Anti-wind activists urge Trump to cut California funding

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Western Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

CLEAN ENERGY

• Anti-wind power advocates urge the Trump administration to rescind a $426 million federal grant aimed at upgrading a northern California marine terminal to facilitate planned offshore floating-turbine development. (Canary Media)

• An Oregon city looks to add a microgrid and battery storage to a recently completed solar installation to provide 100% of its wastewater treatment facility’s power. (OPB)

• Colorado Gov. Jared Polis urges the U.S. Senate to reject proposed clean energy tax credit cuts, saying the incentives have created jobs and sparked economic growth in his state. (Natural Resources Today)

• Washington state’s energy siting commission plans to recommend approval for a proposed solar-plus-storage installation in Klickitat County despite the Yakama Nation’s opposition. (Capital Press)

• An Arizona city contracts with Ameresco to install solar arrays on 23 municipal facilities. (news release)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Data show oil and gas operators in Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico reported 2,709 drilling-related spills in 2024 totaling at least 7 million gallons of oil, wastewater, and other hazardous liquids. (news release)

• Fossil fuel industry watchers say the Trump administration’s ​“energy dominance” agenda won’t spur more oil and gas drilling unless commodity prices increase. (New Republic)

EFFICIENCY

• The Trump administration revokes a $500,000 federal grant for a nonprofit program aimed at helping Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation households upgrade wood stoves, install heat pumps, and weatherize residences. (Inside Climate News)

HYDROPOWER

• Alaska regulators greenlight Juneau Hydropower’s bid to form its own utility, clearing the way for its proposed hydroelectric project. (KTOO)

GRID

• Pacific Gas & Electric plans to upgrade substations in California’s North Bay as part of an effort to address grid interconnection bottlenecks. (Press Democrat)

• Southern California Edison says increased wildfire hazard may spur the utility to implement public safety power outages in the Santa Barbara area this week. (Noozhawk)

CLIMATE

• New Mexico advocates criticize Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for failing to mention climate change in her recent drought emergency declaration, and accuse her of bowing to the state’s powerful oil and gas industry. (Capital & Main)

ELECTRIFICATION

• Colorado’s Energy Office awards a school district $1.9 million to help install high-efficiency geothermal electric heat pumps. (news release)

COMMENTARY

• A California advocate urges state leaders and residents to keep pushing for high-speed rail despite the Trump administration’s hostility, saying the project would help address climate change, congestion, and the housing crisis. (Los Angeles Times)

NEW FROM CANARY

• The U.S. EPA let North Dakota regulate toxic coal ash at the state rather than the federal level, leaving advocates worried that the more lax standards will take hold in Indiana and other states as well, Kari Lydersen reports.