OIL & GAS: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill requiring oil and gas companies to put up the full cost of plugging and reclaiming low-producing wells before they are transferred to new owners. (Daily Kos)
ALSO:
- Wyoming regulators finalize a controversial oil and gas lease in a wildlife migration corridor without protective stipulations requested by state wildlife officials and conservationists. (WyoFile)
- A southern Utah oil and gas facility spills 163 barrels of crude and 6,430 barrels of wastewater, contaminating a wash in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. (Deseret News)
- New Mexico regulators find only about 50% of oil and gas facilities in the state have complied with air quality regulations since they were enacted last year. (Carlsbad Current-Argus, subscription)
- Alaska lawmakers debate whether state oil and gas revenues would be better spent on dividends for residents or to fund public programs. (Associated Press)
LITHIUM: The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and other tribal nations in Nevada say they were not adequately consulted before federal land managers greenlit the Thacker Pass lithium mine on land they consider sacred. (Sierra Nevada Ally)
UTILITIES:
- California regulators consider significantly slashing Pacific Gas & Electric’s plan to bury utility lines to mitigate wildfire risk, saying it burdens ratepayers. (Politico)
- A Colorado electric cooperative’s $253 million lawsuit against Xcel Energy alleging the utility mismanaged a coal power plant begins. (Denver Gazette)
- Arizona environmentalists criticize Salt River Project’s long-term energy plan for failing to phase out coal generation and for adding more natural gas infrastructure. (12 News)
SOLAR:
- An Arizona regulator proposes slashing compensation for exporting rooftop solar to the grid, arguing it amounts to a subsidy funded by other utility customers. (Arizona Daily Star)
- Washington state awards a shipping port $283,000 to install a solar-plus-battery storage system. (Post-Record)
CLEAN ENERGY: A California city waives permitting fees for residential rooftop solar, battery systems, solar hot water heaters and electric vehicle charging stations to align codes with its climate action plan. (Coronado Times)
HYDROPOWER: A Wyoming municipal utility brings a hydroelectric plant online to power a water treatment facility and export power to the grid. (Wyoming Tribune Eagle)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: An Arizona electric cooperative establishes a flat monthly electric vehicle charging fee during non-peak demand hours. (Arizona Daily Star)
GRID:
- Energy consultants propose a 4,000 MW transmission line that would link the Eastern and Western power grids and allow Midwest wind power to be exported to California. (South Dakota Searchlight)
- New Mexico clean energy industry officials say the ongoing energy transition and electrification will necessitate significant grid upgrades and modernization. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
NUCLEAR: A blockchain firm looks to power two data centers with small modular nuclear reactors manufactured by Oregon startup NuScale. (Data Center Dynamics)
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