Illinois lawmakers break impasse on fracking regulations

FRACKING: A bill to regulate fracking in Illinois is again ready to move forward after lawmakers resolve a dispute over a union requirement. (Chicago Tribune)

ALSO: Ohio officials consider a proposal that would allow radioactive drilling waste to be disposed in landfills. (Akron Beacon Journal)

EFFICIENCY: A new report finds Wisconsin’s efficiency program is back on track, delivering $2.89 in benefits for every dollar spent; and an Ohio small-business group becomes a national model for promoting energy conservation. (Midwest Energy News, Cleveland Plain Dealer)

SOLAR: Minnesota lawmakers reconcile competing energy bills and agree to a 1.5 percent solar energy standard. (Minnesota Public Radio)

OIL: Contradicting conventional wisdom that pipelines are safer than transporting oil by rail, the International Energy Agency finds pipelines spilled three time more oil than trains over comparable distances from 2004-2012. (Bloomberg)

FRAC SAND: Minnesota lawmakers reach a compromise on frac sand regulation, by requiring tougher permit requirements for operations near trout streams. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

CLIMATE: How the insurance industry navigates the politics surrounding climate change. (New York Times)

NUCLEAR: The origins of two goldfish found in an Ohio nuclear plant remains a mystery. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

WIND: New technology increases the viability of a proposed Michigan wind farm site. (Muskegon Chronicle)

TECHNOLOGY: An Ohio State University team aims to build the world’s fastest electric car. (EarthTechling)

COMMENTARY: The myths and realities of the oil boom, and why whether or not we’ll run out of oil is the wrong question. (Greentech Media, The Atlantic)