SOLAR: The Biden administration approves two solar projects, totaling 465 MW, that will be the first built in a southern California renewable energy zone designated during the Obama administration. (E&E News)
ALSO:
• Washington state environmental advocates urge regulators and developers to site proposed utility-scale solar projects on already developed or disturbed land to reduce impacts to wildlife. (Seattle Times)
• Neighbors of a proposed solar facility on state land in western Colorado support the project, saying it would improve the views of land now used as a de facto dump. (Grand Junction Sentinel)
• Montana solar industry officials say the Biden administration’s pause on Asian solar tariffs should revive stalled developments, but supply chain constraints remain. (Helena Independent Record)
COAL:
• Utah officials plan to drain a 5-acre reservoir to make way for a coal mine expansion underneath the popular fishing spot. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• The Sierra Club sues the federal government to reverse the Trump-era approval of another Utah coal mine expansion. (news release)
• Arizona utility regulators seek input from people affected by coal plant closures in town halls held across the Navajo Nation. (news release)
TRANSPORTATION:
• Electric vehicle advocates say a 1950s law banning commercial activity at interstate highway rest stops hampers electric vehicle charger deployment in Western states. (VICE)
• Colorado prepares to implement its $12 million electric bike rebate program at the beginning of next year. (Colorado Sun)
NUCLEAR: A consulting group’s study finds keeping Diablo Canyon nuclear plant running beyond its scheduled 2025 retirement date would help California decarbonize its grid more quickly and reliably. (San Joaquin Valley Sun)
CARBON CAPTURE: The U.S. Interior Department sets parameters for transporting, injecting and storing carbon dioxide underground on public lands. (E&E News, subscription)
HYDROPOWER: Republican U.S. lawmakers from the Northwest propose legislation that would stop the proposed removal of four Snake River hydroelectric dams to protect salmon. (Ripon Advance)
CLIMATE: California environmentalists worry a Democratic lawmaker will kill a bill that would require state public pension and teachers’ retirement funds to divest from fossil fuel companies. (Capital & Main)
MICROGRID: The San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians brings a solar-powered microgrid with battery backup online to power government facilities. (news release)
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