CRITICAL MINERALS: The Biden administration removes uranium from the federal critical mineral list, hurting efforts to revive the Mountain West’s beleaguered mining industry. (E&E News)

ALSO:
• An Australian company plans to open the nation’s only active cobalt mining operation in Idaho next summer; cobalt is a key component in lithium-ion electric vehicle batteries. (Idaho Mountain Express)
• A federal government-led search for rare earth elements spurs concerns in a small Colorado mountain community. (Undark)

GRID:
• A Canadian bitcoin mining firm operating on the Navajo Nation consumes 7 MW of power each month while nearby residents lack electricity, drawing allegations of financial colonialism.  (Vice)
• California regulators approve a 3.2 GW transmission line that will carry renewable power between central Arizona and southern California. (news release)
• Wyoming energy officials say the state’s electricity grid is less vulnerable to extreme weather than other states’, as its grid is prepared for cold weather and better connected to other regions. (Cowboy State Daily)
• An eastern Oregon wind storm damages electrical equipment, leaving more than 900 residents without power. (East Oregonian) 

OIL & GAS:
• The recently passed federal infrastructure bill requires the U.S. Interior Department to develop a plan to plug orphaned and abandoned wells on public land. (Deseret News)
• A state oil and gas lease auction of parcels on Alaska’s North Slope yields few bids. (Anchorage Daily News)

SOLAR:
• Kern County, California approves a proposed 250 MW solar plus storage development despite some residents’ aesthetic concerns. (Mojave Desert News)   
• Supply chain problems force a developer to pause construction of a Hawaii solar-plus-storage project originally slated for completion next November. (Hawaii Tribune-Herald)
• New Mexico regulators begin taking public input on rules for the state’s community solar program. (Santa Fe New Mexican) 

STORAGE: An energy storage developer announces it has lined up financing to construct a proposed 185 MW/565 MWh lithium-ion battery facility in Hawaii. 

HYDROPOWER: The recently passed federal infrastructure bill allocates $500 million to the Western Area Power Administration, which markets hydroelectricity from Western dams, to offset drought-related revenue shortfalls. (Deseret News) 

COAL: Utah utility officials expect coal’s share of the state’s electricity mix to drop from the current 48% to about 11% in the next decade. (KSL News Radio)

UTILITIES: Colorado Springs’ municipal natural gas and electricity utilities increase rates 26.8% and 12.6% respectively due to high natural gas prices. (KRDO)

TRANSPORTATION: Hawaii transportation officials amend the state law to allow electric vehicles to use high-occupancy vehicle lanes regardless of the number of people in the car. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

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Jonathan P. Thompson

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.