COAL: Wyoming coal communities look to diversify with renewables, manufacturing, and reclamation as they transition to a post-extraction economy. (Energy News Network/WyoFile)
ALSO:
• A coal industry group and the state of Wyoming successfully lobbied the federal government to fund a study of carbon capture at a Colorado coal plant even as its owner made plans to retire it. (Energy and Policy Institute)
• Interior Department officials visit Wyoming to discuss President Trump’s energy agenda and commitment to the coal industry. (Casper Star-Tribune)
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EMISSIONS: California finalizes a legal settlement with five of the world’s largest automakers to comply with its state-level fuel efficiency standards, adding teeth to an earlier deal outlined last summer. (New York Times)
OIL & GAS:
• The Trump administration finalizes a plan to open part of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, though drilling may still be more than a decade away. (News York Times, Anchorage Daily News)
• The Bureau of Land Management is preparing to enforce a set of Obama-era methane rules on the oil and gas industry. (E&E News, subscription)
• The federal government will leave it up to Wyoming state officials to answer water quality questions for an approved 4,250-oil well expansion. (WyoFile)
• New Mexico officials continue work on the state’s draft methane regulations for the oil and gas industry, which could be adopted early next year. (Durango Herald)
CALIFORNIA:
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom orders an investigation into the state’s rolling power outages, saying they are “unacceptable and unbefitting of the nation’s largest and most innovative state.” (Capital Public Radio News)
• California’s grid operator says the state could be forced to rely on rolling blackouts for the immediate future due to regulatory failure to prepare for peak capacity as solar penetration grows. (Greentech Media, Los Angeles Times)
• San Jose, California, residents criticize PG&E for an equipment failure that caused the utility to shut off their electricity for 44 hours. (KPIX)
PIPELINES:
• Two Oregon senators are set to introduce bills aimed at protecting property owners and states from land seizures by private corporations, inspired by Jordan Cove LNG eminent domain claims for the Pacific Connector pipeline. (Herald and News)
• A controversial $2 billion Permian Basin pipeline faces additional scrutiny after being rerouted around a Texas river. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
RENEWABLE ENERGY: A New Mexico economic adviser says opportunities for renewable energy are endless if the state focuses on the infrastructure needed to fully develop projects. (Albuquerque Business First)
SOLAR: A judge approves a $60 million settlement in a shareholder lawsuit challenging Tesla’s 2016 acquisition of solar panel installer Solar City. (Associated Press)
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UTILITIES: An Arizona regulator wants an emergency meeting to question utilities on their ability to meet power demands during the current heatwave. (Arizona Republic)
COMMENTARY:
• Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s CEO explains how a rooftop solar study is pertinent in considering more equitable rate structures. (Utility Dive)
• A Washington business analyst advocates for the inclusion of nuclear power as a solution for electricity without coal and natural gas. (Courier-Herald)