MICHIGAN: Republican lawmakers introduce a bill to repeal the state’s renewable energy standard, despite broad public support for the policy. (Midwest Energy News)

CLIMATE: A federal judge dismisses Nebraska’s challenge to proposed EPA carbon rules, saying “the state has jumped the gun.” (SNL)

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EFFICIENCY: A neighborhood of Habitat homes in Wisconsin aims to achieve net zero status with the help of energy-monitoring tools, and a solar water heating system helps an Indiana school save $1,500 per month on energy costs. (Midwest Energy News, Associated Press)

SOLAR: Regulators will hold hearings today and tomorrow on Wisconsin utilities’ proposed rate changes. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

UTILITIES: Ohio’s Supreme Court rules customers who have switched to other energy providers still have to help pay for an American Electric Power shortfall, and why Dynegy is pushing for capacity market reform. (Columbus Dispatch, EnergyWire)

FRAC SAND: A Wisconsin county shuts down a frac sand mine that was “running wild,” dumping wastewater into an unlined pond. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

COAL: A stockpiles continue to draw down because of delivery disruptions, utilities burn more natural gas to preserve coal supplies. (Platts, Bloomberg)

POLLUTION: A new study finds that even accounting for the impact of raw materials, renewable energy technologies are still cleaner than fossil fuels. (Climate Central)

FRACKING: An industry group seeks to reinvent the term “fracking” with more positive connotations. (Wall Street Journal)

WIND: The wind industry is seeing significant growth in Kansas; and Milwaukee officials give a manufacturer more time to repay a loan, citing Wisconsin’s wind energy politics as a factor. (Wichita Eagle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

TRANSPORTATION: A “Strong Towns” advocate visits his Minnesota hometown to push for walkable neighborhoods; more airlines experiment with biofuels; and in a publicity stunt for Hormel, a Minneapolis company builds a motorcycle powered by biofuel derived from bacon grease. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, New York Times, Fast Company)

TRANSMISSION: The Columbia, Missouri city council endorses the Grain Belt Express transmission line. (Columbia Daily Tribune)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join top executives from the area’s RTOs, utilities, transmission developers, and state regulatory agencies at EUCI’s Transmission Expansion in the Midwest, Nov. 4-5 in Indianapolis.***

COMMENTARY: Why FERC’s demand response rule may have been a victim of judicial activism. (Grist)

CORRECTION: Pablo Vegas is the president and COO of American Electric Power. An item in yesterday’s digest misidentified him as the CEO. 

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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