NUCLEAR: Federal regulators grant Pacific Gas & Electric an exemption allowing the utility to operate the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant after its licenses expire. (Associated Press)
ALSO: A New Mexico uranium enrichment facility agrees to supply fuel to a micro-modular advanced nuclear reactor project beginning in 2025. (World Nuclear News)
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LITHIUM: American Lithium begins construction at the controversial Thacker Pass mine in Nevada after environmentalists’ and tribes’ legal bids to halt work were denied. (Reuters)
BATTERIES: California’s energy commission awards an electric vehicle battery manufacturer $13.2 million to expand its production facilities in the southern part of the state. (news release)
OIL & GAS:
• Developers of a proposed Utah railway that would carry oil out of the Uinta Basin seek up to $2 billion in federal transportation bonds to help finance the controversial project. (Colorado Sun)
• Northwest environmental and faith groups oppose a plan to expand a Canada-to-California natural gas pipeline’s capacity, citing climate impacts and safety concerns. (Inlander)
GRID: The federal Bureau of Land Management delays releasing its review of the proposed Greenlink West transmission project in western Nevada after researchers find ice age fossils in the line’s likely path. (E&E News)
EQUITY: A national forest in Colorado offers firewood to Navajo Nation residents who traditionally heated their homes with coal from now-shuttered mines. (The Journal)
ELECTRIFICATION:
• Washington state construction industry groups sue the state over new rules requiring most new buildings be equipped with electric heat pumps instead of natural gas furnaces. (Axios)
• A western Colorado nonprofit constructs its second net-zero energy affordable housing development with an eye toward mass-production. (High Country News)
• Xcel Energy says its Colorado grid is prepared to handle the additional load expected from building and transportation electrification. (Denver Gazette)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Nevada offers Tesla more than $330 million in tax breaks for expanding its factory and establishing a semi-truck manufacturing facility near Reno. (Associated Press)
• More than 70% of the 4,734 participants in Denver’s electric bicycle incentive program report driving less since purchasing an e-bike. (Smart Cities Dive)
• Colorado awards $129,000 to a program subsidizing e-bike purchases for low-income residents. (Craig Daily Press)
SOLAR:
• A Washington state utility awards nonprofits and tribes more than $750,000 to construct solar installations. (425Business)
• Avangrid — seeking to acquire New Mexico’s largest utility — enters a $30 million contract to purchase solar trackers from an Albuquerque firm. (Albuquerque Journal)
GEOTHERMAL: A northern California clean power authority advances a proposal to boost generation from a geothermal field despite concerns about Chevron’s involvement in the project. (North Bay Business Journal)
UTILITIES:
• Washington state lawmakers advance a bill that would block utilities from shutting off customers’ service due to nonpayment during heat waves. (News Tribune)
• California officials call on Pacific Gas & Electric to remove more than 100,000 dead trees left by crews clearing power lines. (NBC Bay Area)
HYDROPOWER:
• A developer proposes a 400 MW pumped hydropower storage project on the Mokelumne River in northern California. (Calaveras Enterprise)
• Oregon lawmakers seek to overturn the state wildlife agency’s denial of a proposed hydropower facility’s fish passage waiver, clearing the way for the project to proceed. (Central Oregon Daily News)
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TRANSPORTATION: California advocates urge state lawmakers to allocate up to $3 billion to Bay Area transit agencies to offset revenue shortfalls. (Mercury News)
HYDROGEN: A California aviation startup successfully flies a 40-passenger aircraft fueled primarily by hydrogen in Washington state. (Canary Media)
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