-guarantee plan before state regulators, instead pursuing a plan for customer surcharges that would avoid the need for federal intervention. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

ALSO: Ohio’s former top utility regulator says going back to a regulated electric market there would be a “non-starter.” (Platts)

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EFFICIENCY:
• A state-funded program in Michigan brings retired engineers to small manufacturing companies to help them identify energy efficiency savings. (Midwest Energy News)
• Local officials in Youngstown, Ohio are considering legislation to create a special energy district for a planned downtown hotel so the company can issue bonds to make efficiency improvements on an older building. (Youngstown Vindicator)

RENEWABLES:
• Advocates say defeat of a shareholder resolution pushing Missouri-based Ameren to make more investments in renewables is not all bad news. (Midwest Energy News)
• Wisconsin power companies are increasingly turning to renewable energy. (Badger Herald)

PIPELINES:
• Construction begins on the controversial Dakota Access pipeline. (NGI)
• Documents show a “catalog of problems” associated with the construction of TransCanada’s Keystone pipeline. (DeSmog Blog)
• Enbridge expects to pay $62 million in fines and penalties related to a 2010 oil spill near Kalamazoo, Michigan. (Associated Press)
• Enbridge is planning to increase the amount of oil sent through pipelines beneath an environmentally sensitive river in northwest Wisconsin. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

SOLAR:
• Plans move forward for a solar-powered eco-village development in Minnesota that aims to be a model of suburban development. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Madison, Wisconsin-based Alliant Energy’s solar demonstration will see what kind of installations work best in northern climates. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• A Minnesota city could save tens of thousands of dollars a year by buying into a large solar project. (Mankato Free Press)

COAL:
• Illinois and Missouri rank second and third, respectively, among states burning the most coal. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• At a bankruptcy hearing this week, Peabody Energy is expected to ask a judge for access to $800 million in bankruptcy financing. (Wall Street Journal)
• CEOs for Arch Coal and Peabody were each paid nearly $5 million last year as their companies approached bankruptcy. (SNL Energy)

HYDRO: Researchers look to quantify the impact that hydroelectric dams are having on the health of river insects downstream. (Phys.org)

OIL AND GAS: Equipment failure at a wellhead in North Dakota caused 11,000 gallons of oil and saltwater to spill. (Associated Press)

TRANSMISSION: A regional grid operator awards its first competitively bid transmission project in Kansas under a recent federal ruling. (RTO Insider)

EMISSIONS: Researchers are now considering ways to recycle carbon dioxide that’s released from burning fossil fuels into new fuel and useful products. (New York Times)

COMMENTARY:
• The president of the Edison Electric Institute says investor-owned utilities are preparing for the future by investing in smarter energy infrastructure, clean energy and being more responsive to customers. (Utility Dive)
• Water pollution from mercury in the air is another reason to transition away from burning coal for electricity. (Stillwater Gazette)
• Minnesota lawmakers deliver a “slap in the face” to Duluth officials by leaving out financing for converting a steam plant to a hot-water heat generating facility. (Duluth News Tribune)