In Nebraska, asking tougher questions on Keystone XL

WIND: A study from Illinois State University says the wind industry will contribute $6 billion to the state’s economy in the coming years, mostly in rural areas. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: Wisconsin’s first community wind farm, a 5 MW project co-owned by Organic Valley and Gundersen Lutheran, goes online near LaCrosse. (LaCrosse Tribune)

KEYSTONE XL: Nebraska regulators begin asking TransCanada uncomfortable questions, including the contents of chemicals used to dilute oil sands crude for transport, as the state’s landowners remain a significant opposition force to the pipeline. Also, Montana’s governor explains how his state pressured TransCanada to include a link to the Bakken oil fields in the project: ​“I’ll tie one leg up there and they’ll start listening.” (EnergyWire, Greenwire, Washington Post)

OIL: In response to protests marking the second anniversary of the Kalamazoo River oil spill, Enbridge officials say ​“we’re trying to do exactly what is the responsible thing to do” by repairing and upgrading pipelines through the state. (MLive.com)

ETHANOL: Ethanol production continues to decline, and a quirk in the renewable fuel credit market could help the oil industry dampen the impact of higher corn prices resulting from this year’s drought. (Des Moines Register, Reuters)

COAL: FutureGen has decided on its final site to store carbon dioxide from a retrofitted coal plant in Illinois. (ClimateWire)

SOLAR: While U.S. tariffs have slowed imports from China, prices for solar panels continue to drop. (Reuters)

MICHIGAN: Green activists and city officials in Holland, Michigan, debate whether a proposed community energy plan goes far enough to reduce the use of fossil fuels; and a poll finds a majority of small business owners support expanding the state’s renewable energy standard. (Grand Rapids Press, ThinkProgress)

NUCLEAR: The heat wave has created problems for nuclear plants across the Midwest, as cooling water temperatures rise above levels allowed by regulators. (New York Times)

NATURAL GAS: General Electric announces it will develop a home fueling station for natural gas-powered cars. (Bloomberg)

COMMENTARY: Allen Hershkowitz of the Natural Resources Defense Council says ​“few sectors can be as influential as the sports industry” - historically, in provoking social change, and today, in advancing clean energy. (New York Times)