COAL: The U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear a challenge from Montana and Wyoming over Washington state’s denial of a coal export terminal permit, ending the case. (Oil City News)
GRID:
• Thousands lose power in Washington, Oregon and Idaho as unprecedented heat strains electricity grids. (KUOW, Oregonian, Idaho Statesman)
• Eastern Washington experiences rolling blackouts as the heat wave causes the grid to “react in a way that was unanticipated,” a utility official says. (Spokesman-Review)
• The Bureau of Land Management launches the permitting process for the proposed Greenlink West transmission project in Nevada. (Pahrump Valley Times)
OIL & GAS:
• An environmental group’s analysis finds California-produced oil to be among the most carbon-intensive in the nation. (KQED)
• California oil and gas drillers guzzle billions of gallons of water for hydraulic fracturing in areas hit hardest by the drought. (SF Gate)
• A government watchdog’s report says the Interior Department’s outdated oil and gas tracking system hampers monitoring and enforcement efforts of drilling on federal land. (E&E News, subscription)
• An oil company plugs and reclaims the last remaining active oil and gas wells in a Colorado city. (Denver Post)
• Nearly 200 abandoned oil and gas wells sit within 30 miles of Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southern New Mexico. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
UTILITIES: A small California city’s community energy program surges ahead of the state’s renewable power goals in providing power to residents. (Monterey County Weekly)
SOLAR: A U.S. appeals court says solar advocates can challenge a New Mexico city’s rooftop solar standby fees in federal court. (Reuters)
NUCLEAR: A California startup receives federal funding to develop fuel for the micro-reactor it is developing. (World Nuclear News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Lyft’s and Uber’s foundational business model may hurt efforts by the companies and California regulators to electrify their fleets. (VICE)
• Idaho’s slow rollout of EV charging infrastructure is hindering adoption of the vehicles in the state, advocates say. (Idaho Capital Sun)
TRANSPORTATION: A Colorado city receives federal funding to bolster its low-emission bus fleet. (Fort Collins Coloradoan)
CLEAN ENERGY: Northwest tribes push for a bigger role in clean energy policy making. (Crosscut)
HYDROPOWER: Sens. Maria Cantwell and Lisa Murkowski introduce a bill incentivizing upgrades to dams and the removal of obsolete hydroelectric infrastructure. (E&E News, subscription)
COMMENTARY:
• A clean energy think tank official urges deployment of batteries and demand response to avoid power outages during heat waves. (Rocky Mountain Institute)
• A Utah columnist says U.S. Rep. John Curtis’ Conservative Climate Caucus allows Republicans to acknowledge that climate change is a problem. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• A California organizer says helping low-income households electrify their homes and vehicles will slash energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (CalMatters)