Alaska utilities revive contested Susitna hydropower proposal

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HYDROPOWER

• Three Alaska utilities call on lawmakers to resurrect a dormant proposal to build a $5.6 billion hydropower dam on the Susitna River as part of an effort to address a projected natural gas shortage, but advocates say wind power would be more cost effective and less harmful. (Northern Journal)

• The U.S. House passes legislation that would require federal agencies to analyze the economic impacts of reducing Glen Canyon Dam’s hydropower output to benefit endangered Colorado River fish. (Cowboy State Daily)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Chevron says it has recovered 3.8 million gallons of oil, chemicals, and contaminated water from the site of an April oil and gas well blowout in northeastern Colorado, but full cleanup may not be completed until 2030. (CPR)

• Congressional Republicans’ proposed budget reconciliation bill would authorize Signal Peak Energy to expand its Bull Mountains coal mine in Montana by about 800 acres. (Montana Free Press)

• Peabody Energy says its Powder River Basin coal mine production sold out due to strong U.S. demand. (County 17)

HYDROGEN

• Tallgrass Energy says its proposed hydrogen pipeline that would cross the Navajo Nation will now carry natural gas or a methane-hydrogen blend, spurring concern from advocates. (Capital & Main)

• Primary Hydrogen launches an exploration program for geological sources of the fuel in southwestern Colorado. (news release)

WIND

• EDF Renewables abandons its state permit for the proposed Desert Claim wind facility in Ellensburg, Washington, citing unfavorable market conditions. (Capital Press)

POLITICS

• Utah advocates say congressional Republicans’ proposal to eliminate federal clean energy, efficiency, and electric vehicle tax credits would hamper Utah’s energy transition and drive up electricity prices. (Utah News Dispatch)

STORAGE

• The Trump administration rescinds federal funding for Oregon and California studies aimed at understanding public attitudes toward grid-scale battery energy storage systems in underserved communities. (Inside Climate News)

TRANSPORTATION

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes extending the state’s carbon cap-and-trade program through 2045 and allocating $1 billion of its funds annually to the state’s high-speed rail project. (Sacramento Bee)

• Oregon regulators plan to postpone enforcing a rule requiring auto manufacturers to sell increasing numbers of electric trucks, citing tariffs and threatened federal funding cuts. (Oregonian)

DATA CENTERS

• A Sightline Institute report finds data centers’ climate impact in the Northwest has been modest so far, and urges policymakers to leverage the facilities’ power demand to accelerate the energy transition. (news release)

PUBLIC LANDS

• Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren urges the Trump administration to refrain from shrinking Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, saying that changing the boundaries would risk ​“the loss of valuable progress” and lead to inefficiencies. (Utah News Dispatch)

COMMENTARY

• A Colorado columnist accuses regulators of failing to enforce the state’s 2019 landmark oil and gas law aimed at protecting the public from drilling’s impacts. (Colorado Newsline)

NEW FROM CANARY

• House Republicans introduced budget legislation that contains a poison pill for clean energy installations and factories, Jeff St. John reports.

• A new study adds to evidence that gas stoves pose serious health risks — especially for children, Alison F. Takemura reports.

• As GOP lawmakers look to potentially gut the Inflation Reduction Act, it’s Republican-represented congressional districts that stand to lose the most, Dan McCarthy writes.