NUCLEAR: Federal regulators greenlight a proposed interim spent nuclear reactor fuel depository in New Mexico even though the state recently passed a law banning such facilities without its consent. (Associated Press)
OIL & GAS:
• The Navajo Nation withdraws support for a limited oil and gas drilling ban around Chaco Culture National Historical Park, putting it at odds with New Mexico Pueblo nations pushing for the moratorium. (Reuters)
• California climate advocates call on Gov. Gavin Newsom to cut tax subsidies for oil and gas companies instead of slashing clean energy and transportation spending. (news release)
• A man is arrested after allegedly tampering with railroad equipment and causing an oil-hauling train to derail in Washington state. (News Tribune)
UTILITIES: Supporters of a new California law mandating income-based utility billing say it will encourage electrification, but critics argue it will discourage rooftop solar and efficiency. (Canary Media)
WIND:
• The Port of Long Beach in southern California plans to construct a floating facility to manufacture offshore wind turbines for proposed projects along the West Coast. (CBS News)
• A developer proposes a 60 MW offshore wind power facility on state water along the central California coast near Vandenberg Space Force Base. (news release)
SOLAR:
• The federal Bureau of Land Management begins evaluating the proposed 600 MW Star Range solar project in southwest Utah that would be the state’s largest such facility. (news release; E&E News, subscription)
• New Mexico regulators postpone announcing selected community solar projects after one of the applicants files a complaint about the selection process. (NM Political Report)
• California environmentalists hesitantly support proposed state legislation aimed at protecting the imperiled Joshua tree while still allowing solar development in some of its habitat. (ENR)
CLEAN ENERGY: A new Nature Conservancy study proposes a more efficient approach to building wind and solar projects that uses less land than typical development and reduces conflict. (Washington Post)
GEOTHERMAL: The developer of a new geothermal power plant in Nevada had to build a 58-mile transmission line and substation before bringing the facility online. (Nevada Appeal)
CLIMATE: The National Science Foundation awards Idaho researchers $24 million to study how changes in climate, population and technology affect energy and water use. (Idaho Business Review)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Alaska lawmakers advance a bill that would exempt low-power electric bicycles from motor vehicle registration requirements. (KTOO)
HYDROGEN: Black Hills Energy explores a method of producing hydrogen and a pure stream of carbon dioxide from Powder River Basin coal. (Gillette News Record)
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