CLIMATE: California lawmakers pass legislation requiring major corporations to disclose direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions, the nation’s most sweeping such mandate. (KCAL)
ALSO:
• U.S. Rep. John Curtis, a Utah Republican, urges his colleagues at a conservative climate summit to “reverse the narrative that … we don’t care about this earth.” (Deseret News)
• Environmental and Indigenous advocates call on New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to address climate change by blocking new oil and gas drilling, implementing clean car rules and leading a just transition. (news release)
ELECTRIFICATION: A Colorado brewery plans to replace its gas-fired boiler with a prototype industrial electric heat pump that could pave the way for widespread adoption of the technology. (Colorado Sun)
OIL & GAS:
• An Alaska corporation gears up to sue the Biden administration for revoking its oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but legal experts say the government is likely to prevail. (E&E News)
• A California bill that would triple fines paid by oil refineries for emitting toxic pollution stalls in the face of stiff opposition from a petroleum industry lobbying group. (Mercury News)
GEOTHERMAL: The federal Bureau of Land Management approves a project to test the commercial viability of advanced geothermal power generation in western Utah. (ABC4)
WIND: California advocates say a proposal to create a central state clean energy purchaser would give the nascent offshore wind industry a needed boost. (Utility Dive)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A California startup plans to build the nation’s largest electric vehicle charging station with 400 ports at a casino complex near San Diego. (E&E News, subscription)
• California lawmakers pass a bill requiring all new school buses purchased or leased after 2035 to be zero-emission vehicles. (news release)
SOLAR:
• A Las Vegas solar component manufacturer plans to begin producing sun-tracking equipment that can increase photovoltaic panels’ efficiency by 30% or more. (Las Vegas Sun)
• A developer plans a 4 MW solar installation in northwestern Colorado, where a large coal plant and mine are slated to close in 2028. (news release)
• A Montana ski area installs a solar array expected to offset about 70% of a chairlift’s power use. (Montana Free Press)
TRANSITION: New Mexico officials from rural fossil fuel-reliant areas say the flood of clean energy investment in urban parts of the state is bypassing them. (NM Political Report)
CARBON CAPTURE: A federal program awards Hawaii researchers $4 million to develop ways to store captured carbon in the ocean. (news release)
COMMENTARY:
• A former governor of a New Mexico pueblo urges lawmakers to reject a bill revoking an oil and gas drilling ban around Chaco Culture National Historical Park, calling it “a sacred repository of our shared cultural heritage.” (The Hill)
• A Wyoming columnist chides state lawmakers for blaming high utility rates on wind and solar power when volatile natural gas and coal prices are actually driving cost increases. (WyoFile)
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