COAL: An appeals court overturns a lower court ruling, saying AEP is responsible for the $1.4 billion cost of installing scrubbers at the Rockport Generating Station in Indiana. (RTO Insider)

ALSO:
• The Trump administration asks a federal appeals court to postpone consideration of 2012 rules requiring energy companies to cut mercury and emissions of other toxic chemicals from coal plants, even though most utilities are on pace to comply with the rules. (Associated Press)
• The CEO of Michigan-based DTE Energy says the utility’s move away from coal to natural gas and renewables is based primarily on economics. (WEMU)

***SPONSORED LINK: Stay current on the newest developments in the energy economy by attending the Advancing Renewables in the Midwest Conference April 24-25 in Columbia, Missouri. For registration and details: www.AdvancingRenewables.org.***

PIPELINES: The chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe vows to continue efforts to block oil from flowing through the Dakota Access pipeline, including raising awareness about banks and institutions that are funding the project. (Forum News Service)

WIND: A City Council in Ohio passes a resolution in support of a planned offshore wind project in Lake Erie. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

RENEWABLES: A panel of clean energy advocates in Michigan say the cost trends for renewable energy show that the industry is unlikely to scale back development. (MLive)

FRAC SAND: While frac sand mining is providing jobs in areas of Wisconsin with high unemployment, critics note the industry is vulnerable to boom-and-bust cycles and comes with other social costs. (Jackson County Chronicle)

SOLAR: An Ohio town moves forward with purchasing land for a planned 1.5-megawatt solar project. (Piqua Daily Call)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A new survey shows one in six Americans wants an electric vehicle the next time they buy a new car. (Columbus Dispatch)

SOLAR-PLUS-STORAGE: Researchers find differences in the extent to which grid defection matters today and how it will impact utilities into the future. (Utility Dive)

OIL AND GAS:
• Natural gas is on pace to replace coal generation in Ohio. (Associated Press)
• Communities in western North Dakota are opposing plans by some lawmakers to divert oil tax revenues to areas across the state. (Forum News Service)

CLIMATE:
• A meeting among White House officials to decide whether to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement has been postponed. (Associated Press)
• A discussion on the online forum Reddit offers a rare glimpse into why former climate change deniers changed their mind and accepted the mounting scientific evidence. (Yale Climate Connections)

COMMENTARY:
• The Columbus Dispatch says while it’s good news submetering regulations are likely coming, a recent meeting between lawmakers and lobbyists show why the industry is unlikely to be reined in: “They’re not listening to the people.”
• Analysts say it’s “becoming widely acknowledged” that wind and solar will be highly competitive on price even when key tax credits for the sectors phase out in the early 2020s. (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)