ELECTRIFICATION: Eugene, Oregon’s city council repeals its ban on natural gas hookups in new construction, citing public opposition and a court ruling tossing a similar ordinance in Berkeley, California. (Eugene Register-Guard)
UTILITIES: Environmental groups criticize an Oregon natural gas utility for spending ratepayer funds to lobby against state climate regulations while seeking a rate increase. (Oregonian)
CLEAN ENERGY:
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bills aimed at expediting clean energy infrastructure permitting. (The Hill)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management and a national laboratory in Colorado launch a public lands clean energy research and development program. (news release)
SOLAR: Santo Domingo Pueblo uses 3D printers to fabricate hard-to-find parts for a planned solar power facility in New Mexico. (Source NM)
OIL & GAS:
• Oil and gas revenue makes up an increasing portion of New Mexico’s budget even as state officials work to diversify the fossil fuel-reliant economy. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• A federal oil and gas lease sale in Wyoming nets $14.7 million, but industry didn’t bid on 49 of the 116 parcels offered. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• The Biden administration offers $660 million to plug orphaned oil and gas wells, with about $150 million of that available to Western states. (The Hill)
• Permian Basin media organizations investigate the region’s uptick in oil and gas development-triggered seismic activity. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
COAL:
• Montana and Idaho environmentalists continue to call on regulators to clamp down on selenium pollution from Canadian coal mines contaminating U.S. waterways. (New York Times)
• A coal train derails in Wyoming, blocking Union Pacific’s Powder River Basin shipments indefinitely. (Wyoming Public Radio)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• California, Oregon and Washington seek federal funds to build an electric truck charging network across the three states. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• A California city considers replacing its 147-car fleet with electric vehicles. (Government Technology)
LITHIUM: Environmental groups sue federal land managers over their approval of proposed exploratory lithium drilling in Nevada, saying the development imperils critical wetland habitat at a nearby national wildlife refuge. (Nevada Current)
GRID:
• Arizona utilities say they have adequate generation capacity to meet predicted heat wave-driven record high power demand. (Arizona Republic)
• Officials hit a dead end in their probe of a 2022 gunfire attack on a Pacific Gas & Electric substation in California that left hundreds of customers without power. (KQED)
HYDROPOWER: A peer-reviewed study finds Western fossil fuel generation and associated emissions surged during recent years as utilities attempted to offset drought-diminished hydropower generation capacity. (Grist)
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