OIL & GAS: California regulators vote to allow SoCalGas to increase the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage field’s capacity, where a 2015 leak emitted more than 100,000 metric tons of methane. (Los Angeles Times)
ALSO:
• A federal Bureau of Land Management field office in Wyoming pioneers a process for finding and compelling companies to plug and reclaim their own abandoned oil and gas wells. (Buffalo Bulletin)
• Denver International Airport plugs and reclaims 64 oil and gas wells across its property as part of an effort to make the facilities more sustainable. (Denver Post)
• A tech firm plans to power on-site data center modules with excess methane vented from oil and gas wells in Utah. (Data Center Dynamics)
UTILITIES: SoCalGas lobbies California lawmakers to pass legislation allowing utilities to charge ratepayers for carbon capture and storage projects and natural gas infrastructure. (Capital & Main)
CLEAN ENERGY: Wyoming lawmakers baselessly attribute Rocky Mountain Power’s proposed rate hike to wind and solar proliferation, even though the utility has shown volatile fossil fuel pricing is to blame. (WyoFile)
SOLAR:
• Idaho advocates urge regulators to reject a utility’s proposal to slash compensation for rooftop solar, saying it would disincentivize residents from installing it. (Idaho Capital Sun)
• Arizona Public Service agrees to purchase power from a 1,200 MW solar-plus-storage installation under construction in the northern part of the state. (Energy Storage News)
STORAGE:
• Developers complete an expansion of the world’s largest battery storage installation, bringing the California facility’s capacity to 750 MW. (Monterey Herald)
• Arizona utility Salt River Project plans to deploy a non-lithium long-duration battery storage system to provide backup power to Phoenix. (news release)
GRID:
• Idaho Power asks federal regulators to dismiss more than $700,000 in penalties assessed by California’s grid operator for a metering mistake. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• A northern California grid operator looks to join an extended day-ahead power market the state’s independent system operator is developing. (RTO Insider, subscription)
COAL: Hawaii has avoided major power outages in the year since it shuttered its last coal plant, but clean energy project delays have forced it to rely on oil-fueled generation more than expected. (Canary Media)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Colorado school districts plan to add 67 electric buses to their fleets over the next year and a half. (Colorado Sun)
• Washington state plans to offer rebates of up to $1,200 on electric bicycle purchases beginning next year. (Seattle Times)
NUCLEAR: California startup Oklo is chosen to develop a nuclear micro-reactor to power the Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. (news release)
CLIMATE: Demonstrators protest an international economic symposium in Wyoming and call on attendees to consider fossil fuel investments’ climate impacts. (Inside Climate News)
COMMENTARY:
• A Wyoming analyst says transmission project permitting must be streamlined to bring more clean energy online and successfully tackle climate change. (WyoFile)
• Clean energy officials say a Western regional transmission organization will keep costs in check, facilitate wind and solar deployment and help the grid withstand extreme heat. (Utility Dive)
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