SOLAR:
• The CEO of Minnesota’s largest utility says the company supports utility-scale solar, but will continue to push back against residential and community projects. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• SunEdison enters a marketing partnership with NASCAR. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Why it took a Minnesota couple nearly a month to secure a permit for their home solar installation. (Faribault Daily News)

EFFICIENCY: While Ohio lawmakers engage in a high-profile debate over the state’s clean energy policy, a state loan program for small businesses continues to show results. (Midwest Energy News)

***SPONSORED LINK: Green Your Ride!  The Illinois Solar Energy Association is raffling a 2015 Tesla Model S! Only 2,000 tickets sold. 1 for $100, 4 for $300www.illinoissolar.org ***

NUCLEAR: Exelon’s CEO says the outcome of next month’s PJM capacity auction could determine the fate of two Illinois nuclear plants. (EnergyWire)

EPA: States that resist the Clean Power Plan will wind up putting more pressure on individual power plants to comply with regulations. (EnergyWire)

PIPELINES:
• Minnesota regulators approve $125 million in upgrades to two pipelines serving Twin Cities refineries. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• At a South Dakota hearing, Keystone XL opponents note that tax revenues from the first Keystone pipeline have fallen far short of projections. (Black Hills Pioneer)
• Activists form a human oil drop to protest the Straits of Mackinac pipeline. (MLive)

TRANSMISSION: Hundreds of people – mostly opponents – pack a hearing on the Grain Belt Express transmission line in rural Illinois. (Journal Gazette and Times-Courier)

RENEWABLES: Tribes in Minnesota, Wisconsin and three other states will receive technical support from the Department of Energy on renewable energy projects. (Indian Country Today)

BIOFUELS: A Michigan fueling station will offer four different blends of ethanol, the first of its kind in the state. (MLive)

POLITICS: Perhaps sensing a liability with voters, some Republican candidates are subtly shifting their tone on climate change. (E&E Daily)

COMMENTARY:
• Rural co-ops, in some cases, are ahead of the curve on clean energy. (ClimateProgress)
• Why the Clean Power Plan will be good for Minnesota’s economy. (MinnPost)

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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