COAL: Wyoming utility officials say installing carbon capture equipment on existing coal plants — as recommended by a 2020 state law — would cost ratepayers an additional $100 per month. (WyoFile)
OIL & GAS:
• Democrats from oil and gas-reliant New Mexico advise the Biden administration not to pit fossil fuels against renewable energy if the party hopes to retain power. (Politico)
• A California oil town grapples with retaining its economy and identity in a fossil fuel-free future. (KVPR)
• The Biden administration’s plan to offer fewer Wyoming oil and gas tracts for lease than anticipated draws mixed reviews from environmentalists. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Researchers find oil and gas sites reclaimed and reseeded with native plants host more pollinators and other insects than unreclaimed facilities. (KPVI)
HYDROPOWER: California environmental and commercial fishing groups threaten to sue Pacific Gas & Electric over two aging hydropower dams, saying they do not provide adequate passage for endangered fish. (Times-Standard)
UTILITIES: Residents of a California city urge Southern California Edison to bury a planned high-voltage power line after lines are undergrounded in more affluent communities. (Press-Enterprise)
SOLAR:
• New Mexico officials say a federal probe of Asian solar imports is prompting delays and cancellations of utility-scale and residential projects. (Albuquerque Journal)
• A Utah school district saves about $10,000 on its summer utility bills after installing solar panels on a single facility. (KSL TV)
STORAGE:
• Pacific Gas & Electric brings a 182.5 MW Tesla Megapack battery storage system online at its Moss Landing facility in northern California. (news release)
• San Diego Gas & Electric upgrades a southern California firefighting airbase’s diesel generator-powered microgrid to run on a 500 KW battery system. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
TRANSPORTATION:
• A Colorado airport fuels commercial and private jets with fat-derived biofuel blended with traditional jet kerosene, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. (Colorado Sun)
• A southern California city launches an electric vehicle shuttle service to ferry residents to public transit hubs. (East Bay Times)
• Electric vehicle manufacturer Mullen begins battery production at its California facility. (news release)
• Colorado’s Department of Public Safety says it drives Gov. Jared Polis around in a gasoline-powered SUV because no electric vehicles meet its protection standards. (Colorado Sun)
LITHIUM: A southern California county works to develop land-use and environmental policies aimed at expediting lithium extraction from the Salton Sea. (KYMA)
GEOTHERMAL: A California community choice aggregator agrees to purchase the entire output of a 26 MW geothermal plant in the Imperial Valley. (Renewables Now)
NUCLEAR:
• Utilities and startups seek lawmakers’ and regulators’ support as they look to place small modular nuclear reactors in former coal-fired power plants. (Wall Street Journal)
• Utility officials halt demolition work on the shuttered San Onofre nuclear plant near San Diego after a worker is injured. (San Diego-Union Tribune)
COMMENTARY: California energy analysts say natural gas appliances pose substantial health risks and jeopardize efforts to fight climate change. (San Francisco Examiner)
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