UTILITIES: Indigenous groups blast Arizona regulators for reducing the amount of funding the state’s largest utility proposed giving to communities impacted by the closure of coal plants and mines. (Associated Press)

ALSO:
• A Colorado electrical cooperative plans to speed decarbonization by splitting its power purchases between Tri-State Generation and Transmission — its current wholesale provider — and a renewables-heavy private company. (Big Pivots)
• Pacific Gas & Electric agrees to pay $125 million to remove inert power lines and to cover damages from Northern California’s 2019 Kincade Fire. (Bloomberg)
• California regulators order PG&E to report on and reduce impacts from its fire-mitigating power shutoffs in the Santa Cruz area. (Lookout Santa Cruz)   

OIL & GAS:
• The U.S. Interior Department finds oil and gas leasing on public land contributes to climate change, but says it’s powerless to stop development. (Associated Press)  
• Environmental groups plan to sue the federal government for failing to review and update offshore drilling plans tied to last month’s Southern California oil spill. (Associated Press)
• Hawaii’s congressional delegation expresses concerns regarding safety and a lack of transparency around a leak-plagued U.S. Navy refueling station. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
• California’s U.S. senators urge regulators to close the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, home of the nation’s largest methane leak. (news release)

GRID:
• California regulators consider doubling compensation rates for load reduction, implementing a $22.5 million smart thermostat incentive program and requiring utilities to beef up generation to shore up grid reliability. (Utility Dive)
• The Western Energy Imbalance Market posted record economic benefits in 2021’s third quarter due to this summer’s heatwaves and high natural gas prices. (RTO Insider, subscription)

SOLAR:
• A battle rages over California’s rooftop solar net metering rates, with climate hawks saying incentives are necessary to reach clean energy goals while utility giants and some environmental justice advocates say the rates are fundamentally inequitable. (Los Angeles Times)
• One of San Diego’s largest residential solar installers unexpectedly closes, leaving customers worried about the fate of their rooftop installation investments. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• A small faction of environmentalists protests utility-scale solar facility development in the Mojave Desert due to potential impacts to desert ecosystems and wildlife. (Los Angeles Times)
• Developers begin construction on a 100 MW solar facility plus 50 MWh battery storage in Kern County, California. (news release)

STORAGE: Developers propose a 900 MW pumped hydro storage project near a huge, under-construction wind facility in southern Wyoming. (KPVI) 

MICROGRIDS: A California nonprofit takes initial steps toward building one of the first established residential community microgrids in the U.S. (Microgrid Knowledge)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Colorado Gov. Jared Polis urges lawmakers to fund free public transit during summer months to reduce ozone pollution. (Colorado Public Radio)
• A Colorado ski town adds four electric buses to its public transit fleet as part of its effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (news release)

Avatar photo

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.