GRID:
• An Xcel Energy high-voltage transmission project proposed near the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in eastern Colorado sparks concerns among tribal leaders and park advocates. (Colorado Sun)
• A single landowner, backed by a federal agency, is blocking construction of a high-voltage transmission line that would carry wind power from southern Wyoming to Southwest cities. (KSJD)
UTILITIES:
• A southeastern Colorado rural power authority shifts to a new electricity supplier to enable it to generate more local renewable power. (Big Pivots)
• Los Angeles County supervisors vote to shift county facilities and customers in unincorporated areas from 50% to 100% renewable energy over the next few years. (City News Service)
• Three California community choice aggregators issue $2 billion in bonds to purchase 450 MW of renewable energy over 30 years. (Utility Dive)
OIL & GAS: The U.S. Navy contests Hawaii’s emergency order to suspend operations at its leak-plagued Red Hill fueling facility after petroleum was found in a drinking water well. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
TRANSPORTATION: Skagway, Alaska, establishes an electric ferry pilot program in hopes of receiving federal infrastructure funds. (KTOO)
SOLAR:
• Lobbying intensifies around proposed reforms to California’s rooftop solar net metering policies, with Walmart joining solar advocates pushing against new fees while the wind industry teams up with utilities to do away with solar incentives. (E&E News, subscription)
• A Canadian company plans to construct a 300 MW solar facility with 1,200 MWh battery storage near Tonapah, Arizona. (West Valley View)
• A study finds Hawaii solar developers could avoid displacing farmers from flat agricultural land by siting facilities on hillsides. (Honolulu Civil Beat)
• A Colorado solar installation company raises $43,900 to subsidize community solar subscriptions for low-income families. (news release)
CLIMATE:
• Oregon regulators recommend deeper emissions cuts and other revisions to the state’s proposed greenhouse gas reduction rules slated for a vote next week. (Portland Business Journal, subscription)
• A development bank that finances infrastructure along the U.S.-Mexico border expands its portfolio to include green manufacturing, energy storage and climate change adaptation projects. (El Paso Times)
COMMENTARY:
• Advocates urge states to break their dependency on fossil fuel revenue and replace it with a “wealth-building approach that reinvests on-time fossil fuel revenue in permanent assets.” (Center for American Progress)
• A California advocate says the state’s proposed 3,200-foot oil and gas well setback rule is inadequate because it fails to protect 2 million people who live near existing wells. (Santa Barbara Independent)