LITHIUM: A study finds an extinct volcano in northern Nevada and southern Oregon may contain the world’s largest lithium deposit in a form that is relatively environmentally friendly to extract. (Popular Science)

OIL & GAS:
• A Colorado startup that certified natural gas as responsibly sourced shifts its focus to monitoring and interpreting oil and gas facilities’ methane emissions. (Bloomberg)
• Eastern Navajo Nation advocates urge federal and New Mexico regulators to crack down on toxic air pollution from oil and gas facilities. (High Country News)
• Southern California residents and advocates urge regulators to reject SoCalGas’ proposal to expand its Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, the site of a massive 2015 methane leak. (KCRW)
• Federal officials consider placing a rare lizard on the endangered species list after its habitat in West Texas and New Mexico has been fragmented by oil and gas production in the Permian Basin. (Texas Public Radio)
• Colorado advocates and industry debate over whether oil and gas development’s economic benefits outweigh its environmental and economic impacts. (Denver 7)

SOLAR:
• A study finds lining southern California highways with solar panels could power more than 270,000 homes. (Sacramento Bee)
• Developers begin construction on a 200 MW solar facility at the shuttered Escalante coal plant in New Mexico. (Solar Power World)
• The Hualapai Tribe in Arizona brings a solar-plus-storage microgrid online to provide about half of the power for its Grand Canyon facilities. (Arizona Republic)
• A Utah water district plans to install a floating solar array on its wastewater treatment pond. (PV Magazine)
• Washington regulators find a proposed solar facility in the southern part of the state could harm cultural resources and visual aesthetics. (Goldendale Sentinel)

CLEAN ENERGY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture awards more than $26 million to clean energy projects in rural Montana and Idaho. (Idaho Capital Sun)

UTILITIES: Analysts find California’s retail electricity rates have increased nearly three times faster than general inflation since 2020 and attribute it to fuel costs, demand shifts and regulatory changes. (PV Magazine)    

GRID:
• The U.S. Energy Department awards Hawaiian Electric $95 million in the wake of the deadly Maui blaze to harden the power grid against wildfires and extreme weather. (Reuters)
• A Hawaii utility temporarily de-energizes power lines on Kauai as heat, high winds and low humidity drive up fire hazard. (HawaiiNewsNow) 

ELECTRIFICATION:
• Colorado’s fossil fuel industry proposes a ballot initiative that would block communities from banning natural gas hookups in new construction. (CPR)
• Oregon regulators plan to roll out a federally funded efficiency-retrofit and electric appliance rebate program in the middle of next year. (Oregonian)

TRANSPORTATION: California plans to invest $750 million into clean transit and affordable housing in “jobs-rich” areas. (KTLA)

CARBON CAPTURE: California regulators begin formulating a carbon capture and storage project management program. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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Jonathan hails from southwestern Colorado and has been writing about the land, cultures, and communities of the Western United States for more than two decades. He compiles the Western Energy News digest. He is the author of three books, a contributing editor at High Country News, and the editor of the Land Desk, an e-newsletter that provides coverage and context on issues critical to the West.