Grassley: Romney’s wind position ​‘a knife in my back’

COAL: Two more Minnesota coal plants could face retirement, depending on the outcome of a Public Utilities Commission hearing today. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: Ohio pledges $30 million to study ​“clean coal” technology, and a consultant advises the utility in Holland, Michigan, to convert its coal plant to natural gas. (Akron Beacon Journal, Grand Rapids Press)

WIND: In an appearance in Des Moines, Mitt Romney avoids discussion of his opposition to extending the wind production tax credit; meanwhile, at a town hall event in Burlington, Iowa, Sen. Charles Grassley, the Republican who authored the tax credit, called Romney’s position ​“a knife in my back.” (The Hill, Burlington Hawk Eye) 

MEANWHILE: A Wisconsin wind tower manufacturer says it will turn its focus to Canada to stay afloat if the tax credit is not extended. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

CLIMATE: Sen. Harry Reid says he’s hopeful the Senate will take up a climate pricing bill next year; and, under pressure from the EU, the U.S. reaffirms its support for a goal of limiting global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius. (Greenwire, Reuters)

NATURAL GAS: A federal court rules the EPA hasn’t shown multiple gas facilities in Michigan can be regulated as a single source of emissions under the Clean Air Act, drilling companies report mostly encouraging results in Ohio’s Utica Shale, and a pipeline rupture and fire causes a brief scare but no injuries at an Iowa natural gas storage facility. (Greenwire, Akron Beacon Journal, Des Moines Register)

TRANSMISSION: Critics question the need for transmission upgrades in Wisconsin amid an electricity surplus. (Madison CapitalTimes)

SOLAR: Despite the high-profile failure of Solyndra, the solar industry in the U.S. is growing -- and becoming more competitive. (New York Times)

GREEN ECONOMY: A Michigan bleacher company explains why it’s the largest purchaser of clean energy in the state: ​“I wish we could say we got a lot of orders because of this but we do it because we want clean water and clean air.” (MLive.com)

NUCLEAR: A public hearing tonight in Oak Harbor, Ohio, will address the cause of cracks found in the Davis-Besse nuclear plant. (Toledo Blade)

COMMENTARY: Retired Marine Lt. Gen. Richard Zilmer, who will be speaking in Grand Rapids tonight, says tougher fuel economy standards are ​“a matter of national and economic security and military readiness.” (Detroit Free Press)