EFFICIENCY:
• A bill moving through the Wisconsin legislature would reduce the amount of funding available for a successful energy efficiency program, which critics say will harm ratepayers in the long run. (Midwest Energy News)
• Some advocates say a Missouri utility’s new energy efficiency program could be stronger. (Midwest Energy News)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Minnesota Republicans want the state to stop planning a compliance strategy for the federal rules. (Midwest Energy News)
• The Supreme Court’s stay on the rules leaves an uncertain future for clean-energy investment. (Utility Dive)

*** SPONSORED LINK: Solar Powering Iowa, March 23-24 in Cedar Rapids will be packed with an energizing mix of pre-conference trainings, keynotes, breakout sessions, and networking. Register today!***

RENEWABLES:
• Minnesota got 21 percent of its electricity from renewable sources in 2015, up from 6 percent a decade ago. (Minnesota Public Radio)
• A proposed constitutional amendment in Ohio surfaces for a fifth time that calls on the state to issue $13 billion in bonds over 10 years to invest in wind, solar, geothermal and other energy projects. (Columbus Dispatch)

EMISSIONS: U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts blocks an attempt — led by Michigan’s attorney general — to halt the Obama Administration’s new rules on mercury emissions. (New York Times)

SOLAR: Xcel Energy wants Minnesota regulators to move quickly on the utility’s proposed solar-plus-storage project, though some stakeholders are concerned about the utility wanting to own and operate it itself. (Utility Dive)

CLEAN AIR ACT: A judge allows the federal government’s lawsuit against a St. Louis utility over alleged Clean Air Act violations to go to trial. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

NUCLEAR: Federal regulators say the operator of a Michigan nuclear power plant did not properly report a 2013 leak at the site. (MLive)

AUBREY McCLENDON:
• The late oil and gas CEO faced increasing pressure from federal bid-rigging charges and the plunge in commodity prices, but he still made deals until the end. (New York Times)
• Federal authorities seek to drop the indictment following McClendon’s death in a one-car crash. Meanwhile, an Oklahoma landowner filed a class-action lawsuit against McClendon’s former company. (Associated Press)
• One industry veteran called McClendon the Steve Jobs of oil and gas development. (Columbus Business First)

TRANSMISSION: American Transmission Co. proposes a new transmission line between Wisconsin and Illinois to improve the flow of power between the two states. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

COAL: Ohio coal miners look for employment elsewhere as the industry continues to decline. (International Business Times)

***SPONSORED LINK: The Advancing Renewables in the Midwest Conference, April 11-12 in Columbia, Missouri focuses on programs, policies, and projects that enhance the use of renewable energy resources in the Midwest for the economic benefit of the region. Register today!***

SUPREME COURT: A potential nominee to fill the vacant seat has sided against the Obama Administration on past energy and environmental cases. (Greenwire)

COMMENTARY:
• Minnesota has been a leader in clean energy development, but there is still more work to be done. (Midwest Energy News)
• It’s “puzzling” that an Indiana utility wants to spend $6 billion to retrofit an aging coal plant. (Muncie Star Press)