Opposition builds against Minnesota pipeline expansion

OIL: Opposition builds against an oil sands pipeline expansion in Minnesota, and federal regulators launch an inspection ​“blitz” targeting rail cars carrying crude from North Dakota. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, Associated Press)

RENEWABLES: A new report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory says wind and solar power will be cost-competitive with natural gas by 2025 in some parts of the U.S. (CleanTechnica)

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TRANSMISSION: A new project seeks to unite the three U.S. grids, billions in new transmission lines will be needed to tap the nation’s wind resources, and a new line is proposed in South Dakota. (Midwest Energy News, The Oklahoman, Rapid City Journal)

ALSO: A proposed transmission line and substation to serve the Bakken oil patch is proposed in the middle of a historic North Dakota battlefield, prompting a preservation fight. (Bismarck Tribune)

FRACKING: A wastewater well near Youngstown, Ohio is linked to another 98 earthquakes; and a ballot measure to ban fracking in Youngstown has enough signatures to qualify for the ballot but still may not proceed. (Columbus Dispatch, Youngstown Vindicator)

COAL: Duke Energy will stop burning coal at an Indiana power plant by 2018 in a settlement with environmental groups, and a billboard campaign targets Indianapolis-area coal plants. (Associated Press, Indianapolis Star)

OHIO: Democratic lawmakers want Gov. John Kasich to apologize for a spokesman’s comments related to the ongoing controversy over an EPA official’s resignation, and consumer groups say an investigation of the state’s electricity market has been skewed toward utilities. (Columbus Dispatch)

POLLUTION: A new MIT study says air pollution is to blame for as many as 200,000 premature deaths each year in the U.S. (Voice of America)

SMART METERS: ComEd will begin installing 60,000 smart meters in Chicago’s western suburbs. (Chicago Tribune)

NET METERING: A state report shows participation in Michigan’s net metering program is up 55 percent over 2011, and a South Dakota group says residents there should be paid more for power they contribute to the grid. (CBS Detroit, Associated Press)

ELECTRIC CARS: The NHTSA will extend a Michigan pilot program to integrate electric cars into the grid for six months. (Detroit News)

BIOMASS: A new Wisconsin power plant will be fueled by the state’s forest industry waste. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

COMMENTARY: A carbon tax America could live with. (New York Times)