CLEAN POWER PLAN: A panel of federal judges appeared skeptical about arguments from states challenging EPA carbon rules. (Greenwire)

ALSO:
• A study finds that most states have begun planning to comply with the Clean Power Plan, even those that are challenging it. (Midwest Energy News)
• A think tank with connections to the Koch political network is distributing misleading information about the costs of EPA carbon rules. (InsideClimate News)

***SPONSORED LINK: EPA’s section 111(D) is driving generation and transmission in MISO. Infocast’s MISO Market Summit 2015 will bring policy-makers together with utility, IPP and DR executives to explore the opportunities to solve reliability and power market problems. ***

CLIMATE: A survey finds a large majority of Americans support a carbon tax. (ClimateWire)

WIND: Big companies are competing with utilities in the wind market. (Utility Dive)

SOLAR:
• A St. Paul college will offset all of its electricity use with solar power. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• A Minnesota great-grandmother, who’s turning 90 next month, explains why she’s installing solar panels. (WCCO)

COAL: Murray Energy finalizes a deal to partner with Foresight Energy. (Charleston State Journal)

OIL AND GAS:
• Ohio regulators did not issue any new permits for drilling in the first week of April. (Columbus Business First)
• The oil downturn means “man camps” are starting to shut down. (Bloomberg)

NUCLEAR: The Energy Department will award more than $5 million for students to study nuclear energy. (The Hill)

UTILITIES: A Michigan utility says it has spent more than $1 billion with in-state suppliers over the past four years. (MLive)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: An Iowa town’s waste-to-energy plan shifts from ethanol to biogas. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

***SPONSORED LINK: What is the media’s role in addressing environmental challenges? Join Ensia magazine for a conversation with journalist Marc Gunther May 20 at the University of Minnesota. Free and open to the public.***

COMMENTARY:
• “Though electric choice poses challenges, it’s important in principle that consumers can purchase service outside of a monopoly.” (Detroit News)
• North Dakota needs to take responsibility for oil safety. (Bismarck Tribune)
• An Xcel Energy executive says it’s moving toward a cleaner portfolio “by gradually and responsibly dialing back the output from our coal plants.” (MinnPost)

CORRECTION: An item in Wednesday’s digest incorrectly stated that Michigan lawmakers approved language for a ballot measure to ban fracking. The language was approved by the Board of State Canvassers.

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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