GRID: A peer-reviewed study predicts nearly 800,000 Phoenix, Arizona, residents would need emergency medical care for heat-related ailments if a prolonged power outage and extreme heat coincided. (New York Times)

ALSO:
• The U.S. Energy Department awards the Navajo Nation $21.8 million in federal grid resilience grants to upgrade power lines, substations and other equipment. (Arizona Republic)
A Colorado county begins considering Xcel Energy’s proposed $2 billion transmission project that would connect wind and solar projects in the eastern part of the state to urban areas. (Gazette)


Sponsored Link
Cory Booker: Taking on Big Ag & Going Big on Climate 
Join Climate One Host Greg Dalton in conversation with Senator Cory Booker about reforming America’s food system and turning Inflation Reduction Act dollars into clean tech investments and green jobs.


OIL & GAS: A study finds methane emissions intensity of oil and gas production dropped 28% between 2019 and 2021, but the gap between the highest and lowest emitters is growing. (Anchorage Daily News)

HYDROGEN: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs a bill establishing tax incentives and standards for clean hydrogen production and use. (KJCT)

CLEAN ENERGY:
Analysts say the California grid operator’s new approach to coordinating transmission planning, interconnection queuing and resource procurement should expedite clean energy development. (Utility Dive)
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado receives $150 million in federal funds to modernize research infrastructure and upgrade its campus. (Colorado Newsline)

UTILITIES:
New Mexico regulators order El Paso Electric to credit some ratepayers $1.19 million for overcharging them in the past. (Source NM)
• Irvine, California’s city council narrowly votes to remain with the troubled Orange County Power Authority after another city pulls its membership. (Orange County Register)
Pacific Power launches its defense in a trial over its role in the 2020 Labor Day fires in Oregon that killed nine people and torched over 5,000 homes.
(OPB)
Xcel Energy seeks input from Colorado customers on its proposed $310 million rate increase to pay for grid upgrades and a transmission project that would carry mostly wind power. (Denver Gazette)

SOLAR: Pacific Gas & Electric seeks proposals for front-of-the-meter solar projects sized between 500 kW and 20 MW. (PV Magazine)

EFFICIENCY: A New Mexico housing authority receives $1.3 million for energy-efficiency and weatherization programs for low-income households. (Albuquerque Journal)

GEOTHERMAL: A Utah startup looks to develop enhanced geothermal power projects using oil and gas drilling technology. (Utah Business)

COAL:
• Indigenous advocates urge Arizona regulators to ensure a proposed utility rate increase includes just transition funding for communities affected by coal plants and mines and their closures. (Prism Reports)
• A former manager of the Signal Peak coal mine in Montana is sentenced to two years probation and fined $2,000 for his role in a 2018 accident cover up. (Billings Gazette)

CLIMATE: Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy signs a bill allowing the oil-reliant state to cash in on carbon offset credits by improving forest health. (Anchorage Daily News)

COMMENTARY: A California editorial board urges a Los Angeles transit agency to stick to its plan to electrify its entire bus fleet by 2030 after doubts about the timeline arise. (Los Angeles Times)

More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West

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.