WIND: Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley says it’s unlikely an extension of the wind protection tax credit will come up for a vote before the election, and even after November its fate remains uncertain. (Associated Press)

ALSO: Why the erosion of Exelon’s nuclear profits is driving its opposition to the production tax credit. (Chicago Tribune)

THE TIMES THEY ARE A’CHANGIN: As the economics of power generation shift, utilities look to sell off their merchant fleets and seek shelter in regulated electricity markets. (Climate. (Wire)

COAL: A pro-coal rally in southern Illinois becomes tense as some speakers use the occasion to campaign for Mitt Romney, and a new study finds Michigan’s two largest utilities imported $1 billion worth of coal from out-of-state in 2010. (Carbondale Southern, CBS Detroit)

POLITICS: The presidential campaigns remain quiet on climate change. (McClatchy)

BIOFUELS: After losing its tax credit and tariff, the ethanol industry is beefing up its presence in Washington, D.C. to defend the production mandate, and the EPA approves a 28% increase in the amount of biodiesel required for use in trucks by 2013. (Christian Science Monitor, Des Moines Register)

TRANSPORTATION: The transit agency serving Columbus, Ohio plans to convert its buses to natural gas; automakers are bullish on the future of natural gas-powered cars; and an Ohio district experiments with electric school buses. (Columbus Dispatch, Detroit Free Press, Toledo Blade)

NATURAL GAS: A Michigan power plant plans a major expansion to take advantage of low natural gas prices. (MLive.com)

OIL: A Utah man died Friday after being badly burned in an explosion earlier this month at a North Dakota oil rig. (Associated Press)

MICHIGAN: Backers of a renewable energy ballot measure highlight its job-creation potential. (Muskegon Chronicle)

SOLAR: Construction of a 140-acre solar farm near Streator, Illinois is expected to begin this month. (Bloomington Pantagraph)

COMMENTARY: A Republican’s case for supporting Michigan’s renewable energy ballot measure, and why the farm bill is really a climate bill. (Climate Progress, New York Times)

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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