OIL & GAS: Advocates push back against new Utah laws increasing penalties for “inhibiting or impeding” critical infrastructure such as fossil fuel facilities; 18 other states have passed similar laws in the wake of 2017’s Standing Rock pipeline protests. (Grist)
ALSO:
• Wyoming regulators issue health advisories after ozone levels spike around the Pinedale oil and gas fields in the rural western part of the state. (WyoFile)
• A federal study finds natural gas, benzene and other chemicals from oil and gas facilities in Colorado are seeping through barriers installed to contain the materials. (Colorado Sun)
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CRYPTOCURRENCY: Oregon lawmakers begin hearings on a bill that would require new Oregon data centers and cryptocurrency miners to meet clean-energy targets. (Oregonian)
WIND:
• An Arizona utility begins constructing a 161 MW wind power facility on a ranch in the northern part of the state. (news release)
• An advisory panel tasked with assessing the federal Bureau of Land Management’s environmental review of the proposed Lava Ridge wind facility in southern Idaho recommends denying the project. (Idaho Mountain Express)
• Washington state renewable energy advocates urge lawmakers to reject a bill that would prohibit nighttime wind turbine lights. (Chronicle)
SOLAR:
• An Arizona utility begins studying the feasibility of installing solar panels over its water canals to generate power and reduce evaporation. (Arizona Republic)
• A Colorado cement plant operator plans to install a 33 MW solar-plus-battery storage project that would offset more than 40% of the facility’s power demand. (Manufacturing Business Technology)
GRID:
• Another powerful atmospheric river storm topples trees and utility lines in northern California, leaving nearly 200,000 customers without power. (KTVU)
• California lawmakers consider two bills aimed at expediting clean energy transmission project permitting. (Sacramento Bee)
UTILITIES:
• Colorado advocates urge state lawmakers to protect customers from utility price shocks by encouraging a transition away from natural gas and toward electric heating and cooking appliances. (Colorado Newsline)
• A northern California utility considers offsetting customers’ power bills with $24 million it expects to receive from litigation with the federal government. (Palo Alto Online)
• A Colorado utility begins operating modular natural gas generators at a coal power plant that was shuttered last year. (FOX21)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Hawaii lawmakers consider replacing the state fuel tax with a mileage-based fee initially applying only to electric vehicle drivers. (KHON2)
• A Colorado city considers capping its total number of gas stations at six and requiring new facilities to install electric vehicle charging stations. (Denver 7)
• Montana lawmakers consider a bill that would allow electric vehicle charging station operators to purchase wholesale power and set their own prices. (NBC Montana)
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BATTERIES:
• A renewable energy developer proposes constructing a 95 MW lithium-ion grid-scale battery storage facility in southern Colorado. (Valley Courier)
• An Oregon battery parts producer plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Indiana. (Associated Press)
BIOFUELS: The U.S. Agriculture Department awards $3 million to a proposed biodiesel distribution hub in Washington state aimed at supplying farmers with the fuel. (news release)
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