COAL: The U.S. EPA says it will deny Wyoming’s proposed changes to a regional haze plan, possibly prompting the closure of two of four units at the Jim Bridger coal power plant in the state. (WyoFile)
CLIMATE: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham proposes a bill requiring the state’s industries — including oil and gas — to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 50% of 2005 levels by 2030, one of the nation’s most aggressive state climate targets. (E&E News)
UTILITIES:
• Supply chain constraints hamper New Mexico utilities’ ability to upgrade and repair equipment and to build new generating facilities to replace retiring coal plants. (NM Political Report)
• Southern California Gas officials say 13,400 new residential units have been enrolled in the utility’s energy efficiency rebate program. (news release)
OIL & GAS:
• Residents of a Hawaii housing complex whose water was contaminated by U.S. Navy fuel storage facilities say they are still paying rent even though their homes are unfit for habitation. (Associated Press)
• A real estate investment firm announces plans to drill for oil and gas at two sites adjacent to a residential area of Loveland, Colorado. (Loveland Reporter-Herald)
• A Wyoming Geological Survey report finds the state’s oil and gas industry has rebounded from its COVID-induced slump more quickly than expected due to rising commodity prices and increased production. (County 17 News)
• The New Mexico State Land Office brings in a record $141.8 million in December, mostly from oil and gas royalties. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• Old oil and gas drilling platforms off California’s coast provide habitat and refuge for a diversity of sea creatures. (Hakai Magazine)
GRID: Idaho National Laboratory completes construction on a full-scale electric power grid testing facility. (news release)
SOLAR:
• Developers complete construction on a 200 MW solar facility backed up by 90 MW battery storage west of Las Vegas. (Boulder City Review)
• Elon Musk, actors Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo, and basketball legend Bill Walton oppose a California proposal to slash net metering payments for rooftop solar. (Bloomberg)
WIND: Developers bring a 100 MW wind facility along the New Mexico-Arizona border online. (KOLD)
HYDROPOWER: Federal officials and lawmakers tell a U.S. Senate committee that ongoing Western drought and slow and expensive permitting and relicensing processes threaten hydropower generation. (Utility Dive)
STORAGE: Arizona utility Salt River Project plans to add 100 MW of battery storage to an existing solar facility south of Phoenix. (Phoenix Business Journal)
GEOTHERMAL: The U.S. Department of Energy awards $4.2 million to two companies to develop methods to generate geothermal power from abandoned oil and gas wells in California and Nevada. (news release)
TRANSPORTATION:
• Rocky Mountain Power plans to double the number of electric vehicle charging stations in Utah. (KUTV)
• A hydrogen-powered aircraft manufacturer plans to establish a research and development facility in Everett, Washington. (Herald Business Journal)