COAL: Alliant Energy will stop burning coal at five Iowa power plants and install pollution upgrades at two others in a settlement. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

ALSO: Towns saddled with debt from deals with the Prairie State Energy Campus in Illinois may have some options for financial relief, but it won’t be easy. (Midwest Energy News)

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OIL AND GAS:
• Researchers say the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio may hold 20 times more natural gas than previously thought. (Columbus Business First)
• Why cheap oil hasn’t been good for the U.S. economy. (Bloomberg)

PIPELINES:
• Democrats and Republicans in Congress come together in support of overhauling federal pipeline oversight. (ClimateProgress)
• Enbridge won’t appeal a Wisconsin county’s proposal to require additional insurance for a proposed pipeline after winning a “different kind of appeal” at the state legislature. (Wisconsin State Journal)
• An Illinois man files a class action lawsuit in response to a recent pipeline spill. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

MICHIGAN: Lawmakers are “looking for movement away from mandates” as the state senate holds its first hearing on a proposed energy plan. (Detroit Free Press)

RETAIL CHOICE:
• An Illinois report finds ratepayers who stayed with ComEd rather that opt for an alternate supplier saved more than $73 million over the past year. (EnergyWire)
• A study finds retail choice isn’t necessarily leading to faster innovation. (Greentech Media)

TRANSPORTATION: Budget problems in Illinois leave Iowa officials doubtful about the future of proposed a Chicago-Iowa City passenger rail link. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

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UTILITIES: How rate design can help save utilities from the solar “death spiral.” (Utility Dive)

COMMENTARY: What the Midwest can learn from the Northeast’s success with cap and trade. (NRDC Switchboard)

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Ken Paulman

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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