TRANSPORTATION: Colorado transportation officials approve a new rule that will require the state to measure and offset climate impacts from road projects, which is expected to create billions in new funding for transit, bicycle, and pedestrian infrastructure and other emission-reducing strategies. (Colorado Public Broadcasting)
ALSO:
• An electric vehicle company breaks ground on the nation’s first electric truck charging station in Bakersfield, California. (KTLA)
• U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado tours an electric vehicle charging project in Boulder. (CBS4)
EMISSIONS:
• Oregon regulators approve a new Climate Protection Plan that targets a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels and natural gas by 2050. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
• The University of Southern California sets a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2025 by rapidly upgrading its facilities and vehicle fleet. (news release)
CLIMATE:
• Climate change will have broad impacts on Idaho’s economy, from agriculture to tourism and recreation, according to a new assessment. (KTVB7)
• A study by Oregon State University researchers says protecting more forests from logging could help allow them to sequester more carbon dioxide. (KGW8)
SOLAR:
• Colorado’s Platte River Power Authority plans to add 250 MW of solar power to its portfolio by 2025 in what will be its biggest ever addition of renewable power. (Coloradoan)
• Solar customers stranded by the sudden closure of one of San Diego’s largest rooftop installers may be able to get help from the state or other local solar companies. (Union-Tribune)
• Consumer advocates and a major environmental group side with utilities in the debate over California’s proposed rooftop solar reforms. (Inside Climate News)
ELECTRIFICATION:
• A California-led movement to phase out natural gas is making the kitchen a new climate battleground as induction stoves make inroads. (Los Angeles Times)
• An Oregon county board votes to phase out gas-powered leaf blowers at county facilities by 2025 and create a plan to eventually do the same countywide. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
OIL & GAS:
• Democrats’ plans to limit new oil and gas development in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have emerged as a flashpoint in the Build Back Better bill, with Sen. Joe Manchin rejecting a ban on future drilling. (Washington Post)
• Tribal members and environmental advocates who protested a proposed natural gas pipeline in Oregon sue the state, claiming it engaged in “illegal domestic spying” against demonstrators. (Grist)
• Another oil sheen has been spotted about two miles off the coast of Huntington Beach near the site of a large spill two months ago. (FOX 11)
• An environmental group says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is fast-tracking a “likely illegal” permit to repair the Huntington Beach offshore pipeline. (news release)
MINING: A rush to mine lithium for electric vehicles in Nevada is pitting climate advocates and environmental groups against each other. (CNN)
UTILITIES: The Orange County Power Authority has expanded the reach of its community choice energy program ahead of its 2022 launch to include unincorporated areas of the county. (Los Angeles Times)
STORAGE: California’s new building code update makes it the first state to require solar plus storage in all future commercial buildings. (pv magazine)
HYDROPOWER: A Colorado city celebrates the completion of a hydropower system to power its water treatment plant. (Gazette)
GEOTHERMAL: The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe and Center for Biological Diversity sue the U.S. Bureau of Land Management over its approval of a geothermal energy project they say threatens nearby springs. (Reuters)
CLEAN ENERGY: San Francisco leads the nation when it comes to setting and following through on clean energy policies, according to a nonprofit group’s annual national ranking released this week. (U.S. News & World Report)