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ELECTRIFICATION: The California Restaurant Association is suing Berkeley over the city’s natural gas ban, saying it violates existing law and will hurt businesses. (San Francisco Chronicle)
TRANSPORTATION:
• A proposed “post-car” mixed-use development in Tempe, Arizona will prohibit residents from storing cars onsite and encourage alternatives. (Fast Company)
• Elon Musk unveiled Tesla’s new electric pickup truck yesterday in Los Angeles, which is drawing criticism for a design some liken to dystopian sci-fi movies. (Verge, CNBC)
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CALIFORNIA:
• A new regulatory audit of PG&E’s transmission systems reveals the utility was 632 days late in repairing two critical threats near the origin of the deadly and destructive Camp Fire. (NBC Bay Area)
• A California state senator plans to introduce legislation designed to help medical equipment and cellphone towers stay in operation longer in emergencies such as fires and earthquakes. (Pleasanton Weekly)
OIL & GAS:
• The Trump administration is set to consider expanded oil drilling and a new management plan for Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. (Associated Press)
• Colorado regulators approve new rules creating the first-ever public mapping of underground oil and gas lines. (Denver Post)
• Advocacy groups are concerned Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s regulatory rollback could weaken rules developed in response to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. (Anchorage Daily News)
• Planning officials decline to support a rezoning proposed for a major North Slope Alaska oil project after hearing concerns from presidents of a village partially encircled by developments. (Alaska Public Media)
• Hundreds of protestors opposed to a liquefied natural gas pipeline and a marine export terminal in Oregon stage a sit-in at the governor’s office. (Associated Press)
COAL:
• Salt River Project official agreed to pay Peabody Energy $21 million to settle cleanup claims for Arizona’s Kayenta coal mine. (Arizona Republic)
• The owner of Montana’s coal-fired Colstrip Power Plant accelerates its plan to be financially ready to exit Units 3 and 4 by nine years to 2025. (Billings Gazette)
UTILITIES: Avista reaches a partial settlement in its request to increase electric and natural gas rates; if approved by Washington regulators, the new rates would take effect April 1. (Spokesman-Review)
GRID:
• A new analysis examines a groundbreaking 30-megawatt distributed energy storage-plus-solar solicitation by a group of California Community Choice Aggregators. (Greentech Media)
• An analysis explores if now is the time for microgrid technology, citing a renewable energy conference powered by a fully functional, renewably powered microgrid. (GreenBiz)
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CLEAN ENERGY: A California county approves a $4.5 million renewable energy project for a government complex that includes solar panels and battery storage. (Santa Barbara Independent)
COMMENTARY:
• Two Sierra Club representatives say Montana lags behind Idaho and Wyoming in transitioning away from burning fossil fuels for electricity. (Billings Gazette)
• An energy researcher says there is a lot to learn from California’s challenges of a planned energy transition and resilience of such a system to natural disaster. (Forbes)