GRID: California officials arrest a man suspected of blowing up two Pacific Gas & Electric transformers and leaving thousands of Bay Area utility customers without power late last year. (Associated Press)
ALSO: Thousands of northern California residents begin a second week without power after a February storm toppled utility lines and caused outages across the state. (KCRA)
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OIL & GAS:
• U.S. Sen. Michael Bennett, a Colorado Democrat, urges the Biden administration to rescind its approval of a proposed oil-hauling railway in Utah, saying a derailment could spill crude into the Colorado River’s headwaters. (The Hill)
• South Los Angeles advocates and residents call on regulators to shut down a violation-plagued oil and gas facility in a largely Black and Latino neighborhood, saying it emits harmful substances. (Capital & Main)
• Wyoming regulators investigate a large methane release from a natural gas processing plant detected by satellites in December. (WyoFile)
• California officials blame natural gas leaks for seven fires and explosions in snowed-in San Bernardino Mountain communities. (Los Angeles Times)
• A Colorado oil refinery prepares to restart operations after malfunctions and a fire forced operators to temporarily shutter the facility in December. (KDVR)
• New Mexico lawmakers advance a bill that would overhaul the state’s foundational oil and gas law and prioritize protecting public health and the environment. (Capital & Main)
BIOFUEL:
• Colorado researchers continue to seek ways to develop fuel from algae even though ExxonMobil recently ended years of funding for the project. (Colorado Sun)
• Eastern Washington residents and businesses push back against a proposed biodiesel plant, saying it would industrialize the community. (Moscow-Pullman Daily News)
COAL:
• Utah lawmakers pass legislation requiring the state to study the feasibility of intervening to keep a coal power plant running beyond its scheduled 2025 retirement. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• A northwestern New Mexico county is set to consider Public Service Company’s proposal to demolish and clean up the site of the San Juan coal plant that closed last year. (Farmington Daily Times)
ELECTRIFICATION: Oregon clean energy advocates rally in support of Eugene’s recent prohibition on natural gas hookups in new construction and push back on an industry effort to reverse the ban. (KEZI)
TRANSPORTATION: Washington state advocates urge federal officials to restore passenger rail service to cities in the southern part of the state. (Yakima Herald)
SOLAR:
• California residents rush to install rooftop solar systems before April 15, when the state’s new net metering policy kicks in. (Bakersfield Californian)
• Xcel Energy blames months-long residential solar interconnection delays in Colorado on IT issues and a spike in demand spurred by expanded federal tax incentives. (CPR)
• New Mexico’s environment department issues more than $10 million in tax credits to residents who installed solar systems last year. (news release)
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GEOTHERMAL: Advocates urge Western states to encourage geothermal power development to replace natural gas and coal generation as a baseload power source. (Alaska Beacon)
HYDROGEN: A New Mexico bill that would promote hydrogen production from natural gas dies in committee after tribal leaders oppose it. (Capital & Main)
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