SOLAR: A new report outlines the economic benefits of encouraging solar power in low-income communities. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO:
• A Nebraska cattle ranch unveils its 600 kW solar array, the largest in the state. (North Platte Telegraph)
• An Iowa town considers installing solar panels on city buildings, which officials expect could cut energy bills in half. (KCRG)

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CLEAN POWER PLAN: Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton says he will veto any attempt by state legislators to halt work on compliance plans. (Minnesota Public Radio)

COAL:
• Two Midwest coal barons may see their empires begin to crumble. (Bloomberg Business)
• Peabody Energy announces layoffs at Wyoming coal mines. (St. Louis Business Journal)

OHIO:
• At a campaign rally, Ohio Gov. John Kasich says “we are beginning to see a rebound” in the oil and gas industry, and says renewable energy is too expensive to revive the state’s manufacturing sector. (Youngstown Vindicator, ThinkProgress)
• The state attorney general signs off on language for a perennial ballot amendment seeking to create $13 billion in clean energy bonds. (Columbus Dispatch)

OIL AND GAS: An incident at a North Dakota compressor station sparks a 900 acre wildfire. (Bismarck Tribune)

PIPELINES:
• Opponents of an Ohio natural gas pipeline say low prices negate the need for the project. (Canton Repository)
• An energy expert discusses the upsides and downsides of the recently approved Bakken oil pipeline for Iowa. (Little Village)

WIND: A California company is exploring a $200 million wind farm in northwest Iowa. (Sioux City Journal)

EFFICIENCY:
• An Iowa dairy farmer is proud of his solar array, but says energy efficiency comes first. (Agri News)
• A Wisconsin man says his LP gas supplier’s charge for low usage discourages energy conservation. (WISC)
• The Energy Department selects an Iowa State laboratory to develop new energy efficient refrigeration technology. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

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VW: A former Volkswagen employee in Michigan says the company destroyed documents related to its emissions scandal, and that he was fired for refusing to participate. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY:
• Target’s rooftops should be a bull’s eye for solar. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• The future of an Indiana coal plant “deserves a deeper public debate.” (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)
• Why solar arrays should use native landscaping. (CleanTechnica)