CLIMATE: Under pressure from shareholders, FirstEnergy announces it will study ways to reduce its carbon emissions. (New York Times)
OHIO: Ohio’s chief utility regulator says he will not seek reappointment. (Columbus Business First)
TRANSMISSION: A new report says developers can ease opposition to transmission lines with more public involvement and transparency. (Midwest Energy News)
ALSO: Opponents say slow utility sales mean a proposed Wisconsin transmission line isn’t needed. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
OIL: North Dakota Democrats say the state’s top oil regulator should not also be promoting the industry, and railroad towns prepare for increased oil train traffic and the ensuing risks. (Fargo Forum, Wall Street Journal)
PIPELINES: Enbridge replaces a section of Michigan pipeline that may have been damaged during construction, and charges are dropped against a protester who spent a day inside a Michigan pipeline. (Detroit Free Press, Battle Creek Enquirer)
FRACKING: Researchers say combining fracking wastewater with mining runoff can help remove radioactive materials. (Associated Press)
NUCLEAR: A bill in Indiana would allow utilities to pass along the cost of new nuclear plants to ratepayers long before the plants are operational. (Indianapolis Star)
ELECTRIC CARS: Tesla is offering a software update and new chargers to ease fire risk as the company is seeing “relentless growth” in sales, and Tesla and GM race to create the first “affordable” electric vehicle. (Time, Reuters, Detroit Free Press)
BIOFUELS: The head of Iowa’s farm bureau says a reduction in the federal ethanol mandate would be “detrimental” to the state, and a conference in Altoona this month will explore the future of cellulosic biofuels. (Des Moines Register)
MINNESOTA: The trial begins for a Minnesota businessman accused of defrauding 1,800 investors out of $57 million in a scheme to push a failed coal-to-gas technology. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
POLITICS: Why clean energy will likely play a quiet role in the Michigan governor’s race. (E&E Daily)
MEDIA: A Senate climate action group will push producers of Sunday talk shows to devote more airtime to climate change coverage. (The Hill)
COMMENTARY: “I feel like a hamster in a wheel” – a young woman discusses the isolation she’s experiencing while seeking her fortune in North Dakota’s oil boom. (New York Times)