UTILITIES: New Mexico regulators vote unanimously to reject the proposed $4.3 billion merger of Avangrid and Public Service Company of New Mexico, citing Avangrid’s poor performance record in other states and its Spanish parent company’s legal problems. (Albuquerque Journal)

ALSO:
• Colorado regulators kick off hearings on Xcel Energy’s proposed resource plan that would phase out coal plants ahead of schedule and shift to natural gas, renewable energy and hydrogen. (Colorado Public Radio)
• A California community choice aggregation company agrees to purchase 76.35 MW of power from the repowered Pacheco Pass wind facility. (Renewables Now)
• Arizona’s Supreme Court agrees to decide whether a majority of state utility regulators can block another member from accessing records relating to corporate “dark money” campaign contributions. (Arizona Capitol Times) 

OIL & GAS: Hawaii officials say diesel fuel has contaminated a second well near a leak-plagued U.S. Navy fueling facility. (Hawaii News Now)

SOLAR:
• Wyoming’s transportation department installs a snow-drift blocking fence made of solar panels that could power remote roadside instrumentation and feed into the grid. (Cowboy State Daily)
• California’s Imperial County approves Con Edison Development’s proposal to build a battery storage facility to back up the region’s solar plants. (Holtville Tribune)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management will hold public hearings next week on a 700 MW solar-plus-storage project proposed for southern Nevada. (Pahrump Valley Times)
• The Bureau of Land Management approves construction of a transmission line to carry power from a solar facility planned for Emery County, Utah. (news release)

TRANSPORTATION:
• The California Energy Commission approves up to $500 million for electric vehicle charging incentive programs. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Southern California Edison is offering a $4,000 pre-owned electric vehicle rebate to low-income customers. (KCLU)

HYDROGEN: A $2 billion wind-powered hydrogen fuel plant proposed for Wyoming sparks concerns about the facility’s water use in a high-demand agricultural area. (Lusk Herald)

GRID: Thousands of Hawaii residents remain without power due to severe storms early this week. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

CLIMATE:
• California prepares to launch a mandatory statewide program to collect residential food waste and convert it to compost and biogas to reduce landfill methane emissions. (Associated Press)
• South Lake Tahoe, California, becomes the nation’s first city to commit to using 100% renewable, carbon-free electricity by 2030. (Tahoe Daily Tribune)
• Oregon environment officials will vote next week on proposed rules that would govern the state’s greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program. (KGW8)

COMMENTARY:
• California advocates say expanding off-grid clean energy in low-income and disadvantaged communities will boost resilience, prevent power outages and reduce climate impacts. (Desert Sun)
• A Colorado energy journalist says the debate over when Xcel Energy will close its Comanche coal plant — which would have been extraordinary a decade ago — shows how far the state’s energy landscape has shifted. (Big Pivots)

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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.