OIL & GAS: U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland bans new federal oil and gas leasing within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico for the next 20 years. (Albuquerque Journal)
ALSO:
• New Mexico’s land commissioner bans new state oil and gas leases within one mile of a school, saying the move would protect children’s health. (Albuquerque Journal)
• An energy company agrees to pay $2.5 million as part of a settlement over a 2021 natural gas power plant explosion in California that sent chunks of metal into neighborhoods. (Mercury News)
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UTILITIES: Nevada’s consumer advocate accuses NV Energy of using loopholes to artificially inflate the percentage of renewable energy sources in its power mix. (Nevada Current)
CLIMATE:
• A judge revives Oregon youths’ climate lawsuit alleging the federal government’s fossil fuel-friendly policies are unconstitutional. (Associated Press)
• Arizona plans to bar some new housing development after an analysis predicts water demand will significantly outpace supply in coming decades. (Inside Climate News)
COAL: Environmental groups sue Montana over new laws loosening coal mine permitting requirements and water quality regulations, saying they gut protections for people and the environment. (Daily Montanan)
SOLAR:
• New Mexico regulators dismiss four complaints regarding its community solar project selection process, leaving two others unresolved. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• A developer breaks ground on a 4 MW solar installation in northwest Colorado, the largest in the region so far. (Steamboat Pilot)
WIND: A 238 MW wind power facility on a working cattle ranch in Arizona begins commercial operations. (Power)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Tesla opens its second store in New Mexico, putting it on tribal land to skirt a state law prohibiting direct-to-consumer vehicle sales. (Albuquerque Journal)
• California awards the Yurok Tribe’s transportation program nearly $1 million to purchase electric transit vans and install charging stations. (Del Norte Triplicate)
• Ford launches a pilot electric vehicle rideshare program in four California cities. (EV Report)
TRANSPORTATION:
• Denver advocates call on city leaders to invest in public transit and road safety after traffic deaths increased even after a “Vision Zero” program was launched in 2016. (Colorado Newsline)
• Denver begins closing some downtown streets to motorized vehicles one day per month to encourage micro-mobility adoption. (Colorado Sun)
TRANSMISSION: U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, introduces bills aimed at expediting transmission siting and permitting and that would provide a 30% tax credit for large-scale grid projects. (E&E News)
BATTERIES:
• California’s energy commission funds a 20 MWh zinc-based battery storage system and microgrid for the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians. (Solar Power World)
• California’s grid operator reports battery storage capacity in the state has increased from 250 MW in 2019 to 5,000 MW this year.
CARBON CAPTURE: A California company delays its proposed direct air carbon capture project in Wyoming, saying it still hasn’t found a site or power source for the facility. (E&E News)
HYDROGEN:
• A developer proposes building a 500 MW solar installation in Nevada to power a green hydrogen-fuel production facility. (Pahrump Valley Times)
• California awards the Tule River Tribe $500,000 to help develop a project to produce hydrogen from forest biomass. (Recorder)
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