SOLAR: Citing public opposition and potential harm to views and wildlife, a Montana zoning board rejects a proposed 300-MW, 1,600-acre solar project that would have powered a cryptocurrency mining operation. (Montana Standard)
ALSO:
• A U.S. Department of Energy-developed automated tool which streamlines permitting for rooftop solar systems launches in cities in Arizona and California. (KTVU)
• All 128 homes in a planned northern California development will be equipped with rooftop solar-plus-storage systems, developers say. (news release)
STORAGE:
• Federal regulators issue a preliminary permit for a 2,650 MW pumped hydro storage project proposed for eastern Washington. (Spokesman-Review)
• Energy storage facilities injected 1 GW of power — an all-time high — into the California grid during the most recent heatwave, helping to prevent catastrophic generation shortfalls. (PV Magazine)
• Developers prepare to begin the permitting process for a 100 MW battery storage facility proposed for a former golf course outside of Petaluma, California. (Argus-Courier)
HYDROPOWER:
• The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation begins releasing water from Upper Colorado River Basin reservoirs in order to preserve the hydropower generating capacity of Glen Canyon Dam. (KUNC)
• Drought is likely to shut down a major California hydroelectricity generator for the first time ever this summer. (E&E News, subscription)
GRID:
• Soaring demand for natural gas for power generation is expected to continue in the Western U.S. as the National Weather Service forecasts above-average August temperatures. (S&P Global)
• The wildfire-caused shutdown of an Oregon-to-California transmission line bolsters calls for a vastly expanded and more integrated power grid. (E&E News, subscription)
UTILITIES: An Eastern California utility proposes a 41% rate increase to fund wildfire-hazard reduction measures and fire insurance. (Tahoe Daily Tribune)
EFFICIENCY: Arizona regulators approve the state’s largest utility’s efficiency plan, which includes incentives for installing efficient appliances and smart meters and a program to bring energy-saving services to the Navajo and Hopi nations. (news release)
NUCLEAR:
• The Havasupai Tribe and environmental groups step up opposition to a uranium mine near the Grand Canyon as Arizona regulators prepare to permit it to reopen. (Arizona Republic)
• Officials in Pueblo County, Colorado are exploring nuclear power to replace a coal plant set to retire by 2040. (Pueblo Chieftain)
OIL & GAS:
• California regulators allow a natural gas plant which exploded in May to reopen, despite opposition from local officials. (KPIX)
• Oil and gas industry lawyers say Biden administration officials could be held in contempt of court if they don’t comply with a judge’s order to resume oil and gas lease sales. (Bloomberg)
CLIMATE: California wildlife officials say an “extreme set of cascading climate events” will likely kill all of the young salmon in the Sacramento River this year. (E&E News, subscription)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Second-quarter California registrations of Tesla automobiles surged by 85% over last year. (Reuters)
COMMENTARY: A California attorney says the state must phase out gas-burning cars by 2030 in order to avert a climate catastrophe. (CalMatters)