PIPELINES: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s administration will appeal state regulators’ approval of Enbridge’s plan to replace and expand the Line 3 pipeline, citing the lack of a long-term demand forecast. (MPR News)

SOLAR: As a Nebraska city welcomes its first solar project, a contract with its power supplier prevents it from adding more local renewable generation. (Energy News Network)

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OHIO:
• A judge approves partial payments for fees and expenses to outside firms that helped a former FirstEnergy subsidiary emerge from bankruptcy. (Cleveland.com)
• Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is among the parties seeking to halt payments to firms that may have ties to an alleged bribery scheme to bail out nuclear plants, saying the company “may not have entered into the bankruptcy with clean hands.” (Toledo Blade)

COAL:
• U.S. utility executives signal plans to announce even more coal plant retirements as renewable energy prices decline. (S&P Global)
• A northern Indiana city still has more than two dozen underground coal storage vaults that pose a public danger. (Associated Press)

WIND:
• Developers announce plans for a 300 MW wind project in central Illinois. (Bloomington Pantagraph)
• A wind developer commits $300,000 to four Indiana communities surrounding a wind project to make investments of their choice. (Inside Indiana Business)

BIOFUELS: Officials with four influential Iowa agriculture groups urge President Trump to fully support the federal Renewable Fuel Standard or risk political consequences. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

OIL & GAS: Environmental groups ask a federal judge to halt a Trump administration rule to allow the transport of liquefied natural gas by rail. (Associated Press)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A partnership will bring additional electric vehicle charging stations to Love’s Travel Stops across the U.S. in an effort to relieve drivers’ range anxiety. (CNET)

COMMENTARY:
• Communities should adopt master plans that incorporate renewable energy and also engage residents about the benefits and drawbacks of large-scale solar projects, a Michigan State University Extension educator says. (Energy News Network)
• A coal industry front group funded by Peabody Energy continues pushing carbon capture projects as utilities seek to retire coal plants, a watchdog group writes. (Energy and Policy Institute)
• A former Ohio utility regulator and state lawmaker says Illinois ratepayers would benefit from increased competition among utilities based on recent scandals in the two states. (Chicago Tribune)