NUCLEAR: President Trump appears to have backtracked on further development of Nevada’s Yucca Mountain as a national radioactive waste repository. (Las Vegas Sun)
ALSO:
• The director of the Idaho National Laboratory says another supplemental agreement is needed between the Energy Department and the state so the facility can continue research beyond 2035. (Associated Press)
• Miners at Carlsbad, New Mexico’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant have completed a “rough cut” on the final permitted panel to hold nuclear waste. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
***SPONSORED LINK: Join us February 24-26, at Solar Power and Energy Storage Mountain West for the region’s premier solar and energy storage event and connect with 300+ energy professionals and 25+ exhibitors from across the region. This event will highlight regional trends and feature topics like policy and regulation, business, technology, market insights, and resiliency. Register today!***
CALIFORNIA:
• A group of California wildfire victims and their lawyer say “considerably rusted” hooks like the one that is blamed for the 2018 Camp Fire have been found on a PG&E transmission line. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Shell Energy and Enel X want California utility regulators to ensure that non-utilities are considered for state microgrid proposals. (Microgrid Knowledge)
CLIMATE:
• Democratic Washington lawmakers are getting more ambitious with climate change by advancing several bills at the urging of Gov. Jay Inslee. (Capital Press)
• Oregon loggers, farmers, and truckers opposed to cap-and-trade legislation say their concerns are not being heard; meanwhile, youth declared the state is in a climate emergency during a rally in Portland. (OPB News)
• Washington lawmakers advanced proposals to regulate “indirect” emissions of carbon dioxide and similar greenhouse gases. (Spokesman-Review)
PIPELINES: The ACLU sues a Montana agency to force the public release of documents detailing the state’s planned response to potential Keystone XL pipeline protests. (Associated Press)
OIL AND GAS: A records request finds previously undisclosed emails between commissioners in an Oregon county and developers of a natural gas export terminal that raise ethical and legal questions. (DeSmog)
PUBLIC LANDS:
• The Trump administration is set to allow energy exploration and grazing in Utah on lands that used to be part of two national monuments. (Washington Post)
• Critics say the Trump administration’s final management plans for Utah’s reduced Bears Ears and Grand Staircase national monuments are worse than before. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• BLM documents obtained by environmental watchdogs reveal the agency’s Washington office expanded oil and gas drilling in Colorado against the advice of local staff. (Grand Junction Daily Sentinel)
• The BLM agrees to temporarily stop fracking operations near Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park to conduct environmental studies. (Capitol Media Services)
SOLAR: Oregon continues to lead in cumulative small-scale solar per capita according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data. (PV Magazine)
***YOUR AD HERE: Every day, Energy News Network email digests reach thousands of highly engaged professionals. Click here for more information on how to get your promotion to our audience.***
TRANSMISSION: Xcel Energy has completed a new 125-mile line to carry wind energy from Colorado’s Eastern Plains into metro Denver. (Denver Post)
COMMENTARY:
• A solar expert says California resource planning has to include an aggressive greenhouse gas emission reduction goal as part of its efforts to decarbonize the grid. (Energy News Network)
• Advocates say utility resource planning is making significant progress toward the region’s clean energy goals. (Sightline Institute)
• Jeff St. John says California’s non-wires alternative program for the distribution grid is struggling to find a path for solar and batteries. (Greentech Media)
• A California policy advocate says large dairies are an inappropriate source for renewable energy, as they cause pollution and other issues adversely impacting rural, agricultural areas. (Porterville Recorder)