FRACKING: A federal judge in Wyoming has blocked the Obama administration’s fracking regulations that apply to federal and tribal land. (New York Times)

OHIO: Republican Gov. John Kasich says state legislators’ efforts to freeze the state’s clean-energy standards indefinitely are “unacceptable.” (Associated Press, Gannett Ohio)

COAL:
• More than 200 retired miners, wives and widows in Indiana would lose money set aside for health care coverage as part of a coal company bankruptcy. (ProPublica)
Former coal baron Don Blankenship goes to trial today, facing up to 30 years in prison for his role in avoiding safety standards that led to miner deaths. (Associated Press)
The EPA imposed new rules Wednesday to limit toxic pollutants from coal plants from entering into waterways. (Associated Press)

CLEAN ENERGY: A report finds clean energy will create jobs even in coal-dependent areas like Pittsburgh, but the transition will be challenging. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• North Dakota gets a two-year extension to file a state implementation plan. (Bismarck Tribune)
The Republican architect of the U.S. House’s plan to kill the rules says he will not seek re-election. (E&E Daily)

WIND:
• Scientists say offshore wind has been a missed opportunity in the U.S. (Climate Central)
• New Jersey Democrats urge the state’s governor to finalize a funding mechanism for offshore wind that has languished for five years. (Bergen County Record)
• A rejected New Hampshire wind farm will get another shot before state regulators. (New Hampshire Public Radio)

OIL AND GAS:
• Why America’s oil output remains strong despite low prices. (Bloomberg)
• As groups fight over nuclear and coal, a national trade group pushes for more natural gas in Illinois and the Midwest. (EnergyWire)

KEYSTONE XL: TransCanada says it will turn to Nebraska regulators for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. (Reuters)

TECHNOLOGY: How lessons from the University of Michigan’s solar car can help improve the performance of other solar arrays. (Wired)

VOLKSWAGEN:
• VW’s plans to add 2,000 jobs and expand its  Chattanooga assembly plant by 30% remain, for now. (Associated Press)
VW owners wonder where a fix will leave them. (National Public Radio)

EFFICIENCY: Through efficiency and renewables, an Iowa town is taking aggressive steps to become energy independent by 2030. (Midwest Energy News)

COMMENTARY: How an oil industry campaign urging people to think about life without fossil fuels misses the mark. (Climate Progress)

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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