CLEAN ENERGY: Arizona regulators approve a measure requiring utilities to get all of their electricity from 100% carbon-free sources by 2050, with a benchmark of 50% by 2035. (Arizona Republic)
ALSO:
• Some advocates are concerned that an aggressive federal climate push could derail bipartisan progress on clean energy in states like Colorado. (Utility Dive)
• A Colorado utility says it remains committed to its 100% renewable energy pledge despite considering a plan for a new natural gas plant. (Mountain Town News)
• Western projects are included in Xcel Energy’s plan to invest $1.4 billion in renewables initiatives between the end of 2020 and the second quarter of 2021. (S&P Global)
COAL:
• Puget Sound Energy, facing pushback from regulators, calls off the sale of its share of the Colstrip power plant in Montana; a spokesperson says the utility is still committed to “get off coal as quickly as possible.” (Billings Gazette, Seattle Times)
• The EPA approves a revised haze plan for Utah coal plants that advocates say will do nothing to reduce pollution. (Salt Lake Tribune)
OIL & GAS:
• Colorado regulators propose stopping the practice of natural gas flaring at oil wells by early 2022, a move that is supported by large producers. (Denver Business Journal)
• A Colorado county wants state regulators to suspend an extraction company’s permits in a bid to prevent the drilling of new wills on protected lands. (Gillette Tribune)
• Oil industry spending on an Alaska ballot initiative aiming to increase oil taxes has reportedly reached more than $25 million. (Anchorage Daily News)
PUBLIC LANDS:
• A Bureau of Land Management oil and gas lease auction in New Mexico that has been widely criticized by advocates raises $3 million in bids. (Carlsbad Current-Argus, Reuters)
• Nevada conservationists are concerned about how easy it is for corporations and individuals to secure oil and gas leases in the state. (Reno Gazette-Journal)
CALIFORNIA:
• PG&E warns shareholders it could be facing significant financial losses from California wildfires, four months after exiting bankruptcy. (Sacramento Bee)
• A former Cal Fire chief believes there will be many more deaths from wildfires caused by PG&E in the future, and says the utility’s negligence with its equipment is “truly a crime.” (ABC10)
TECHNOLOGY: The University of California San Diego is awarded a $39 million grant to improve the integration of distributed energy sources into the grid. (Green Car Congress)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Representatives of industries impacted by California’s zero-emission vehicles mandate say they should have had more input into the process. (Sacramento Journal)
SOLAR:
• Installers say New Mexico’s clean energy policy puts small-scale projects at a disadvantage. (Solar Power World)
• An Alaska village receives money for a solar-powered microgrid from a tribal-led funding initiative. (KNOM)
COMMENTARY:
• Former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. urges Boulder to end its municipalization effort and collaborate with Xcel Energy on clean energy. (Boulder Daily Camera)
• A Wyoming businessman says the state’s “fealty to a single political party” and competition from natural gas leaves coal communities vulnerable. (WyoFile)