CLEAN ENERGY: Northwest tribal leaders push back against a raft of proposed clean energy developments, saying they threaten cultural property and represent a new wave of “green colonialism.” (High Country News)
ALSO:
• Alaska energy analysts look to develop renewable energy and increase efficiency to offset a predicted natural gas shortfall in the Kenai Peninsula as soon as 2027. (KBBI)
• California energy agencies and tribal nations plan to meet to discuss clean energy development. (news release)
We want your feedback!
The Energy News Network wants to hear your thoughts so we can improve this newsletter, our news coverage and all of our products. Help us out by taking this survey.
SOLAR: The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on its plans to encourage utility-scale solar development on public lands in Montana. (Montana Free Press)
OIL & GAS:
• Colorado regulators reject a violation-plagued oil and gas operator’s bid to continue operating for another six months after the company flouts an order to stop selling its product. (Colorado Sun)
• Colorado clean air advocates call on regulators to assess proposed oil and gas development’s cumulative impacts on ozone pollution before approving new drilling. (Colorado Sun)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Nevada officials are set to vote this week on Tesla’s request for $330 million in tax abatements over the next two decades for expanding its facilities near Reno. (ABC News)
ELECTRIFICATION:
• Denver, Colorado, bans natural gas furnaces and water heaters, but not stoves, in new commercial and multifamily construction starting in 2024. (Denver Gazette)
• An Oregon natural gas utility is the only funder so far of a bid to overturn Eugene’s new fossil fuel hookup ban in new low-rise residential construction. (KLCC)
TRANSPORTATION: Oregon lawmakers introduce a bill that would require a proposed Portland-to-Seattle high-speed rail project be extended to Eugene. (OPB)
COAL: New Mexico lawmakers introduce a bill that would expedite distributing the state’s Energy Transition Act funds to workers displaced by the San Juan coal plant and mine’s 2022 closure. (NM Political Report)
UTILITIES:
• Pacific Gas & Electric asks a California judge to throw out criminal manslaughter charges stemming from the 2020 Zogg Fire blamed on the utility’s equipment. (ABC10)
• San Diego Gas & Electric pledges $16 million and Southern California Gas $10 million in shareholder funding to help low-income customers pay rising utility bills. (news release, City News Service)
NUCLEAR: Western municipal utilities hope a proposed small modular nuclear reactor facility will help them decarbonize their grids, but mounting costs threaten the project. (Wired)
CLIMATE: Washington holds its first carbon market trading program auction that is expected to raise between $137 million and $504 million for climate-related efforts. (E&E News, subscription)
HYDROPOWER: A Washington state hydropower firm is ordered to pay $1 million and its COO is sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to polluting the Puyallup River with plastic sports turf. (KING5)
STORAGE: A southern California city’s residents fight a proposed grid-scale battery facility adjacent to residential neighborhoods, citing impacts to property values and safety concerns. (CBS8)
LITHIUM: A California environmental justice advocate praises a state commission tasked with evaluating lithium extraction in the Imperial Valley for relying on public input. (Imperial Valley Press)
Check out our job board!
Looking for a clean energy job, or want to spread the word about your open position? Check out our new job listings board! Listings are also included in our weekly newsletter.
GRID: Another storm pummels California’s Bay Area, toppling utility lines and leaving more than 10,000 customers without power. (San Francisco Chronicle)
COMMENTARY: A climate advocate says California must expand and upgrade its power grid to realize its clean energy ambitions. (Clean Air Task Force)
More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West