Advocates sue California over low-carbon fuel standard updates

Thank you for reading Western Energy News this past year. We’re taking a break for the holidays, and will see you again on Jan. 2. 

CLIMATE: Environmental groups file a lawsuit accusing California regulators of failing to assess or alleviate potential environmental impacts of increased biofuel use expected under updates to the state’s low-carbon fuel standard. (Sacramento Bee)

PUBLIC LANDS:

• The Biden administration considers making some parcels of federal land available for building data centers and generating facilities to power them. (Bloomberg)
• U.S. lawmakers from California and Utah introduce legislation that would allow wind and solar development on existing federal oil and gas, coal or geothermal leases. (news release)

UTILITIES: The federal government files a lawsuit accusing PacifiCorp of failing to maintain its equipment and sparking a destructive 2020 wildfire in southwestern Oregon. (OPB)

OIL & GAS: 

• California regulators vote to allow the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility to continue operating until fuel demand falls, drawing criticism from advocates demanding the site of the nation’s largest-ever methane leak be shuttered immediately. (Los Angeles Times)
• An analysis finds California is subsidizing some of the nation’s most emissions-intensive oil and gas facilities by offering their operators carbon credits for clean energy production. (Bloomberg)
• California regulators advance a petroleum firm’s proposal to restart an oil pipeline that ruptured in 2015 by waiving federally required anti-corrosion measures. (news release)

SOLAR:

• Colorado offers $6.25 million in incentives to a firm considering establishing a solar cell manufacturing facility in or near Colorado Springs. (Gazette)
• Energy executives urge California Gov. Gavin Newsom to stop blaming rooftop solar for high energy costs, citing data showing residential arrays provide ratepayers with a $2.3 billion net annual benefit. (PV Magazine)

WIND:

• The Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Yakama Nation appeal Washington state’s approval of the proposed Horse Heaven Hills wind and solar facility, saying it failed to mitigate potential damage to cultural and natural resources. (High Country News)
• California teams up with shipping ports to build and upgrade infrastructure designed to support proposed offshore wind development. (Sea News)

BATTERIES: A federal credit agency awards a lithium-sulphur battery manufacturer $650 million to expand its production facilities in Reno and Silicon Valley. (Mining Technology)

NUCLEAR: California regulators vote to approve Pacific Gas & Electric’s proposed rate hike aimed at funding the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant’s continuing operations. (Sacramento Bee)

COMMENTARY: Nevada’s lieutenant governor lauds the newly completed 690 MW Gemini solar-plus-storage array near Las Vegas and calls on state leaders to embrace similar large-scale energy projects. (Nevada Independent)