CORRECTION: Nevada Gov. Steve Sislak has not yet signed SB448, an article included in yesterday’s digest incorrectly reported that he had.
LITHIUM: The Biden administration proposes endangered species protections for a rare Nevada wildflower, potentially upending plans to build a lithium mine there. (Nevada Independent)
SOLAR:
• A controversial California rooftop solar bill dies after proponents fail to garner enough votes to push it through the California Assembly. (Solar Power World)
• The Interior Department advances a 400-megawatt solar project proposed for Moape Band of Paiute land in southern Nevada. (E&E News, subscription)
TRANSPORTATION:
• Plans to electrify commuter rail lines in the Bay Area face significant delays and cost overruns. (East Bay Times)
• A Colorado bill that would create a new special district to develop and fund a passenger rail line along the Front Range clears a major legislative hurdle. (Colorado Public Radio)
• A Colorado county will provide electric bikes to low-income essential workers under a new pilot program. (Pueblo Chieftain)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: California utility regulators propose rules to accelerate installation of electric vehicle chargers and ensure equity in infrastructure rollout. (Utility Dive)
HYDROPOWER:
• Low levels on northern California’s Lake Oroville could force a shutdown of a 644 megawatt hydroelectric plant this summer, according to state water officials. (CBS13)
• Dwindling water supplies on the Columbia River are diminishing generation and driving up power prices from the region’s hydroelectric dams. (S&P Global)
OVERSIGHT:
• California regulators order Southern California Edison to improve communication with customers when it shuts off power to prevent wildfires. (LAist)
• New Mexico’s attorney general and environmental groups push state utility regulators to formally recognize climate change as scientific fact. (Albuquerque Journal)
GRID: Western states are looking to regional transmission organizations to improve movement of renewable power. (Canary Media)
UTILITIES: A Montana city and county have joined a legal challenge opposing regulators’ pre-approval of a proposed NorthWestern Energy natural gas plant. (Missoula Current)
OIL & GAS:
• Nearly 30% of the Permian Basin’s methane emissions come from“routinely persistent” leaks that could be largely eliminated with repairs and diligent monitoring, scientists say. (Bloomberg)
• In a symbolic move, Bend, Oregon’s city council officially opposes transport by rail of crude oil through the city. (Bend Bulletin)
WIND: The debate heats up over a 500-megawatt wind facility proposed for southern Wyoming. (Gillette News-Record)
POLLUTION: Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, asks the Environmental Protection Agency to intervene in the permitting process of a proposed natural gas plant just over the Texas border. (KRWG)
COMMENTARY:
• A Montana editorial board urges state lawmakers to give up on coal and embrace hydrogen production, instead. (Billings Gazette)
• Advocates say relicensing California’s Diablo nuclear plant is “an obvious alternative to keeping the state’s dirtiest gas plants online for years to come.” (San Luis Obispo Tribune)