Western Energy News is one of five regional services published by the Energy News Network. Today’s edition was compiled by Jonathan Thompson.
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WIND: U.S. Interior Department officials say they plan to hold the first California offshore wind lease sale later this year, auctioning off a central coast and north coast area together. (Bloomberg)
UTILITIES:
• An energy economist working with federal energy regulators says the contract exit fee Tri-State Generation & Transmission is seeking from a Colorado electric cooperative is ten times higher than it should be. (Colorado Sun)
• A Montana county rejects residents’ bid to repeal a floodplain permit for NorthWestern Energy to build a natural gas pipeline under the Yellowstone River. (KTVQ)
OIL & GAS:
• U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, urges the Biden administration to use the Ukraine crisis as an opportunity to move away from all fossil fuels, not just those imported from Russia. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• U.S. House Republicans introduce a flurry of bills aimed at expediting oil and gas development on federal lands. (E&E News, subscription)
• A congressional committee cancels a hearing on the oil and gas industry’s role in rising gasoline prices after company executives refuse to attend. (Axios)
SOLAR:
• A Navajo Nation community plans to use a federal clean energy grant to construct a solar-powered microgrid with battery storage to provide electricity to 24 homes. (Navajo-Hopi Observer)
• A Colorado county considers building a solar-powered microgrid to keep critical services functioning during power outages. (Aspen Times)
• Colorado communities launch a solar cooperative to purchase individual rooftop systems at a discounted group price. (news release)
STORAGE:
• Shipping bottlenecks, increasing demand for lithium and permitting and interconnection delays hamper California’s efforts to deploy grid-scale battery storage. (E&E News)
• San Diego Gas & Electric brings a 20 MW battery storage installation online as part of the state grid operator’s goal of 2,000 MW of storage by summer. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
HYDROGEN: California analysts find blending hydrogen with natural gas to heat buildings or fuel power plants is not cost-effective, may be unsafe and will not yield many environmental benefits. (Canary Media)
NUCLEAR: A government oversight official finds federal regulators were negligent when inspecting equipment that failed at California’s Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in 2020, shutting a reactor down for eight days. (Santa Barbara Independent)
HYDROPOWER: Last year’s drought caused California’s hydroelectricity generation to drop to 48% of the 10-year average, while the Pacific Northwest’s output was 14% below average. (Energy Information Administration)
TRANSPORTATION: California energy experts say a state plan to offer $400 direct payments to drivers is preferable to suspending the fuel tax because it doesn’t lower pump prices. (CalMatters)
CARBON CAPTURE: The U.S. Energy Department awards technical assistance grants to oil-rich California communities to develop a microgrid and research carbon capture. (Bakersfield Californian)
CLIMATE: Colorado State University students urge the institution to divest from fossil fuel companies and the county to deny pending oil and gas permits. (Loveland Reporter-Herald)
COMMENTARY: Climate advocates urge federal and state lawmakers to follow Colorado’s lead on assessing and limiting greenhouse gas emissions from transportation projects. (CAP)
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