NUCLEAR: Michigan’s attorney general objects to the transfer of a nuclear plant and waste storage site on Lake Michigan, arguing that the proposed buyer lacks financial resources and underestimates decommissioning costs. (MLive)

OHIO: A longtime federal prosecutor takes over as acting U.S. attorney in southern Ohio and will lead the bribery investigation involving the state’s power plant subsidy law. (Cleveland.com)

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BIOGAS: A Minneapolis company whose platform tracks renewable energy transactions records its first exchange using a new “renewable thermal certificate” standard it created for renewable natural gas. (Energy News Network)

CARBON CAPTURE: An Iowa company is leading a project seeking to gather carbon dioxide from at least 17 Midwestern ethanol plants and pipe it to North Dakota to store deep underground. (Bismarck Tribune)

TRANSMISSION:
• Federal energy regulators should assert their authority to promote competition in transmission development after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a case involving a Minnesota law, a former regulator says. (E&E News, subscription)
• An eminent domain dispute over the Grain Belt Express transmission project continues in Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. (St. Louis Public Radio)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan would authorize $8 billion in tax credits for companies making products that reduce carbon emissions. (Detroit Free Press)
• South Dakota lawmakers advance a bill that would roll back green building standards for state buildings based on cost concerns. (Rapid City Journal)

SOLAR: Power purchase agreements through new solar projects are helping a northern Michigan city stay on track for a 30% renewable energy target by 2025. (Petoskey News-Review)

UTILITIES:
• Wisconsin utility WEC Energy Group will acquire a 90% stake in a Kansas wind project for $302 million. (Power Technology)
• WEC officials say the company’s transition to renewable energy will reduce emissions while maintaining grid reliability. (Milwaukee Business Journal)

EFFICIENCY: A Minnesota state research program created nearly 15 years ago seeks to quantify the potential for energy efficiency investments. (Finance & Commerce)

BIOFUELS:
• Nebraska officials seek to ease concerns over potentially contaminated water supplies stemming from a plant that used novel methods to produce ethanol. (Courthouse News Service)
• Lincoln, Nebraska’s utility department now uses natural gas from a city wastewater facility to produce vehicle fuel that’s being sold on the market. (Daily Energy Insider)

OIL & GAS: Duke Energy begins construction on a controversial 13-mile natural gas pipeline in southwestern Ohio that some local advocates say isn’t necessary. (WCPO)

COMMENTARY:
• Wisconsin residents may organize and build opposition to major transmission and wind projects proposed in the state’s Driftless region, a columnist writes. (Madison Capital Times)
• Midwestern states vary on whether they allow electric vehicle manufacturers to sell directly to customers while doing so would allow for greater customer choice and boost EV sales, advocates say. (Natural Resources Defense Council)