NUCLEAR:
• Indigenous and environmental advocates call for heightened regulation or closure of a Utah uranium mill that has accepted 700 million pounds of hazardous waste in the last three decades. (The Hill)
• U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming calls on the Biden administration to ban Russian uranium imports, which could boost the state’s beleaguered uranium mining industry. (Cowboy State Daily)
HYDROPOWER: Lake Powell sinks to a historic low, triggering concerns that it will drop below the minimum water level required for hydropower production earlier than previously predicted. (Associated Press)
OIL & GAS:
• California oil producers say they plan to wield the ban on Russian oil imports and high gasoline prices as weapons in their fight against state drilling restrictions. (Los Angeles Times)
• A federal court rejects a Colorado oil and gas producing county’s bid to pause U.S. EPA requirements reducing ozone pollution. (news release)
• Colorado environmental justice advocates and politicians call on regulators to heighten scrutiny of a Denver-area refinery with a history of pollution violations. (Colorado Sun)
WIND: A developer proposes constructing a 280-turbine, 800 MW wind facility in southern Idaho. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
CLIMATE:
• Utah children sue Gov. Spencer Cox over fossil fuel-friendly policies they say are fueling climate change and harming air quality. (Deseret News)
• Colorado lawmakers replace a bill that would have banned gasoline-powered lawn equipment sales with one incentivizing electric equipment purchases. (Colorado Sun)
TRANSPORTATION:
• An Oregon county transit district receives $6.4 million in federal grants to buy five electric buses and roll out a trip-planning app. (Register-Guard)
• Colorado lawmakers advance a bill that would allow utilities to enter into contracts with communities or landowners to build hiking and biking trails in power-line corridors. (Colorado Public Radio)
STORAGE: The U.S. Energy Department chooses three Oregon communities for a project that develops energy storage in underserved communities to improve grid resilience. (news release)
GRID: California lawmakers advance a bill that would provide technical assistance and grants to local governments to improve grid resilience. (Microgrid Knowledge)
UTILITIES: Pacific Gas & Electric launches a pilot program that automatically switches time-of-use rate customers’ water-heating to off-peak hours. (news release)
BIOFUEL: Washington state lawmakers pass a bill requiring landfill operators to capture methane and either flare it off or convert it to fuel. (Crosscut)
COMMENTARY: Southern California Gas Co.’s efforts to thwart home and business electrification policies have set the state’s climate fight back three years, an environmental advocate argues. (San Francisco Chronicle)