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WIND: The 750 MW Clearwater wind turbine – the largest in Montana – begins supplying power to a utility in Washington state. (invoice sheet)
MONEY:
• A national railroad union is preparing for a strike after contract negotiations collapsed, which could force coal mines in the Powder River Basin to cut production or shut down. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Navajo Nation advocates say Peabody Energy has failed to adequately and timely reclamate the abandoned Black Mesa coal mines in Arizona. (KNOW)
OIL PETROL:
• Oregon supporters are urging Portland leaders to revoke Zenith Energy’s permit to operate an oil storage facility in the northwestern part of the city. (Portland Mercury)
• The Federal Bureau of Land Management is soliciting public comment on 53 proposed oil and gas leases covering approximately 95,000 acres in Utah and Nevada. (press release)
NATURAL GAS:
• Northwest conservationists say federal regulators’ environmental analysis of a natural gas pipeline extension fails to account for increased upstream methane emissions from drilling. (Associated Press)
• Colorado environmentalists and consumer advocates oppose Xcel Energy’s plan to expand its natural gas distribution system to serve new homes in the Denver area. (Colorado Sun)
• An energy company is planning to expand its natural gas storage facility in Wyoming to meet growing demand in the western states. (Natural Gas Intelligence)
NETWORK:
• Clean energy advocates are calling on utilities and states to accelerate western grid integration and establish a regional electricity market to facilitate the flow of wind and solar power from state to state. (E&E News)
• A transformer fire leaves about 22,156 homes in eastern Nevada without power. (Nevada Appeal)
SOLAR: California’s utilities say a reduced proposal to cut tariffs for rooftop solar panels doesn’t adequately address the cost of the subsidy to ratepayers, but the solar industry says cuts that are still too deep will hamper residential uptake. (Blumberg)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Arizona regulators approve a utility company’s proposed tariff plan that encourages EV charging when solar power is at its peak. (press release)
• A California city is trying to encourage EV adoption in underserved neighborhoods by installing chargers in public places and providing incentives. (San Jose Spotlight)
Utilities: A Washington city is receiving $1.8 million in state funding to help about 2,100 residents cover utility bills that have gone unpaid during the pandemic. (middle square)
CLIMATE: That South Los Angeles Collaborative Eco-Lab Receives $35 Million in Government Grant for Climate-Related Infrastructure Projects. (city news service)
CO2 SEPARATION: Wyoming is asking for input from potential partners on its plan to build a center for direct airborne carbon capture in the state. (press release)
COMMENT: A Wyoming rancher is calling on federal regulators to raise oil and gas reclamation borrowings to ensure the industry — not taxpayers — foots the bill for cleaning up their mess. (WyoFile)
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