COAL: An Illinois coal plant operating on a temporary permit and without modern pollution controls, is the subject of an environmental justice hearing in Chicago. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO:
• Ohio coal miners seek new opportunities as their industry declines. (International Business Times)
• A laid-off Illinois Indiana miner files a class action lawsuit against his former employer. (Carbondale Southern Illinoisan)
• Indiana Michigan Power says it has no plans to retire a coal plant that could require billions of dollars in pollution upgrades. (Muncie Star Press)
• What would be the impact of a Peabody Energy bankruptcy? (St. Louis Public Radio)

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POLLUTION: Conservation groups will now join power companies on a board overseeing Ohio River pollution issues. (Midwest Energy News)

OIL AND GAS:
• A truck carrying fracking wastewater overturns in Ohio, contaminating a nearby reservoir. (Columbus Dispatch)
• Ohio’s production continues to increase. (Youngstown Vindicator)

PIPELINES: Sioux Falls officials grant an easement for the proposed Dakota Access pipeline, with one council member staging a protest over how landowners are treated. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)

UTILITIES:
• A survey finds utility executives are warming up to working with third-party vendors on distributed generation. (Utility Dive)
• Duke Energy Indiana reaches a settlement with consumer groups on grid modernization. (Transmission & Distribution World)
• Critics say a Minnesota utility’s resource plan is too reliant on coal. (Smart Grid News)

WIND: The Southwest Power Pool sets back-to-back records of supplying nearly 45% of its electricity from wind. (Platts)

FRAC SAND: A landowners group and industry representatives debate a proposed frac sand mining ban in a Minnesota county; an attorney says the county can impose a ban but can’t put it to a public vote. (Winona Post)

NUCLEAR: The federal government’s failure to secure a nuclear waste disposal site means some North Dakota ratepayers will see a refund. (Bismarck Tribune)

ELECTRIC CARS: A Minnesota group partners with a Nissan dealership to offer discounts on electric cars. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)

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EFFICIENCY: A public-private partnership will help support $3.3 million in upgrades for a downtown Columbus, Ohio office building. (Columbus Dispatch)

COMMENTARY: Wisconsin utilities’ solar expansion “makes good business sense.” (La Crosse Tribune)

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.

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