In EPA settlement, five Iowa power plants to stop burning coal

COAL: Alliant Energy will stop burning coal at five Iowa power plants and install pollution upgrades at two others in a settlement. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

ALSO: Towns saddled with debt from deals with the Prairie State Energy Campus in Illinois may have some options for financial relief, but it won’t be easy. (Midwest Energy News)

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OIL AND GAS:
• Researchers say the Utica Shale in eastern Ohio may hold 20 times more natural gas than previously thought. (Columbus Business First)
• Why cheap oil hasn’t been good for the U.S. economy. (Bloomberg)

PIPELINES:
• Democrats and Republicans in Congress come together in support of overhauling federal pipeline oversight. (ClimateProgress)
• Enbridge won’t appeal a Wisconsin county’s proposal to require additional insurance for a proposed pipeline after winning a ​“different kind of appeal” at the state legislature. (Wisconsin State Journal)
• An Illinois man files a class action lawsuit in response to a recent pipeline spill. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

MICHIGAN: Lawmakers are ​“looking for movement away from mandates” as the state senate holds its first hearing on a proposed energy plan. (Detroit Free Press)

RETAIL CHOICE:
• An Illinois report finds ratepayers who stayed with ComEd rather that opt for an alternate supplier saved more than $73 million over the past year. (EnergyWire)
• A study finds retail choice isn’t necessarily leading to faster innovation. (Greentech Media)

TRANSPORTATION: Budget problems in Illinois leave Iowa officials doubtful about the future of proposed a Chicago-Iowa City passenger rail link. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

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UTILITIES: How rate design can help save utilities from the solar ​“death spiral.” (Utility Dive)

COMMENTARY: What the Midwest can learn from the Northeast’s success with cap and trade. (NRDC Switchboard)