OIL & GAS: The U.S. EPA fines three oil and gas companies $9.25 million for allegedly violating federal air pollution laws at facilities in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico. (Colorado Sun)
ALSO: The American Lung Association attributes elevated ground-level ozone pollution in a New Mexico county to Permian Basin oil and gas development. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
RENEWABLES: Solar and wind generation exceeded total demand on California’s grid for a short period on April 16, sending net demand into negative territory and setting a record for megawatts exported. (PV Magazine)
SOLAR:
• Solar developers report permitting delays for proposed projects on federal land even though the U.S. Interior Department pledged to streamline the process. (Reuters)
• An energy analysis firm predicts California’s new net metering policy will slash demand for new rooftop solar systems, but will increase residential battery storage installations by as much as 800%. (Utility Dive)
• An advocacy group finds covering California’s 66,000 warehouse and distribution center roofs with solar panels could generate enough electricity to power 5 million homes. (The Hill)
• Arizona researchers use solar installations as nurseries to generate biological soil crusts — a fragile but essential piece of desert ecosystems. (news release)
• A Montana city brings online a solar installation that provides power to a wastewater treatment plant. (Missoulian)
• The U.S. Energy Department awards Colorado firms and institutions $9.5 million to develop new solar technologies. (news release)
CLIMATE: Oregon climate advocates worry state lawmakers’ proposal to increase criminal penalties for disrupting critical infrastructure could stifle environmental protests. (Grist)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• California officials say clean car sales in the state have surpassed the 1.5 million target for 2025 years ahead of schedule. (E&E News, subscription)
• Food distributor Sysco begins constructing an 80-unit electric truck and trailer charging hub at its southern California facility. (Orange County Register)
• Beleaguered Oregon electric vehicle manufacturer Arcimoto names a new executive team after announcing it was nearly out of money. (Oregonian)
TRANSPORTATION: Construction begins on the first phase of a multimodal highway project in Santa Cruz, California, that will include bus-on-shoulder facilities and bike lanes. (Mercury News)
BATTERIES: Washington state lawmakers pass a battery stewardship law aimed at encouraging recycling and safe disposal. (Crosscut)
COAL:
• BNSF Railway urges federal regulators to dismiss a Powder River Basin mining company’s complaint alleging the carrier failed to ship the obligated volume of coal. (Trains)
• Arizona utilities offer $1 million in grants to communities expected to be affected by coal power plant retirements in coming years. (Power Engineering)
• A Colorado municipal utility plans to demolish a defunct coal plant in the city’s downtown later this year. (CPR)
COMMENTARY: A former U.S. Interior Secretary urges the Supreme Court to take up Colorado governments’ climate-related lawsuit against fossil fuel companies, saying a string of separate state court rulings would result in chaos. (Bloomberg Law)
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