Western Energy News

Amazon shareholders reject climate initiative

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CLIMATE: Amazon says its shareholders have rejected an employee-backed initiative requiring the company to report to the public on its plans to cut its carbon footprint. (New York Times)

ALSO:
• Anchorage adopts a plan to fight climate change, which calls for reducing the city’s carbon emissions by 80 percent in about 30 years, though the measures are largely non-binding. (Alaska Public Media)
• A Republican lawmaker has filed a ballot initiative seeking to lower the gas tax in Oregon to offset potential increases in energy costs spurred by a cap and trade program under consideration. (Willamette Week)

***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!***

UTILITIES:
• A federal bankruptcy judge has approved a request by PG&E to set up a $105 million housing fund for victims of wildfires linked to the utility’s equipment.

Western Energy News

Legislation revives discussion of a California hydro project

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HYDROPOWER: A bill recently given preliminary approval by California lawmakers could jumpstart a controversial $2.5 billion pumped-storage hydroelectricity project near Joshua Tree National Park. (Los Angeles Times)

GRID: A Southern California utility’s decision to scrap plans to build a new gas peaker plant and install a battery system instead illustrates how storage paired with clean energy might replace a crucial gas market sector. (U.S. News and World Report)

***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!***

TRANSPORTATION: Areas of California where reductions in vehicle emissions have led to air quality improvements have fewer new cases of children with asthma, new research shows. (KNPR)

RENEWABLES: California must eliminate natural gas as an electricity resource if it wants to become a zero-emissions economy by 2045, experts say.

Western Energy News

$150 million solar project clears a major hurdle in Montana

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SOLAR: The Montana Land Board has approved the lease of 1,300 acres for what could become the largest solar project ever built in the state despite objections from some residents concerned about potential impacts to grazing rights. (Montana Standard)

ALSO: As it puts its Oregon factory up for sale, a California solar manufacturer is refocusing operations on storage and energy services. (Greentech Media)

***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!***

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A major oil company is offering electric vehicle charging at a handful of its California gas stations. (Bloomberg)
• Colorado regulators give utilities one year to come up with a plan addressing how they will support the transition to electric vehicles.

Western Energy News

Corroded pipe to blame for 2015 Aliso Canyon blowout

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NATURAL GAS: A 2015 blowout at a natural gas plant in Los Angeles that led to the largest known release of methane in U.S. history was caused by a corroded pipe, according a report released by California energy officials. (Associated Press)

GRID: Volunteer utility crews from around the country are working to connect more than 60,000 tribal members of the Navajo Nation to the grid, providing electricity to some for the first time. (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. Register today!***

SOLAR:
• A 2016 fire that heavily damaged a Washington reservation has prompted tribal members to invest in solar energy and batteries, a move expected to save $2.8 million over 35 years. (CleanTechnica)
• A California solar panel manufacturer has put its Oregon factory up for sale but will continue operating in a small part of the facility.

Western Energy News

California raises the possibility of banning gasoline-powered cars

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TRANSPORTATION: California’s top air quality regulator says the state might consider banning cars that run on fossil fuels and other “extreme” requirements to offset the increase in pollution created by the Trump administration’s plan to relax vehicle emission standards. (Bloomberg)

GRID: A solar-powered microgrid installed by a small northern California tribe could provide a model for how local communities can prepare for disasters fueled by climate change. (Wired)

***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!***

TRANSMISSION: New Mexico regulators have rejected a proposal to reconsider their decision to charge Facebook for half of an $85 million transmission line. (Albuquerque Journal)

COAL: Federal energy officials say they are actively working to prevent a struggling Montana coal plant from closing.