ELECTRIFICATION: Berkeley, California, requests a rehearing on its natural gas hookup ban with 11 new judges, saying the court’s rejection of the regulation was fundamentally flawed and erroneously broad. (Mercury News) 

OVERSIGHT: Montana regulators say they will only analyze light pollution impacts in their environmental review of a proposed natural gas power plant to comply with a new state law barring the regulators from considering greenhouse gas emissions. (Billings Gazette)

OIL & GAS: The operators of 11 of 27 methane-emitting oil and gas facilities in Kern County inform regulators they will not attempt to repair the wells. (Bakersfield Californian)

FOSSIL FUELS: University of Wyoming researchers develop methods to cool coal and natural gas power plants with brackish or salty groundwater, which would eliminate the need for freshwater but increase electricity costs by up to 10%. (Power Engineering International)

STORAGE: A California company proposes using a depleted oil reservoir to create a synthetic geothermal energy storage facility. (Bakersfield Californian)

UTILITIES: More than 200 unionized Hawaii Gas employees go on strike, raising concerns that service will be disrupted. (Hawaii News Now)

CLIMATE: Los Angeles officials consider requiring all rental units be equipped with air conditioning, saying it would save lives during increasingly frequent extreme heat events. (Los Angeles Times)

SOLAR:
• Oregon’s energy department awards $2.4 million to six schools and cities in the southern part of the state to fund solar installations. (KMVU)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on the 300 MW solar-plus-battery storage Bonanza solar installation proposed for southern Nevada. (news release)

WIND: A California study predicts offshore wind power development in Morro Bay will create 24,000 temporary construction jobs and 600 full-time operation jobs over the next 25 years. (news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Colorado nonprofit plans to establish a state-funded electric bicycle leasing program for low-income families in Colorado Springs. (Colorado Sun)

TRANSPORTATION: Tucson, Arizona, advocates urge the city to construct protected bike lanes and take other measures to make the streets more cycling-friendly. (Arizona Daily Star) 

NUCLEAR:
• Leaders of a rural Utah county raise concerns over finances and management of a nuclear energy research center aimed at transitioning the coal-producing area’s economy. (Salt Lake Tribune, subscription)
• Clark County, Washington, considers partnering with Energy Northwest to study the feasibility of installing small modular nuclear reactors in the region. (Columbian) 

MICROGRIDS: A California consortium brings a 219-home solar-plus-storage microgrid-powered community online. (Solar Power World)

BIOFUELS: A California borate mine becomes the world’s first open-pit facility to fully transition its heavy machinery from diesel to biofuel produced from cooking oil and other animal fat waste. (Mining.com)

More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West

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.