CLEAN ENERGY: Arizona lawmakers advance a bill that would prohibit solar or wind development on state or federal land already leased for grazing unless the energy developer compensates the leaseholder. (Arizona Daily Star)

ALSO:
• Utah advocates and landowners push back against proposed state legislation that would sunset renewable energy tax credits in 2034. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• New Mexico lawmakers advance a bill that would establish a permanent office dedicated to renewable energy development on state land. (news release)
• Hawaiian Electric obtained 32% of its power from renewable energy sources last year even as its total electricity load increased. (Maui Now)
• The U.S. Energy Department offers $50 million to support clean energy development on tribal lands. (news release)

SOLAR:
• The U.S. Energy Department breaks ground on a concentrating solar-thermal pilot facility at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico. (news release)
• An Arizona nonprofit establishes rooftop solar system buyers’ cooperatives aimed at ensuring consumers get a fair deal. (Arizona Daily Star)

GRID:
• The federal Bureau of Land Management releases its final environmental review for the proposed SunZia transmission line, advancing the project that would carry mostly wind power from New Mexico to Arizona. (E&E News, subscription, news release)
• A substation fire in northern California leaves 50,000 utility customers and the Oakland International Airport without power. (Associated Press)
• Pacific Gas & Electric tests a virtual power plant that discharges residential battery power into the grid during emergencies against one that runs every afternoon during summer months. (Canary Media)

UTILITIES:
• Colorado’s utility consumer advocate appeals regulators’ decision to award Xcel Energy $2 million in ratepayer funds for legal expenses, saying it was unlawful. (Denver Post)
• Pacific Gas & Electric offers bill credits to some 1.6 million customers who helped stave off rolling outages by reducing electricity use during last summer’s heat waves. (Almanac)
• San Diego Gas & Electric launches a residential energy efficiency upgrade program aimed at offsetting utility bill increases. (City News Service) 

LITHIUM: Three tribal nations sue the federal Bureau of Land Management over its approval of the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada, saying the agency withheld information and lied about the extent of tribal consultation. (This Is Reno) 

BATTERIES: California authorities investigate the theft of more than 100 grid-scale batteries from an energy storage facility near San Diego. (FOX5)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A California ski resort partners with other firms to install four electric vehicle fast chargers at its base area. (Tahoe Daily Tribune)

TRANSPORTATION: Washington state’s commerce department awards a startup $250,000 to establish a hydrogen fuel cell and battery powered mining haul truck testing ground in a former coal mine. (Chronicle)

COAL:
• Oregon utilities plan to stop receiving power from the Colstrip coal power plant in Montana in 2030 as required by state law, abandoning plans to exit the facility five years early. (Billings Gazette)
• Arizona’s largest utility continues to rely on coal for about 20% of its power even though it plans to be free of the fuel by 2031. (Arizona Republic)

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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.