COAL:
• Advocates say an Indiana utility’s plan to delay the installation of new wastewater pollution controls at its largest coal plant is among the first clear effects of President Trump’s rollback of environmental regulations. (Midwest Energy News)
• The coal industry is growing in North Dakota, though forces impacting the industry nationally are “creeping into the landscape.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Minnesota officials are planning the next steps for a statewide electric vehicle charging network as EV adoption is expected to increase and the vehicles become more mainstream. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, New York Times)

RENEWABLES:
• Clean energy growth in Iowa has not only helped the state diversify its energy portfolio, but also has “created jobs, provided economic growth and defined Iowa as a leader.” (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• Independently owned renewable energy facilities in west Michigan are cautiously optimistic they will remain economically viable amid regulatory changes. (MiBiz)

SOLAR:
• Funding for solar programs under Illinois’ Future Energy Jobs Act has been preserved through a legislative override of the governor’s budget veto. (PV Magazine)
• Indiana is among several states where utility lobbyists have been aggressively fighting net metering policies and succeeding. (New York Times)
• A team of students at the University of Michigan go for “drastic change” in designing a new solar-powered vehicle. (MLive)
• After filing for bankruptcy last year, a Michigan-based solar company lands a small victory in court amid an ongoing payment dispute with another company. (MiBiz)

UTILITIES: Officials announce new plans for a merger between Great Plains Energy and Westar Energy that involves no debt for Great Plains or cash for Westar shareholders. (Kansas City Business Journal)

BIOFUELS: The owner of a North Dakota oil refinery is considering retrofitting the facility to process soy or distillers corn oil into renewable diesel alongside crude oil processing. (Bismarck Tribune)

GRID: The CEO of grid operator PJM discusses grid management “at a time of unprecedented change.” (Utility Dive)

PIPELINES:
• Keystone XL opponents are weighing whether to appeal a decision allowing the pipeline through South Dakota to the state Supreme Court. (Associated Press)
• Officials and members of a YMCA in southeast Michigan organize opposition to a planned natural gas pipeline. (MLive)

COMMENTARY: An advocate calls the environmental review process around Enbridge’s proposed Line 3 replacement in Minnesota a “public policy crisis” for the state, designed to rubber-stamp the project. (MinnPost)