OIL & GAS: The majority of Colorado oil and gas regulators voice support for 2,000-foot setbacks between fracking sites and schools and homes. (Denver Post)
ALSO: A proposal to increase drilling near Chaco Canyon in New Mexico is part of a recently revealed list of projects “expedited” by the Interior Department, but it’s still not clear what that will mean. (New Mexico Political Report)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: An investment firm calls Arizona electric truck startup Nikola an “intricate fraud,” claiming the company hasn’t produced an operational vehicle and that a prototype was simply rolled down a hill for a promotional video. (Arizona Republic)
CLIMATE:
• A federal advisory panel warns that large-scale Western wildfires could trigger a national financial crisis. (Reuters)
• Tucson, Arizona’s city council declared a climate emergency at a meeting earlier this week. (KOLD)
• Montana Gov. Steve Bullock releases a climate plan that contains recommendations ranging from energy efficiency to “innovation clusters.” (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)
CALIFORNIA: PG&E finds 52 instances of weather-related damage and hazards during transmission line inspections in Northern California power shutoff areas that could have sparked wildfires. (Plumas News)
SOLAR:
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill aimed at fixing an error in a November ballot measure that would mistakenly end an existing property tax exclusion for newly constructed solar systems. (Bloomberg Tax, subscription)
• A California-based solar developer signs a 15-year power purchase agreement for its planned 400 MW solar and 180 MW/540 MWh energy storage project. (PV Magazine)
• A 200 MW Colorado solar project advances to the final stage of the state regulator’s approval process. (Pueblo Chieftain)
COAL: The operator of a Powder River Basin coal mine confirms 73 miners are to be furloughed for a second time due to adverse market conditions. (Casper Star Tribune)
NUCLEAR: Federal regulators refused to reopen the licensing process record of a proposed New Mexico nuclear waste facility to a Permian Basin oil and gas company opposing it. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
UTILITIES: Colorado utilities begin issuing shutoff notices now that a statewide eviction moratorium has expired. (Denver Post)
COMMENTARY:
• Two Western electrification experts explore how aggressively electrifying buildings would help California with decreasing emissions and combating climate change. (Rocky Mountain Institute)
• Two analysts say the Bureau of Land Management is behind in responding to the transition to renewables in the national energy economy. (The Hill)
• A climate and clean energy expert explores how California is responding to its recent electric grid reliability challenges. (Natural Resources Defense Council)