OIL & GAS: Colorado regulators adopt sweeping methane emissions rules requiring oil and gas companies to increase inspections and reduce emissions based on production, though environmentalists say the rules allow too much leeway. (Colorado Sun)

ALSO:
• More than a dozen Hawaii schools affected by water contamination from a U.S. Navy fueling facility scramble to provide food and water to students. (Honolulu Civil Beat)
• A Colorado oil and gas company electrifies some of its operations to reduce emissions and noise at well sites. (Reuters)
• A California court fines Kinder Morgan $2.5 million and gives it 18 months probation for failing to notify state officials about a 63,000 gallon gasoline spill from one of its pipelines last year. (Mercury News)  
• The owner of the southern California offshore pipeline that spilled in October says it was not informed of a possible earlier anchor strike that may have damaged the line. (E&E News) 

LITHIUM: A company looking to build a lithium mine in western Nevada urges federal officials to reject research on an endangered wildflower the company funded. (E&E News, subscription)

UTILITIES: California regulators fine Southern California Edison $550 million for its role in sparking five wildfires in 2017 and 2018. (Associated Press) 

STORAGE:
• Federal regulators deny a permit for a 500 MW pumped hydro energy storage plant in southern California amid opposition from environmentalists and tribes. (Orange County Register)
• California grid operators propose paying more for batteries to stay charged during the day so they are ready to discharge during heat waves and when solar output is low. (RTO Insider, subscription) 

TRANSITION: The U.S. Department of Energy allocates up to $644,000 to the University of Wyoming to study fossil fuels’ economic impact in the state and to evaluate clean hydrogen deployment. (news release)

NUCLEAR: The U.S. Department of Energy looks to establish a domestic supply of fuel for advanced nuclear reactors like the one proposed for Wyoming. (Casper Star-Tribune)

COMMENTARY:
• Rather than futilely attempting to keep Diablo Canyon nuclear plant operating, a California editorial board calls on citizens to hold public officials and utilities accountable for failing to build out clean energy and putting the state in this situation in the first place. (San Luis Obispo Tribune)
• A California editorial board says the state must strengthen zero-emission vehicle rules and incentives, deploy renewable energy more quickly and phase out natural gas from buildings to meet climate targets. (Los Angeles Times)

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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.