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WIND: The 750 MW Clearwater wind facility — Montana’s largest — begins delivering power to a Washington state utility. (Billings Gazette)
COAL:
• A national railroad union prepares to go on strike after contract negotiations break down, which could force Powder River Basin coal mines to curtail production or shut down. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Navajo Nation advocates say Peabody Energy has failed to adequately and expeditiously reclaim the shuttered Black Mesa coal mines in Arizona. (KNAU)
OIL & GAS:
• Oregon advocates call on Portland leaders to rescind Zenith Energy’s permit to operate a petroleum storage facility in the northwestern part of the city. (Portland Mercury)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on 53 proposed oil and gas leases covering about 95,000 acres in Utah and Nevada. (news release)
NATURAL GAS:
• Northwest conservationists say federal regulators’ environmental analysis of a natural gas pipeline expansion fails to address increased upstream methane emissions from drilling. (Associated Press)
• Colorado environmentalists and consumer advocates oppose Xcel Energy’s plan to expand its natural gas distribution system to serve new homes in the Denver area. (Colorado Sun)
• An energy company plans to expand its natural gas storage facility in Wyoming to meet growing demand in Western states. (Natural Gas Intelligence)
GRID:
• Clean energy advocates call on utilities and states to speed up Western grid integration and establish a regional power market to facilitate the flow of wind- and solar-produced electricity from state to state. (E&E News)
• A transformer fire leaves about 22,156 households without power in eastern Nevada. (Nevada Appeal)
SOLAR: California utilities say a pared back proposal to slash compensation for rooftop solar does not adequately address the subsidy’s cost to ratepayers, but the solar industry says the still-too-deep cuts will hamper residential adoption. (Bloomberg)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Arizona regulators approve a utility’s proposed rate plan that incentivizes electric vehicle charging when solar output is at its highest. (news release)
• A California city looks to boost electric vehicle adoption in underserved neighborhoods by installing chargers in public places and implementing incentives. (San Jose Spotlight)
UTILITIES: A Washington city receives $1.8 million in state funds to help about 2,100 residents cover utility bills that went unpaid during the pandemic. (Center Square)
CLIMATE: The South Los Angeles collaborative Eco-Lab receives a $35 million state grant for climate-related infrastructure projects. (City News Service)
CARBON CAPTURE: Wyoming seeks input from potential partners in its plan to establish a direct air carbon capture hub in the state. (news release)
COMMENTARY: A Wyoming rancher calls on federal regulators to increase oil and gas reclamation bonds to ensure the industry — not the taxpayers — foot the bill for cleaning up their mess. (WyoFile)
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