Ann Arbor pledges to cut emissions 90 percent by 2050

COAL: Midwest Generation’s four Illinois coal plants will continue operating as it files for bankruptcy, but observers say it’s only a matter of time before the company’s financial difficulties force the plants to shut down. (Midwest Energy News)

CLIMATE: Ann Arbor, Michigan, sets a goal of reducing its carbon emissions 90 percent by 2050. (AnnArbor.com)

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FRACKING: Republican governors urge the Obama administration to abandon chemical disclosure rules for fracking, saying such regulation should be left to states. (The Hill)

KEYSTONE XL: While TransCanada has declared Keystone XL will be the ​“safest, most advanced pipeline ever built in North America,” it will actually have fewer safety features than other pipelines. (InsideClimate News)

FRAC SAND: A Minnesota town, facing legal pressure from developers, decides to forgo an environmental impact study on a proposed frac sand shipping facility. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

AGGREGATION: Voters in Bloomington, Illinois will get another chance to adopt municipal aggregation after rejecting a similar proposal in a primary election earlier this year. (Bloomington Pantagraph)

OIL SANDS: Canada decides to put the brakes on Chinese buyouts of oil sands firms. (EnergyWire)

EFFICIENCY: An Illinois town hopes a cooling system called the ​“Ice Bear,” which takes advantage of low off-peak energy prices to freeze water for cooling later in the day, will help cut energy costs at its public works building. (Chicago Tribune)

COMMENTARY: A roundtable on whether Congress should extend the wind tax credit, and why a report gushing with optimism over fracking jobs in Illinois should be met with skepticism. (National Journal, Midwest Energy News)