UTILITIES: Pacific Gas & Electric officials say the utility’s equipment may have sparked the Dixie Fire, which as of Monday had burned through more than 30,000 acres in northern California near the site of the deadly Camp Fire, sparked by PG&E equipment in 2018. (Los Angeles Times)

ALSO:
• The Alaska Federation of Natives and other groups sue the state over the defunding of a program that lowers electricity prices for rural communities. (Anchorage Daily News)
• A Hawaii utility will begin paying customers $500 to $850 per kilowatt to add new battery storage to existing or new rooftop solar systems. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
• California lawmakers vote to use federal relief funding to pay off $2 billion of residents’ utility debt. (CalMatters) 

GRID:
• The California-based Morongo Band of Mission Indians takes ownership of a major transmission line that crosses its lands. (Indian Country Today)
• Wind and solar curtailments on California’s grid dropped 55% from June 2020 to June 2021 amid increased system demand and reduced hydropower  generation. (S&P Global)

STORAGE: A New Mexico startup plans to repurpose used electric vehicle batteries as storage for wind and solar systems. (Albuquerque Journal) 

SOLAR: Opponents of a large proposed solar project in southern California question the developer’s tactics to curry favor with locals. (inewsource)

WIND: The developer of two major wind power projects in eastern New Mexico says construction will be completed on both installations by the end of the year. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

OIL & GAS:
• New Mexico educators and community organizers say the state needs more stable and diversified sources of income aside from oil and gas. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• New Mexico environmental groups call on the state to stop issuing drilling permits until it implements proposed methane emissions rules. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

HYDROPOWER:
• The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe calls on Seattle City Light to remove a hydroelectric dam that was built in a sacred area. (High Country News)
• River advocates call a plan to bolster Glen Canyon Dam’s hydroelectric output by releasing water from upstream reservoirs a “Band-Aid” that “doesn’t actually fix anything.” (FOX13)

NUCLEAR: Two Republican U.S. senators co-sponsor a federal bill seeking to bring projects like a forthcoming Wyoming reactor to other states. (Oil City News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• The Port of Oakland acquires 10 electric trucks and installs 10 charging stations as part of its pollution-reduction pilot program. (KPIX)
• Two California-based companies plan to deploy 10,000 electric school buses around the state over the next four years, with the buses also serving as 1 GW, grid-tied virtual power plants. (Global Construction Review)
• California allocates $12 million to incentivize electric vehicle charger installations in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. (KCBX) 

COMMENTARY: The head of a California teachers’ retirement board says the best way to influence corporations on climate change issues is “through active and direct engagement with companies in our portfolio” rather than divestment. (Sacramento Business Journal)

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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.