NATURAL GAS: California regional regulators consider banning sales of new natural gas water heaters and furnaces in nine Bay Area counties. (San Francisco Chronicle)
ALSO: A California natural gas fuel-cell microgrid company pushes back against a city’s proposed ban on gas hookups in new construction. (San Jose Spotlight)
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NUCLEAR: New Mexico lawmakers introduce a bill that would block an interim nuclear reactor fuel depository proposed for the southern part of the state after an advocacy group’s poll finds most residents oppose storing nuclear waste in the state. (Searchlight New Mexico, Carlsbad Current-Argus)
LITHIUM: The federal Bureau of Land Management cites the developer of the proposed Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine in Nevada for trespassing on an endangered wildflower’s habitat. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
SOLAR:
• Construction begins on a 285 MW solar-plus-storage facility near Phoenix, Arizona. (PV Magazine)
• A Wyoming lawmaker introduces a bill that would repeal net metering requirements obligating utilities to compensate rooftop solar customers for power they send to the grid. (Cowboy State Daily)
• Environmental groups appeal California regulators’ decision to slash net metering rates for rooftop solar, saying the policy will put the technology out of reach of low-income communities. (news release)
• Vice-President Kamala Harris and other Biden administration officials today are slated to attend the groundbreaking of the Ten West Link transmission project, which will carry solar power between southern Arizona and California. (12News)
WIND: Wyoming lawmakers consider authorizing counties to conduct property tax assessments on independent wind and solar facilities. (Cowboy State Daily)
GEOTHERMAL: New Mexico lawmakers propose bills that would provide grants and tax credits for geothermal power research and development. (Albuquerque Journal)
GRID: Tesla’s California Virtual Power Plant has grown to include more than 5,700 residential battery owners since its inception last year. (Teslarati)
UTILITIES:
• A Colorado electricity cooperative plans to exit its contract with Tri-State Generation & Transmission by January 2025, joining an exodus from the power wholesaler. (Big Pivots)
• A trial over a California irrigation district’s bid to take control of a portion of Pacific Gas & Electric’s distribution grid is slated for May 2024. (Manteca Bulletin)
CLIMATE:
• A California community energy provider looks to deliver “24/7 carbon-free energy” to its customers by 2025. (Canary Media)
• Federal regulators approve Public Service Company of Colorado’s request to temporarily apply a social cost of carbon to its generation dispatch to comply with state law. (RTO Insider, subscription)
OIL & GAS:
• New Mexico advocates propose legislation that would shift state oil and gas laws to emphasize public safety and environmental protections and make it easier for citizens to sue industry. (Capital & Main)
• California environmental advocates urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to replace the resigning state oil and gas supervisor with someone who will prioritize public health and environmental justice. (Bakersfield Californian)
• Neighbors of a Colorado oil refinery say air quality has improved since a fire temporarily shut the facility down in December. (Rocky Mountain PBS)
• Navajo Nation lawmakers seek public input on the Biden administration’s proposal to halt oil and gas leasing around Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. (KRQE)
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