WIND: The federal Bureau of Land Management is taking comments on a 1,000-MW wind-power project proposed for public lands in south-central Idaho that would double the state’s wind generating capacity. (Associated Press)

STORAGE: Developers complete the second phase of the largest battery storage installation in the world, bringing the total capacity of the California facility to 400 MW/1,600 MW-hours. (Monterey Herald)

SOLAR:
• Colorado State University-Pueblo becomes the first college in the state to be powered by 100% solar energy. (KRDO)
• A Wyoming-based tech-focused energy company plans to build a solar facility of undisclosed size in Colorado’s San Luis Valley to power bitcoin mining operations. (Renewables Now)

UTILITIES:
• California regulators approve a major rate hike for Southern California Edison to fund the utility’s installation of 4,500 miles of insulated wire to prevent its equipment from starting wildfires. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• California utilities plan to build temporary natural gas-fired generators at existing power plants to avert power outages this summer. (Bloomberg)
• A California regulatory judge urges the state to adopt more aggressive greenhouse gas emissions caps than those set last year. (Utility Dive) 

GRID: A California city plans to spend $20.5 million to deploy smart meters for natural gas, water and electricity. (Smart Energy International)

COAL: The Biden administration announced Thursday it will revive an Obama-era study of federal coal lease sales’ impacts on climate change, potentially affecting future coal mining in Western states. (Reuters)

OIL & GAS:
• Research demonstrates oil and gas facilities in the Permian Basin in New Mexico and Texas emit twice as much methane as government estimates and identifying and plugging the leaks could do more to slow climate change than any other single measure. (Bloomberg)
• The would-be developers of an LNG pipeline and export terminal proposed for Oregon’s coast miss four permitting deadlines, throwing the future of the project into doubt. (Jefferson Public Radio)
• Alaska politicians denounce a federal judge’s order this week voiding approved permits for a major oil and gas project, saying it will hurt the state’s economy and send oil production overseas. (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

HYDROGEN: Northwestern New Mexico leaders ask U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to support the natural gas-producing region’s bid to become a hydrogen hub during her recent visit to the state. (NM Political Report)

CLIMATE:
• Wildfires in California have burned more than 1 million acres and hundreds of structures before fire season reaches its peak. (Los Angeles Times)
• A southern Arizona county considers building an energy-intensive desalination plant on the Gulf of California to buffer against future climate change-induced water shortages. (Arizona Daily Star, subscription)

EQUITY: An analysis finds that Denver neighborhoods with higher poverty rates and a greater proportion of people of color have fewer trees than more affluent ones. (Colorado Sun)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Boulder County, Colorado’s sheriff’s department adds a Tesla to its patrol-vehicle fleet. (Daily Camera)
• Boise, Idaho, adds a 21-ton electric recycling truck to its fleet. (news release)

COMMENTARY: A nuclear energy advocate says California cannot meet its clean energy goals if the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant closes as planned in 2025.

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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.