SOLAR:
• A federal appeals court finds Arizona utility Salt River Project liable for violating antitrust laws by charging rooftop solar customers higher power rates, a ruling advocates call a “game changer” for promoting clean energy. (AZ Capitol Times)
• Stakeholders remain deeply divided over California regulators’ proposal to slash net metering payments for rooftop solar. (Canary Media)

COAL:
• A federal judge orders Signal Peak Energy to pay $1 million and serve three years of probation for multiple environmental and worker safety violations at its Montana coal mine. (Montana Standard)
• Wyoming’s Republican U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis and other coal-state leaders lure energy-intensive cryptocurrency mining with promises of cheap power and lax regulations. (E&E News)
• Biden administration officials say a federal coal community revitalization program will fund Wyoming projects after the state was shut out of the grants last year. (WyoFile)   
• Rising natural gas prices buoy Wyoming coal mine production and employment, but levels remain lower than they were in 2019. (Wyoming Business Report)

OIL & GAS:
• The U.S. Interior Department allocates $1.15 billion of federal infrastructure funds for orphaned oil and gas well cleanup, including $291 million for Western states. (Washington Post)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management accidentally reveals plans to raise the federal onshore oil and gas royalty rate to 18.75%. (Reuters)
• Emails between oil and gas industry officials and California lawmakers show the industry continues to influence climate-related legislation even as officials position the state as a climate leader. (Capital & Main)
• The U.S. Navy appeals a Hawaii order to drain tanks at a fuel storage facility blamed for contaminating drinking water to give it time to consider its options. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser) 

CLEAN ENERGY: A report finds 20% of Nevada’s power comes from renewable resources and the state is on track to reach its goal of 50% by 2030. (S&P Global)

STORAGE: San Diego, its water authority, and a developer enter into a project development agreement to build a 500 MW pumped hydropower energy storage project proposed for southern California. (Hydro Review)

GRID: Washington state researchers say transactive energy — using price signals to coordinate devices on the grid — can reduce peak energy loads, costs and prevent blackouts. (KNDO) 

TRIBAL ENERGY: An interdisciplinary academic team explores public policies’ potential effects on tribal energy development and energy independence. (news release)

TRANSPORTATION:
• California lowers eligibility income caps for electric vehicle rebates, preserving more funds for lower-income buyers. (Green Car Report)
• Denver area public transit ridership has not recovered from the pandemic-caused plunge even as driving has returned to normal levels. (Greeley Tribune) 

COMMENTARY: A Wyoming environmental advocate says state regulators are serving the fossil fuel industries’ interests, not the public’s, by allowing companies to pollute the air and water. (WyoFile)

 

Jonathan hails from southwestern Colorado and has been writing about the land, cultures, and communities of the Western United States for more than two decades. He compiles the Western Energy News digest. He is the author of three books, a contributing editor at High Country News, and the editor of the Land Desk, an e-newsletter that provides coverage and context on issues critical to the West.