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)

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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.