Western Energy News

House panel seeks end to Yucca Mountain stalemate

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NUCLEAR: A stalemate over nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain might be resolved if the Department of Energy was no longer the lead agency on the project, experts and members of Congress suggest at a House hearing. (Nevada Independent)

ALSO:
• A former Energy Department official tells Congress it should pursue nuclear waste disposal at Yucca Mountain despite overwhelming and bipartisan opposition from Nevada. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• The DOE moves forward with plans to reclassify high-level nuclear waste, which could send more to a New Mexico waste facility. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham meets with executives from a company developing a molten-salt cooled nuclear reactor. (Associated Press)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join GTM at the Grid Edge Innovation Summit, June 18-19 in San Diego, for two days of data-intensive presentations from our leading grid edge research practice and industry-led discussions on how data analytics, AI, DERMs and other smart grid innovations are enhancing grid reliability, optimization and planning.

U.S. Energy News

Two-sided solar panels get a pass from Trump tariffs

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SOLAR: U.S. trade officials say a new type of bifacial solar panel will be exempted from Trump administration tariffs. (Reuters)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• A bill to require New Hampshire to get 25% of its electricity from renewable resources by 2025 has been sent to Gov. Chris Sununu. (NHPR)
• Maine passed a Green New Deal bill that focuses on workforce initiatives but omits a proposed 80% renewable portfolio standard. (Greentech Media)
• Minnesota expands property assessed clean energy (PACE) financing to new construction instead of just energy retrofits. (Energy News Network)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join GTM at the Grid Edge Innovation Summit, June 18-19 in San Diego, for two days of data-intensive presentations from our leading grid edge research practice and industry-led discussions on how data analytics, AI, DERMs and other smart grid innovations are enhancing grid reliability, optimization and planning.

U.S. Energy News

Groups sue over offshore drilling safety rule rollback

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OIL & GAS: A coalition of environmental groups sue the Trump administration over its decision to weaken safety rules put in place after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. (Associated Press)

ALSO:
• A pair of West Virginia court rulings send mixed messages about the property rights of landowners challenging natural gas companies. (ProPublica/Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• The Delaware River Basin Commission confirms that a developer wants to build a liquified natural gas export terminal on a former industrial site in southern New Jersey. (NJ Spotlight)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join GTM at the Grid Edge Innovation Summit, June 18-19 in San Diego, for two days of data-intensive presentations from our leading grid edge research practice and industry-led discussions on how data analytics, AI, DERMs and other smart grid innovations are enhancing grid reliability, optimization and planning. Register today!***

PIPELINES:
• Greenpeace asks a North Dakota judge to dismiss claims by the Dakota Access pipeline developer that it conspired against the project.

U.S. Energy News

After net metering, what comes next?

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SOLAR:
• As states weigh changes to net metering laws to make rooftop solar more affordable and accessible, utilities are pushing back. (InsideClimate News)
• Puerto Rico’s latest long-term energy plan calls for 1,800 MW of solar and 920 MW of storage in its first five years. (Greentech Media)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Virginia cities and counties have been slow to pass local ordinances establishing Property Assessed Clean Energy programs. (Energy News Network)
• New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy released the state’s clean energy master plan that includes support for nuclear power. (North Jersey Record)
• A county in the heart of Utah’s ski country might meet its goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2030, two years sooner than expected. (Park Record)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join GTM at the Grid Edge Innovation Summit, June 18-19 in San Diego, for two days of data-intensive presentations from our leading grid edge research practice and industry-led discussions on how data analytics, AI, DERMs and other smart grid innovations are enhancing grid reliability, optimization and planning.

U.S. Energy News

California wildfire response spurs interest in home batteries

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SMART GRID: Utilities are increasingly investing in telecom infrastructure to support the deployment of smart grid technology. (Energy News Network)

UTILITIES: California’s largest utility shuts off power to thousands of customers in areas with high wildfire risk, and the prolonged outages are driving interest in residential batteries. (Sacramento Bee, Quartz)

***SPONSORED LINK: Join GTM at the Grid Edge Innovation Summit, June 18-19 in San Diego, for two days of data-intensive presentations from our leading grid edge research practice and industry-led discussions on how data analytics, AI, DERMs and other smart grid innovations are enhancing grid reliability, optimization and planning. Register today!***

SOLAR:
• Danville, Virginia, an old tobacco town, is in the midst of an economic and civic revival powered in part by new solar energy projects. (Energy News Network)
• The U.S. Department of Energy rolls out a research project aimed at increasing access to solar power for lower-income families.