HYDROPOWER: Federal regulators give Xcel Energy the go-ahead to study a controversial proposed pumped hydropower storage project in western Colorado. (Colorado Sun)
SOLAR:
• Idaho regulators seek public input on a utility’s proposal to cut net metering compensation for rooftop solar customers who send power back to the grid. (Boise State Public Radio)
• Energy professionals and community leaders in California’s San Joaquin Valley consider developing solar power installations on agricultural land as drought makes farming unviable. (FERN)
• Developers begin construction on a 200 MW solar project in central Utah. (news release)
• Construction is completed on a 2 MW solar project expected to save a California city $9 million in power costs over the next 20 years. (Bakersfield Californian)
UTILITIES: New Mexico’s Supreme Court allows the state’s largest utility to delay issuing a rate credit for the closure of a coal plant until a court case on the matter is resolved. (NM Political Report)
GRID: Pacific Gas & Electric declares a transmission emergency in northern California after high winds batter utility lines, leaving nearly 20,000 customers without power. (Bloomberg)
POLITICS:
• Nevada’s race for the U.S. Senate pits a pro-renewable energy incumbent against a Republican who blames Democrats for depriving the nation of “energy independence.” (Inside Climate News)
• A survey by a nonpartisan think tank finds most Oregonians favor tighter environmental regulations and would vote for candidates committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (States Newsroom)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• The U.S. EPA awards a small Alaska school district $395,000 to purchase an electric bus. (KSTK)
• Demand for electric vehicles in Washington state reaches an all-time high even as a poll finds nearly half of Washington state residents oppose a proposed ban on gasoline-fueled car sales by 2035. (Seattle Times)
• A heavy-truck company begins manufacturing electric big rigs at its Oregon facility. (Portland Tribune)
• A California poll finds support is waning for a ballot initiative that would tax the wealthy to fund electric vehicle incentive programs after Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a campaign to defeat the measure. (KQED)
MICROGRIDS: A Washington state utility brings a 500 kW solar-powered microgrid online with battery storage and two vehicle-to-grid charging stations. (Energy Storage News)
OIL & GAS:
• Nonprofits seek to plug abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells that state and federal land managers can’t address. (High Country News)
• The U.S. Navy proposes leaving a leaky fuel facility in Hawaii in the ground and putting it to beneficial use after it retires and cleans up the site. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser, subscription)
CLIMATE:
• California researchers find wildfire, drought, extreme heat and other effects of climate change in the state are rapidly accelerating and compounding. (Los Angeles Times)
• The Santa Clara Pueblo tribe in northern New Mexico works to adapt to climate change-induced drought and wildfires. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY: A California analyst urges state officials to use big data to determine where electric vehicle charging stations should be located. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
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