CLIMATE: Colorado advocates and lawmakers push back on a proposed state emissions-reduction plan for large manufacturers, saying it includes a loophole that would allow companies to buy their way out of making cuts. (Greeley Tribune)
ALSO:
• California lawmakers send a slew of climate-related bills to the governor’s desk, including several that would tighten regulations on the oil and gas industry and others that support clean energy development and low-emissions transportation. (Los Angeles Times)
• A nonprofit’s analysis finds climate change-exacerbated wildfire risk is rendering homes in parts of California “essentially uninsurable.” (CBS News)
• Oregon landowners take up carbon farming, or pulling atmospheric greenhouse gas into the soil then selling the resulting offset credits. (OPB)
UTILITIES:
• A NV Energy executive predicts increasing battery costs and permitting delays could hamper the utility’s efforts to meet a state mandate of acquiring 50% of its power from renewable sources by 2030. (Nevada Current)
• Nevada’s consumer advocate urges regulators to reconsider its approval of NV Energy’s plan to charge customers in the southern part of the state to fund natural disaster mitigation in the north. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• Pacific Gas & Electric says it may cut power to about 4,200 customers in northern California to prevent equipment from sparking wildfires during dry and windy conditions. (KCRA)
• Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek meets with utilities and federal land managers to develop strategies for mitigating wildfire hazards. (KTVZ)
GRID: A Colorado city’s municipal utility plans to join the Southwest Power Pool’s regional transmission organization by 2026, expanding the market for buying and selling clean energy. (Gazette)
MICROGRIDS: A Western Colorado county’s sheriff department installs a solar-plus-storage microgrid to provide electricity during outages. (Telluride Daily Planet)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A Taiwanese electric vehicle parts manufacturer plans to invest $99 million to establish a production facility in New Mexico. (Reuters)
• California achieves its goal of installing 10,000 electric vehicle fast chargers one year ahead of schedule. (news release)
• Two southern California cities add electric vehicle visitor shuttles to their transit fleets. (NBC San Diego)
WIND:
• A northern California county gears up to defend its rejection of a proposed wind facility against a new law allowing the state to overrule local governments and approve clean energy facilities. (Redding Record Searchlight)
• About 200 Oregon residents attend a hearing to ask questions and air concerns about planned offshore wind development off the West Coast. (KCBY)
OIL & GAS: Oil and gas industry lobbyists claim the Biden administration’s proposed reclamation bond increases are unfair and unnecessary even though about 99% of federal wells are insufficiently bonded. (S&P Global)
BATTERIES: A fire in a grid-scale battery energy storage installation in southern California forced the evacuation of nearby residents for about four hours while the blaze was extinguished. (Energy Storage News)
COMMENTARY: A Colorado advocate urges state regulators to adopt a robust plan to reduce manufacturers’ greenhouse gas emissions, saying it will make industry more competitive and clean up the air. (Energy News Network)
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