NOTE TO READERS: Midwest Energy News is taking a break for the holidays. The daily email digest will return on Tuesday, January 3. Thanks for reading!

OIL AND GAS:
• Ohio Gov. John Kasich pushes back on $264 million in tax breaks for the oil and gas industry approved by the legislature. (Toledo Blade)
• An Ohio bill would prevent local communities from banning fracking. (Dayton Business Journal)

TECHNOLOGY:
• A new initiative embeds young entrepreneurs at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois to help bring innovation to commercial scale more quickly. (Midwest Energy News)
• A new material developed by Michigan researchers could streamline solar cell and supercapacitor production. (UP Matters)

***SPONSORED LINK: The Smart Cities International Symposium, January 24-25 in Chicago, examines the latest technology advances and business models for the 21st Century connected city. Explore implementation strategies, case studies, and the successful financing of key initiatives. Use discount code MWEN for 15% off. Register today! ***

PIPELINES:
• A recent North Dakota pipeline spill, just 150 miles from the Dakota Access protest camp, is the sixth largest incident this year; 1,100 barrels of oil from the spill has not been recovered. (Reuters)
• A hearing on eminent domain disputes in Iowa draws protesters. (Storm Lake Pilot Tribune)

ADVOCACY: The leader of an Illinois clean energy group deflects questions about its funding, but notes that it was dramatically outspent by Exelon during the state’s energy bill negotiations. (Chicago Sun-Times)

SOLAR:
• An industry group outlines the top ten solar stories of 2016. (Greentech Media)
• Why residents of Ann Arbor, Michigan wind up paying higher taxes after installing solar. (MLive)

COAL:
• North Dakota’s attorney general files a lawsuit to block federal stream protection rules. (Associated Press)
• Developers of a proposed southern Indiana coal mine say the project’s future depends on whether Donald Trump follows through on his pledges to loosen regulations. (Platts)

WIND: Two new wind farms, totaling 400 MW of capacity, go online in Kansas. (Hutchinson News)

UTILITIES: Kansas regulators flag multiple issues in the proposed merger between Great Plains Energy and Westar. (Kansas City Business Journal)

EFFICIENCY: Officials in Madison, Wisconsin pursue a plan to reach net-zero emissions from city buildings. (Capital Times)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join Dairyland Power Cooperative CEO Barbara Nick and the “Michael Jordan of solar policy,” Adam Browning of Vote Solar, at RENEW Wisconsin’s “Clean Energy Goes Mainstream” Summit. Thursday, Jan. 19 in Madison. Register Today!***

POLICY: A new database makes it easy to search for state-level energy policy decisions. (Vox)

COMMENTARY:
• Why Donald Trump won’t slow clean energy progress in Illinois. (Crain’s Chicago Business)
• While the state has farther to go, recent legislation represents “an important step forward for Michigan’s clean energy future.” (Union of Concerned Scientists)
• Why we may be overestimating the risks from nuclear power. (Pacific Standard)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

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