In inaugural address, Obama pledges U.S. climate leadership

CLIMATE: In his inaugural address yesterday, President Obama said the U.S. ​“will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.” Congress will remain a major obstacle to that response. (Greenwire, Politico)

EFFICIENCY: The Midwest has emerged as a national leader in energy efficiency, but advocates at a recent conference in Chicago warn that innovative thinking will be required if the trend is to continue; sales of LED bulbs are soaring, expected to surpass incandescents in North America by 2014; and energy efficiency is a hot topic at a Missouri home show. (Midwest Energy News, New York Times, Springfield News-Leader)

***SPONSORED LINK: Early Bird pricing ends today at midnight for CERTs 2013 Conference: Community-Driven Clean Energy on Feb. 20-21 in St. Cloud. Join hundreds of Minnesotans working to create a clean energy future! ***

FRACKING: Drilling operations are increasingly powered by natural gas, and a Minnesota man is killed in an accident at a natural gas drilling site in North Dakota. (Associated Press, Fargo Forum) 

OIL: The oil industry objects to a North Dakota bill to close a tax loophole estimated to cost the state $50 million a year, and a Minnesota company cashes in on shipping oil by rail. (Associated Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune)

SOLAR: A recent FERC decision could make it easier to connect solar projects to the grid. (CleanTechnica)

COAL: Exelon faces a potential $870 million tax liability from the sale of its coal plants, and developers of an Indiana coal-to-gas plant say lawmakers’ efforts to shield ratepayers from the plant’s costs could kill the project. (Crain’s Chicago Business, Evansville Courier & Press)

WIND: Why companies with no connection to the wind industry were lobbying for extension of the production tax credit. (InsideClimate News)

*** SPONSORED LINK: Dr. James Hansen will keynote the Sustainability Summit & Exposition, March 6-8, 2013 in Milwaukee. Register today! ***

COMMENTARY: Critics of wind power misunderstand how the grid works, and how would Minnesotans heat their homes during an extended power outage? (The Energy Collective, MinnPost)