OIL & GAS: A federal appeals court partially invalidates the U.S. EPA’s 2022 approval of a Colorado smog-reduction plan, saying it broke the law by allowing temporary emissions from oil and gas drilling. (Reuters)
ALSO: The federal Bureau of Land Management proposes banning new oil and gas leases on 4,000 acres of land in New Mexico considered sacred by the Pueblos of San Felipe and Santa Ana. (NM Political Report)
POLLUTION: California environmental advocates accuse state regulators of allowing polluters to avoid hundreds of millions of dollars in federal fines and penalties. (Los Angeles Times)
CLEAN ENERGY: California advocates push back on state plans to prolong natural gas and nuclear plants’ lives, saying clean energy sources are adequate to meet increasing demand. (The Hill)
SOLAR:
• Nearly 2,000 New Mexico residents miss out on rooftop solar tax credits after the incentive program runs out of its annual money. (Albuquerque Journal)
• California lawmakers pass legislation aimed at encouraging solar, storage and transmission installations in state highway rights of way. (news release)
• Colorado residents rebuilding homes lost in the 2021 Marshall Fire say Xcel Energy has been slow to approve rooftop solar hookups for the new structures. (Greeley Tribune)
• California students complete construction of a solar-powered home built with 3-D printing technology. (Los Angeles Times)
BATTERIES: Sacramento’s municipal utility begins testing the first phase of a 200 MW long duration grid-scale flow battery storage system. (Canary Media)
LITHIUM:
• A Nevada town braces itself for an influx of thousands of new workers expected to be employed by the Thacker Pass lithium mine being constructed nearby. (Nevada Appeal)
• U.S. lawmakers from Nevada push back on the Biden administration’s proposed mining law reforms, saying they could snuff out the state’s nascent lithium extraction industry. (KLAS)
GRID: Idaho’s public utility commission will not join a multi-state effort to lay groundwork for a Western regional transmission organization, saying the initiative has not been transparent about its funding. (RTO Insider, subscription)
TRANSPORTATION: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston proposes spending $22 million to build bike and pedestrian infrastructure and transition the city’s fleet to electric vehicles as part of an effort to decarbonize transportation. (Denver Gazette)
CLIMATE: A Washington state lawmaker proposes sending revenue generated by carbon allowance auctions directly to registered vehicle owners to provide relief from high gas prices. (Spokesman-Review)
HYDROGEN: Colorado researchers look to extract hydrogen fuel from natural geologic deposits at a commercial scale. (news release)
CARBON CAPTURE: Residents of a southern Colorado industrial area push back on a state proposal to sequester captured carbon underground there. (Colorado Sun)
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