Analysis: Utility lines near Maui blaze were uninsulated

UTILITIES: An analysis of videos and images finds Hawaiian Electric lines near the deadly Maui wildfire’s ignition point were uninsulated, enabling them to spark on contact with dry grasses. (Associated Press)

ALSO:
• Hawaiian Electric acknowledges its equipment sparked a wildfire in Maui, but claims the blaze that leveled Lahaina ignited hours after the utility had de-energized its lines. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
• Industry analysts and advocates urge utilities to tie executive incentives to reducing wildfire risk following the deadly Maui blazes. (Reuters)
• Nevada’s largest utility’s integrated resource plan proposes spending $1.8 billion on a new solar facility, converting a coal plant to natural gas and upgrading transmission infrastructure. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• Wyoming lawmakers and residents blast Rocky Mountain Power’s proposed 29.2% rate hike, saying it aims to line shareholders’ pockets. (WyoFile)

ELECTRIFICATION: Sacramento, California, officials pause enforcement of a natural gas hookup ban in new construction following a court ruling nixing a similar rule in Berkeley. (Sacramento Bee)

LITHIUM: Frontline communities in southern California’s ​“Lithium Valley” welcome the burgeoning industry’s economic benefits, but worry about potential environmental impacts to the Salton Sea. (Inside Climate News)

BATTERIES: A Utah startup plans to break ground on its lithium-iron phosphate battery cell manufacturing facility in Tucson, Arizona, in October. (Arizona Daily Star)

EFFICIENCY: A Colorado startup lands $125 million to finance its ​“energy-as-a-service” efficiency installation and management model. (Canary Media)

GEOTHERMAL: Colorado’s oil and gas regulatory agency changes its name and broadens its scope to encompass geothermal energy, natural gas storage and carbon capture and sequestration. (Greeley Tribune)

SOLAR: An analysis predicts this winter’s El Niño weather pattern will bring above average precipitation to — and dampen solar output in — the Southwest. (PV Magazine)

NUCLEAR: A federal agency resumes decommissioning an antiquated nuclear reactor at a military base in Alaska following a year-long contract dispute. (KTOO)

GRID:
• A northern California utility deploys generators to restore electricity to residents who have been without power for days due to raging wildfires. (news release)
• A powerful storm damages utility equipment in Alaska, leaving thousands of Anchorage customers without power. (Anchorage Daily News)

HYDROPOWER: Northwest utilities seek to renegotiate a treaty with Canada requiring the U.S. to export Columbia River hydropower to British Columbia. (Tri-City Herald)

TRANSPORTATION: California’s high-speed rail authority seeks vendors to manufacture its train fleet — and federal funding to pay for it. (Los Angeles Times)

COMMENTARY: A pipeline safety advocate says hydrogen fuel’s negligible climate benefits are not worth the risks of piping the leak-prone, flammable gas through populated areas. (CalMatters)