In Michigan, conservatives to join push for renewable energy

SOLAR: In addition to wind and biofuels, the solar energy market is ​“exploding” in Iowa. (Midwest Energy News)

POLITICS: Republicans in Michigan launch a group to promote renewable energy: ​“For too long, we have allowed the energy discourse to be dominated by the left.” (MLive.com)

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COAL: A Michigan co-op abandons plans for a new coal plant, and an Indiana Supreme Court revives a controversial coal-to-gas project. (Detroit News, Indianapolis Star)

WIND: MidAmerican Energy’s massive Iowa wind project will also mean big business for an Illinois-based tower manufacturer, and a group of eight U.S. senators calls for an end to the production tax credit. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Hill)

NUCLEAR: Federal regulators authorize a Nebraska nuclear plant to restart after being idled for three years, and a pair of Ohio lawmakers plan a resolution to promote research into thorium reactors. (Omaha World-Herald, Columbus Business First)

FRACKING: A study finds high levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals in fracking wastewater, and opponents dominate a public hearing on fracking in southern Illinois. (The Guardian, Carbondale Southern)

OIL:
An Illinois company begins drilling for oil on the Indiana State University campus. (Terre Haute Tribune-Star)
A report finds taxpayers are being shorted on royalties from drilling on public lands. (Houston Chronicle)
Companies ​“think outside the box” to recover waste natural gas in North Dakota oilfields. (New York Times)
Workers at a Minnesota refinery threaten to strike over safety concerns. (Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal)

PETCOKE: Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin says companies storing petroleum coke in southeast Chicago are ​“in for a fight.” (ABC 7 Chicago)

CLIMATE: As Iowa scientists repeatedly warn of the threat of climate change, not all of the state’s lawmakers are listening. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

COMMENTARY: Why the need for ​“baseload” power is a myth. (Climate Spectator)