NUCLEAR: Two Montana bills focused on nuclear power pass their committees, one approving a feasibility study on replacing the Colstrip power plant’s coal-fired boilers with small nuclear reactors. (Montana Standard, S&P Global)
OIL & GAS:
• An appeals court stops the construction of a $2 billion-plus ConocoPhillips oil project on Alaska’s North Slope. (Anchorage Daily News)
• Permian Basin oil production is adversely impacted by the coldest winter weather in 30 years, dropping by as much as one million barrels per day. (Bloomberg)
• Kern County, California’s proposed updated oil and gas zoning ordinance “could have a profound effect” on disadvantaged communities given the state’s lack of setback rules for wells. (Grist)
• A California oil refinery due to cease operations in two years could be redeveloped for recreational activities, depending on whether the state buys or leases the property. (Sacramento Bee)
• A bill that would stop fracking permits being issued in New Mexico begins advancing through the state’s senate, narrowly passing a committee vote. (Albuquerque Journal)
COAL: A rural Colorado town is hoping the local community college will aid its economic transition from coal, but a lack of funding threatens its plans. (Chalkbeat)
POLICY: A New Mexico Senate committee rejects changes to the state’s Energy Transition Act aimed at providing better protection for consumers. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
SOLAR: Hopes abound in New Mexico for a law to pass this legislative session countering an existing one prohibiting community solar development in non-tribal areas. (Albuquerque Journal)
PUBLIC LANDS:
• Interior secretary nominee Deb Haaland faces opposition from the oil and gas industry given her environmental politics which are a stark contrast to predecessors. (Wall Street Journal)
• The Bureau of Land Management postpones a planned Colorado oil and gas lease sale and restarts the permitting process for a California solar farm. (Denver Post, Palm Springs Desert Sun)
MICROGRIDS: A small Central California town is building its own microgrid, aiming to have reliable power for agricultural and industrial businesses. (San Francisco Chronicle)
UTILITIES: New Mexico’s largest power utility gave $470,000 to a dark money group responsible for mailers and robo-calls in five state senate Democratic primary races, and was the group’s only funding source. (New Mexico In Depth)
COMMENTARY:
• A Montana Petroleum Association official laments President Biden’s cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline. (Fairfield Sun Times)
• A Utah conservation advocate calls for the state’s national monuments to be restored and permanently protected from fossil fuel interests. (Los Angeles Times)
• An Alaska electric trade association official advocates for modern infrastructure investments that will ensure a clean energy future for the state. (Anchorage Daily News)
• An Oregon high school senior says Gov. Kate Brown’s Climate Protection Program needs to tackle the state’s largest polluters. (Portland Tribune)