Illinois towns feeling burned by Prairie State coal plant

COAL: Illinois towns that contracted with the Prairie State Energy Campus are paying significantly more for electricity than neighboring communities, and will continue to do so for years. (Chicago Tribune)

ALSO: Critics say Illinois officials are dragging their feet on updating a state-mandated coal curriculum that reviews have found to be heavily tilted toward the industry. (Midwest Energy News)

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OIL: Detroit’s infamous pile of petroleum coke was likely moved to Ohio, but company officials won’t say exactly where. (Columbus Dispatch)

PIPELINES: Refiners say Keystone XL is no longer needed, and aging pipelines in the U.S. will cost $50 billion to replace. (Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg)

CLIMATE: The Obama Administration is using key staffing appointments to advance climate policy. (National Journal)

MINNESOTA: Alliant Energy announces it’s selling its southern Minnesota utility business to a group of cooperatives. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

TRANSMISSION: How transmission upgrades helped compensate for coal plants shutting down in Ohio. (U.S. EIA)

WIND: Xcel Energy saved $22 million through weather and wind forecasting, a new wind farm is proposed in southwest North Dakota, and opponents of a Minnesota wind project say they’ve changed the way the state handles wind farm siting. (Renewable Energy World, Dickinson Press, Rochester Post-Bulletin)

NORTH DAKOTA: The North Dakota Supreme Court hears arguments over whether the state or private citizens own mineral rights beneath the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. (Bismarck Tribune)

EFFICIENCY: A factory in Lancaster, Ohio will manufacture small generators that can convert waste heat into electricity. (Columbus Dispatch)

COMMENTARY: Why Ron Binz is a good choice for FERC chair, and a closer look at the devastating impact squirrels have on the power grid. (Greentech Media, New York Times)