UTILITIES: An analysis of videos and images finds Hawaiian Electric lines near the deadly Maui wildfire’s ignition point were uninsulated, enabling them to spark on contact with dry grasses. (Associated Press)

ALSO:
• Hawaiian Electric acknowledges its equipment sparked a wildfire in Maui, but claims the blaze that leveled Lahaina ignited hours after the utility had de-energized its lines. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
• Industry analysts and advocates urge utilities to tie executive incentives to reducing wildfire risk following the deadly Maui blazes. (Reuters)
• Nevada’s largest utility’s integrated resource plan proposes spending $1.8 billion on a new solar facility, converting a coal plant to natural gas and upgrading transmission infrastructure. (Las Vegas Review-Journal) 
• Wyoming lawmakers and residents blast Rocky Mountain Power’s proposed 29.2% rate hike, saying it aims to line shareholders’ pockets. (WyoFile) 

ELECTRIFICATION: Sacramento, California, officials pause enforcement of a natural gas hookup ban in new construction following a court ruling nixing a similar rule in Berkeley. (Sacramento Bee)

LITHIUM: Frontline communities in southern California’s “Lithium Valley” welcome the burgeoning industry’s economic benefits, but worry about potential environmental impacts to the Salton Sea. (Inside Climate News)

BATTERIES: A Utah startup plans to break ground on its lithium-iron phosphate battery cell manufacturing facility in Tucson, Arizona, in October. (Arizona Daily Star)

EFFICIENCY: A Colorado startup lands $125 million to finance its “energy-as-a-service” efficiency installation and management model. (Canary Media)

GEOTHERMAL: Colorado’s oil and gas regulatory agency changes its name and broadens its scope to encompass geothermal energy, natural gas storage and carbon capture and sequestration. (Greeley Tribune)

SOLAR: An analysis predicts this winter’s El Niño weather pattern will bring above average precipitation to — and dampen solar output in — the Southwest. (PV Magazine)

NUCLEAR: A federal agency resumes decommissioning an antiquated nuclear reactor at a military base in Alaska following a year-long contract dispute. (KTOO)

GRID:
• A northern California utility deploys generators to restore electricity to residents who have been without power for days due to raging wildfires. (news release)
• A powerful storm damages utility equipment in Alaska, leaving thousands of Anchorage customers without power. (Anchorage Daily News)

HYDROPOWER: Northwest utilities seek to renegotiate a treaty with Canada requiring the U.S. to export Columbia River hydropower to British Columbia. (Tri-City Herald)

TRANSPORTATION: California’s high-speed rail authority seeks vendors to manufacture its train fleet — and federal funding to pay for it. (Los Angeles Times)

COMMENTARY: A pipeline safety advocate says hydrogen fuel’s negligible climate benefits are not worth the risks of piping the leak-prone, flammable gas through populated areas. (CalMatters)

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Jonathan hails from southwestern Colorado and has been writing about the land, cultures, and communities of the Western United States for more than two decades. He compiles the Western Energy News digest. He is the author of three books, a contributing editor at High Country News, and the editor of the Land Desk, an e-newsletter that provides coverage and context on issues critical to the West.