ELECTRIC VEHICLES: While they applauded the selection of Chicago, Midwest advocates hoped to see Volkswagen settlement funds distributed to more cities in the region to support EV infrastructure. (Midwest Energy News)

CLIMATE:
• Climate change is becoming an increasingly contentious topic between Republicans and the public, and was most recently visible at a Michigan congressman’s town hall meeting. (E&E News)
• Trump administration advisers are scheduled to meet today on whether to recommend the U.S. withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. (Reuters)

***SPONSORED LINK: Solar Summit 2017 is 10! Join GTM May 16-18 for three days of packed networking opportunities and a unique mix of market intelligence with engaging panel sessions among industry leaders. 15% off with code MWENERGY15. ***

SOLAR:
• A new agreement is reached between an Ohio city and an AEP subsidiary to develop a solar project at the site of a former processing facility. (Newark Advocate)
• A northern Michigan landscaping company that manufactures materials onsite looks to provide one-third of its energy needs from solar. (Charlevoix Courier)

FRAC SAND: A public hearing is scheduled today on a Georgia company’s plan to fill more than 16 acres of wetlands to build a $65 million frac sand facility in Wisconsin. (River Valley Media Group)

COAL: A year after being retired, redevelopment plans for the site of a former Michigan coal plant are still uncertain. (MLive)

RELIABILITY: Michigan’s two major utilities are facing questions from state lawmakers and regulators over their handling of a historic power outage during a storm last month. (Detroit News)

NUCLEAR: A generating unit at Exelon’s Quad-Cities nuclear plant is back online after a planned refueling outage that started last month. (Quad-City Times)

BIOFUELS: A drop in production means ethanol is trading at a four-month high in Chicago. (Platts)

EPA: The Trump administration’s proposed cuts to the EPA could include the closure of the agency’s regional office in Chicago, which would weaken its ability enforce actions against coal-fired power plants in the region and layoff 1,000 workers. (ThinkProgress)

COMMENTARY:
• An Indiana journalism professor says supporters of a state bill to phase out net metering hammer home the point about solar being a subsidy without looking at it as an investment for the grid. (Kokomo Tribune)
• A North Carolina researcher is concerned about the impact the Trump administration’s anti-regulation positions will have on the agency that oversees nuclear power plants. (The Conversation)
• An energy attorney says a recent report from the American Society of Civil Engineers on the status of U.S. electric infrastructure is “alarmist and wrong.” (RTO Insider)