PIPELINES: An oil pipeline being built across southern Michigan faces new scrutiny from state regulators after its operator, Enbridge, spilled oil, grease and other residue into a creek and failed to report the incident, as required by law. (InsideClimate)
EFFICIENCY: Ohio’s industrial infrastructure offers vast opportunities for energy production from waste heat, but experts say that potential could go untapped if the state’s renewable standard is rolled back. (Midwest Energy News)
***SPONSORED LINK: Connect with Renewable Energy business leaders, investors, technology innovators, government officials and university educators September 9-11 at RETECH 2013! Midwest Energy News readers receive 10% off with VIP code: MEN10 – register today! ***
DERAILMENT: As questions arise about who’s responsible for Saturday’s deadly train derailment in Quebec, an official with Canada’s Transportation Safety Board says the type of tankers involved have a history of puncturing during accidents. (The New York Times, The Associated Press)
OIL-BY-RAIL: North Dakota authorities say the state’s oil producers depend on rail to move their product. Each day, about 1,000 railcars carrying 675,000 barrels of Bakken crude leave the state for refineries outside the region. (Grand Forks Herald)
CONGRESS: A $30 billion spending bill is expected to reach the House floor today, but White House advisors say they would recommend a veto because of sharp cuts to green energy programs in the bill. (The Hill)
ELECTRIC: A Minnesota judge says Xcel Energy deserves less than half of the 10.7 percent rate increase the utility requested last year. The judge’s recommendation is likely to influence the state’s Public Utilities Commission, which is expected to vote on the rate hike this fall. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
GAS: Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has signed legislation authorizing a new gas bill surcharge to pay for a $2.5 billion pipe replacement program. Over the next decade, Chicago customers could see heating bills go up by 4 percent a year, on average. (Chicago Tribune)
ETHANOL: A Milwaukee engine maker is retailing a new fuel additive that it says can solve some of the problems ethanol can cause in small engines. Ethanol producers say the company, Briggs & Stratton, exaggerates the problems. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
SCAM ALERT: Wisconsin’s We Energies is warning about a spike in telephone scam attempts. Callers claiming to be from the utility are calling customers and trying to sell prepaid debit cards and get financial information over the phone. (The Racine Journal Times)
COMMENTARY: Robert Rapier argues the debate over the Keystone XL pipeline is “increasingly irrelevant,” and that protestors give a false impression about the biggest source of rising carbon emissions: growing wealth and consumption in the Asia Pacific region. (Energy Trends Insider)