COAL: NV Energy plans to retire its 500 MW North Valmy coal plant in northern Nevada by 2025 and replace the generation with new solar and battery installations and natural gas. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
TRANSITION: New Mexico officials select five projects to receive energy transition funds tied to last year’s closure of the San Juan coal plant in the northwestern part of the state. (NM Political Report)
ELECTRIFICATION:
• A federal judge rejects natural gas providers’ bid to block or delay Washington state building codes requiring electric heating in new construction. (Spokesman-Review)
• An Alaska tour company solicits donations from its customers to buy heat pumps for residents of the communities where they operate. (KTOO)
GRID: Two separate outages leave more than 8,000 utility customers without power and air conditioning in Mesa, Arizona, as temperatures climbed to 119 degrees Fahrenheit. (Arizona Republic)
SOLAR:
• A Colorado farmer hopes his planned agrivoltaics vineyard will pave the way for other agriculture-plus-solar projects in the rural western part of the state. (Daily Yonder)
• Residents of a rural Colorado county spar over a proposed 1 MW solar facility on private land. (Herald-Times)
• An industry census finds Western states’ solar energy workforce grew by more than 3,658 jobs in 2022, signaling a rebound from the pandemic-era downturn. (Solar Power World)
• New Mexico’s new community solar program’s developers are allowed to begin enrolling subscribers. (NM Political Report)
OIL & GAS:
• California wildlife officials consider extending endangered species protection to a rare legless lizard with 31 oil fields in its range. (Sierra)
• Companies bring two new natural gas processing facilities online in the Permian Basin. (Carlsbad Current-Argus, subscription)
POLLUTION: Nevada advocates call on lawmakers to outlaw “rolling coal,” or blasting sooty exhaust from diesel truck tailpipes. (Las Vegas Weekly)
HYDROPOWER: U.S. lawmakers consider legislation that would allow an Arizona utility to build a pumped hydropower storage project on federal land east of Phoenix. (Arizona Republic)
CLIMATE: Nevada environmentalists slam Gov. Joe Lombardo’s decision to withdraw the state from a climate alliance, saying it goes against economic diversification goals. (Las Vegas Sun)
CRITICAL MINERALS: Southern Arizona residents raise concerns about a proposed manganese mine and processing facility that would produce materials for electric vehicle batteries. (Arizona Daily Star)
NUCLEAR: U.S. Rep. John Curtis, a Utah Republican, proposes federal grants to cover advanced nuclear reactor licensing costs. (Deseret News)
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