CALIFORNIA: PG&E’s post-bankruptcy plan includes tougher safety standards, a regional focus, a revamp of its board, and allowing state regulators to intervene if the utility fails on safety. (San Francisco Chronicle)
CLIMATE:
• The Portland suburb of Milwaukie becomes the first city in Oregon to declare a climate emergency; a similar measure advances in Flagstaff, Arizona. (KATU, Arizona Daily Sun)
• A Chicago think tank with a history of spreading misinformation on climate change makes a presentation to Idaho lawmakers. (Idaho State Journal)
• An Alaska scientist says fighting the state’s forest fires more aggressively would have a significant impact on emissions. (Anchorage Daily News)
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RENEWABLE ENERGY:
• Colorado renewable energy advocates disagree with the oil and gas industry that natural gas is needed as a bridge fuel in the state’s transition to clean energy. (Denver Post)
• A California city must revise a policy requiring microgrids to run on renewable energy after losing a lawsuit filed by fuel cell maker Bloom Energy. (Silicon Valley Voice)
COAL: Wyoming lawmakers advance a bill to reduce the lag time before mining companies must pay local taxes. (Wyoming Tribune Eagle)
EMISSIONS: California ports, airports, and rail yards can receive up to $500,000 from the state per piece of equipment to switch to zero-emissions models under a new clean energy freight equipment program. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
TRANSPORTATION: Phoenix, Arizona has received a $1 million EPA grant to replace 10 of the city’s diesel trucks with compressed natural gas vehicles. (Cronkite News)
NUCLEAR: A New Mexico site could store nuclear waste until 2052 if state regulators renew the facility’s permit. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
UTILITIES: Xcel Energy is reportedly unhappy with the possible new profit cap on its Colorado electrical business by state regulators and could ask for a reconsideration. (Denver Business Journal, subscription)
OIL & GAS:
• As companies seek ways to reuse Permian Basin wastewater, advocates warn it may be too contaminated for most purposes. (Searchlight New Mexico)
• Environmentalists say the resignation of one of California’s top oil and gas regulators criticized for lax oversight was a critical reform. (Palm Springs Desert Sun)
SOLAR: A Silicon Valley-based technology company has installed the world’s first transparent solar window facade which produces energy and improves thermal insulation. (Commercial Property Executive)
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DIVESTMENT: The University of Southern California’s Investment Office reveals 5% of its endowment funds, roughly $277 million, are invested in fossil fuels. (Daily Trojan)
COMMENTARY:
• A columnist outlines issues concerning proper maintenance by California’s utilities they feel need resolving before PG&E’s bankruptcy is settled. (Los Angeles Daily News)
• A radio show discusses why most California homes will have solar power in the future. (Vallejo Times Record)
• The mayor of Vineyard, Utah says the National Environmental Policy Act is holding back the state’s infrastructure projects and delaying energy initiatives. (Deseret News)