TRANSMISSION: The Biden administration completes its environmental review of the 470-mile Greenlink West transmission line, proposed to carry up to 4,000 MW of mostly solar power across western Nevada, and begins the review of a sister project. (The Hill)
CLEAN ENERGY:
• California acquired 37% of its electricity from renewable sources in 2021, setting a new record. (Mercury News)
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveils an updated plan to accelerate the state’s transition away from fossil fuels, which includes deploying 148,000 MW of additional clean energy by 2045. (Bay City News)
• Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy signs a bill making a renewable energy research and development grant program permanent. (news release)
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UTILITIES: A Colorado utility delays a proposed two-tier rate plan that would slash compensation for rooftop solar after Gov. Jared Polis calls for a dialogue on statewide net-metering policy. (Vail Daily)
SOLAR: Some firms say irregularities in the bidding process for New Mexico’s new community solar program stacked the process against them. (Albuquerque Journal)
CLIMATE: A judge denies Montana’s request for summary judgment in a youth climate change lawsuit against the state, allowing the case to proceed to trial starting June 12. (Daily Montanan)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Colorado businesses push back on Xcel Energy’s proposal to install 460 electric vehicle charging stations in the state, saying it will discourage competition. (Utility Dive)
HYDROPOWER: California lawmakers advance legislation requiring state agencies to study the feasibility of wave and tidal power development. (Offshore Energy)
OIL & GAS:
• A federal Bureau of Land Management oil and gas lease auction in New Mexico generates more than $78 million after advocates called for a halt to the sale. (Reuters, Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• A California agency seeks public input on how to decommission a defunct offshore oil well and whether to turn it into an artificial reef and habitat for marine life. (KCLU)
• A budget watchdog finds low federal oil and gas royalty rates cost taxpayers $8 billion over the last decade in New Mexico alone. (news release)
URANIUM: A proposal to establish a national monument near the Grand Canyon in Arizona sparks a debate over uranium mining and its environmental impacts. (Washington Post)
TRANSITION: A New Mexico agency begins accepting applications for state energy transition funds for workers displaced by the retirement of the San Juan coal plant and associated mine. (Durango Herald)
COMMENTARY:
• A California journalist says enabling rooftop solar owners to sell power to their neighbors would help offset impacts of the state’s new net-metering rules. (Forbes)
• A Colorado energy official lauds the state’s new clean hydrogen tax incentives and greenhouse gas accounting standards, but says they should not be duplicated on a national scale. (Utility Dive)
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