Western Energy News

California legislators approve $21 billion utility wildfire fund

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CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES: California lawmakers give final approval to a bill creating a $21 billion wildfire fund for utilities. (Greentech Media)

OIL & GAS:
• California’s governor fires the state’s top oil and gas regulator amid conflict of interest allegations. (Palm Springs Desert Sun)
• The Bureau of Land Management office in Carlsbad, New Mexico, faces accusations that staffers routinely skirt environmental rules in favor of the oil and gas industry, documents show. (High Country News)
• Aurora, Colorado, officials consider creating an oil and gas division now that a new state law gives local governments more control over drilling. (Aurora Sentinel)

***SPONSORED LINK: Attend Infocast’s Renewables: Extracting Value from Power Markets Conference in La Jolla, California, July 23-25 and take an intensive deep dive into how to better value merchant tails for renewable projects.

Western Energy News

Colorado power provider turns to feds to set rates

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UTILITIES: The board of directors of a Colorado power wholesaler votes to place the company under federal jurisdiction for rate setting, rejecting calls from state lawmakers for a delay. (Denver Post)

ALSO: Arizona regulators refuse to reverse a controversial 2017 rate increase by the state’s largest utility. (Arizona Republic) 

***SPONSORED LINK: Attend Infocast’s Renewables: Extracting Value from Power Markets Conference in La Jolla, California, July 23-25 and take an intensive deep dive into how to better value merchant tails for renewable projects. Register today! 

NUCLEAR:
• Nevada’s governor says the U.S. Department of Energy has again illegally shipped nuclear waste to the state. (Reno Gazette Journal)
• The city council in Idaho Falls votes to keep negotiating to increase the amount of power it plans to get from a small modular nuclear reactor under development at a federal research lab in Idaho.

Western Energy News

Class-action lawsuit filed against bankrupt coal company

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COAL: A former Blackjewel employee files a class-action lawsuit against the bankrupt coal company for failing to notify or pay hundreds of workers before suddenly closing mines in Wyoming and elsewhere. (Casper Star Tribune)

ALSO: Federal land managers schedule public hearings on a plan to expand a Colorado coal mine by more than 2,400 acres and draw criticism from environmentalists for the location of the meetings. (Durango Herald)

***SPONSORED LINK: Attend Infocast’s Renewables: Extracting Value from Power Markets Conference in La Jolla, California, July 23-25 and take an intensive deep dive into how to better value merchant tails for renewable projects. Register today! 

UTILITIES: Amendments to a bill making its way through the California legislature could complicate San Francisco’s efforts to buy a bankrupt utility’s local assets. (Bloomberg)

CLIMATE:
• California will receive $2.7 billion in cap-and-trade funds to inject into the state budget to fund everything from a bullet train to housing near mass transit centers.

Western Energy News

California Senate approves $21 billion utility wildfire fund proposal

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UTILITIES: The California Senate approves a proposal to create a $21 billion fund to help California utilities pay for wildfire costs. (Los Angeles Times)

EMISSIONS:
• Fresno uses data visualization to help target California cap and trade funds to counteract pollution in vulnerable communities. (Energy News Network)
• It’s New York vs. California in a race to see which state can succeed at reaching their ambitious greenhouse gas emissions goals. (New York Times)

***SPONSORED LINK: Attend Infocast’s Renewables: Extracting Value from Power Markets Conference in La Jolla, California, July 23-25 and take an intensive deep dive into how to better value merchant tails for renewable projects.

Western Energy News

California lawmakers to consider utility wildfire fund

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CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES: California Gov. Gavin Newsom faces a crucial test this week as he attempts to convince lawmakers to ratify his multi-billion utility wildfire fund. (Los Angeles Times)

SOLAR:
• The rooftop solar industry is thriving in Nevada despite recent incentive cutbacks. (The Nevada Independent)
• A national nonprofit that helps communities form solar energy cooperatives is organizing across Colorado. (Denver Post)

***SPONSORED LINK: Attend Infocast’s Renewables: Extracting Value from Power Markets Conference in La Jolla, California, July 23-25 and take an intensive deep dive into how to better value merchant tails for renewable projects. Register today! 

COAL:
• Wyoming coal miners and their families worry whether life will ever be the same after the sudden closure of two mines.