SOLAR: Colorado regulators order Xcel Energy to file rooftop solar system grid-connection fees and timelines after customers complain about months-long interconnection delays. (Denver Post) 

HYDROPOWER: A Washington state court allows the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe to proceed with its lawsuit against Seattle over its utility’s hydropower dams’ impact on salmon and other fish. (KING5)

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BATTERIES: A lithium-ion battery manufacturer plans to establish a 500 MWh production facility in Colorado. (Denver Post)

GEOTHERMAL:
• A startup works to create flexible geothermal power plants and energy storage facilities at its Nevada testing site. (MIT Technology Review)      
• Federal researchers develop maps guiding geothermal power development to areas where it has the least impact on imperiled greater sage-grouse. (news release)

UTILITIES: California consumer advocates and environmental groups urge regulators to reject SoCalGas’ proposal to generate an additional $5 billion in ratepayer revenue, saying it would disproportionately harm low-income customers. (Los Angeles Times)

ELECTRIFICATION: Advocates accuse a utility of “astroturfing” by falsely creating an illusion of grassroots support for its effort to overturn an Oregon city’s gas hookup ban. (Grist)

OIL & GAS:
• A federal court orders an oil and gas company to pay $65 million for repeated violations of federal and state environmental laws at its California facilities. (news release)
• U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, an Alaska Democrat, urges the Biden administration to approve the proposed Willow oil and gas drilling project, saying it is “an essential step forward in our energy transition.” (Newsweek)

COAL: New Mexico lawmakers advance a bill that would expand eligibility for and expedite distribution of funds from the state’s Energy Transition Act to workers affected by coal plant and mine closures. (NM Political Report)

HYDROGEN: Honda repurposes used electric vehicle hydrogen fuel cells to create a stationary power system for its California data center. (CleanTechnica)

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CLIMATE: A Hawaii city and county ask the state’s Supreme Court to review their lawsuit accusing the oil and gas industry of lying about climate change. (E&E News, subscription)

COMMENTARY:
• A New Mexico leader calls on legislators to pass a bill that would overhaul the state’s foundational oil and gas law and reduce or prevent the industry’s most harmful impacts. (Albuquerque Journal)
• A Colorado journalist urges regulators to reform federal oil and gas leasing to ensure industry — not the taxpayer — funds abandoned well plugging and cleanup. (Writers on the Range)

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Jonathan P. Thompson

Jonathan hails from southwestern Colorado and has been writing about the land, cultures, and communities of the Western United States for more than two decades. He compiles the Western Energy News digest. He is the author of three books, a contributing editor at High Country News, and the editor of the Land Desk, an e-newsletter that provides coverage and context on issues critical to the West.