FRACKING: A bill in Ohio that would change the way fracking chemicals are disclosed to emergency responders could conflict with federal law and an agreement with other Great Lakes states. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: Illinois advocates continue to pursue their legal challenge against new state fracking regulations. (Belleville News-Democrat)

OHIO: State regulators will hold a special hearing on American Electric Power’s plan to ensure a guaranteed income for one of its coal plants, meanwhile the utility has been distributing form letters to local governments and business groups to be used in support of the plan. (Columbus Dispatch, Columbus Business First)

EPA: States that outwardly oppose EPA carbon rules are working together on ways to implement them, and grid operators seek a “safety valve” to ensure reliability. (EnergyWire, ClimateWire)

COAL: A Wisconsin co-op says it may periodically shut down a power plant this winter to conserve coal. (Platts)

OIL:
• A new map shows the extent of oil train traffic in the U.S. (Wall Street Journal)
• Farmers and environmentalists team up to oppose an Iowa pipeline. (Iowa City Press-Citizen)
• North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple’s proposed budget anticipates an oil price rebound. (Reuters)
• A group studying the impact of Canadian tar sands oil meets for the first time. (Circle of Blue)

CLIMATE: The White House recognizes 16 U.S. communities for their climate change leadership, including the Sault Ste. Marie tribe in Michigan; Minneapolis; Dubuque, Iowa; Kansas City; and Oberlin, Ohio. (news release, Associated Press, Minnesota Public Radio, Dubuque Telegraph Herald, KCTV, Cleveland Plain Dealer)

TRANSMISSION: Wisconsin’s PSC chair may attend public hearings on a proposed transmission line. (La Crosse Tribune)

NUCLEAR: Safety systems automatically shut down a Missouri nuclear plant; operators are investigating the cause. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Harley executive rides the company’s new electric motorcycle into a conference hall filled with 400 people, and an Illinois school district is expanding its EV charging stations. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Chicago Tribune)

TRANSPORTATION: A Wisconsin Republican is co-sponsoring a bill in the U.S. House to increase the federal gasoline tax. (The Hill)

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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