BIOFUELS: Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory hope to convince farmers that growing feedstock plants on land that doesn’t support commodity crops will be economically beneficial. (Midwest Energy News)

OIL BY RAIL: A Minnesota industry official says disclosing emergency response plans to the public “is like giving terrorists a road map on how to do something bad.” (Minnesota Public Radio)

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EFFICIENCY: The White House announces financing plans for homeowners to encourage efficiency and distributed generation. (Climate Central)

NEBRASKA: Advocates are pushing state lawmakers again to pass a production tax credit for wind and solar to help the state meet its federal emission requirements. (Associated Press)

FRACKING: Activists and lawmakers in Ohio are concerned about a lack of state monitoring at wells. (The Intelligencer)

RATES: Critics say Xcel Energy’s rate change request in Wisconsin will discourage energy efficiency and home generation; utility says it will help with capital improvements. (LaCross Tribune)

OIL PIPELINE:
• Iowa regulators receive nearly 4,000 letters objecting to a proposed oil pipeline across the state, many against the developer’s request to use eminent domain. (Associated Press)
• Enbridge officials say raw data on safety inspections on the Straits of Mackinac pipeline was “too complex” for a state safety task force to understand. (MLive)

GAS: Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel join others in demanding answers to the spike in gasoline prices in the Midwest. (Chicago Tribune)

WIND:
• Xcel Energy buys a 200 MW, $300 million wind farm in North Dakota from Geronimo Energy. (Associated Press)
• Wind energy will be a key factor, particularly in Midwest states, for Clean Power Plan compliance. (Greentech Media)

RENEWABLE FUEL STANDARD: An industry analysis shows the Renewable Fuel Standard has displaced 1.9 billion barrels of foreign oil over the past 10 years. (Biofuels Digest)

COAL: Illinois lawmakers and the president of a state coal association are asking the state to hold off on issuing stream protection rules for mining. (Southern Illinoisan)

GRID: Results of the latest PJM capacity auction mean ratepayers in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions will pay billions more for electricity during extreme conditions in three years. (EnergyWire)

SOLAR:
• Former Congressman Barry Goldwater, Jr. criticizes Michigan Republicans and utilities over proposed net metering rules. (Crain’s Detroit Business)
• Researchers in Nebraska hope to commercialize a product that could reduce the cost of installing solar panels by 10 times. (KETV)
• President Obama calls out renewable-energy opponents for supporting the free market when it comes to fossil fuels but not the solar industry. (Washington Post)
• Rooftop solar is a major theme at an Energy Summit in Las Vegas where Obama gave the keynote address. (Associated Press)

ALSO: DTE Energy installs its first solar-powered trash and recycling compactors in downtown Detroit. (CBS Detroit)

COMMENTARY:
• Ohio regulators should analyze FirstEnergy’s “bailout” request for struggling plants “with the greatest of skepticism.” (Toledo Blade)
• Sierra Club and UAW officials say the Clean Power Plan will help fight climate change, economic inequality and racial injustice. (MLive)