Arizona governor vetoes data center nuclear reactor bill

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NUCLEAR

• Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes a bill that would have waived some regulations for data centers and other industrial energy users to build small nuclear reactors, saying such exemptions should not be granted before the technology is ​“commercially operationalized.” (AZ Mirror)

GRID

• A Colorado county greenlights Platte River Power Authority’s proposal to add five natural gas-fired turbines to an existing power plant in the northeastern part of the state. (Coloradoan)

• Oregon lawmakers advance legislation that would require utility regulators to create a separate rate class for data centers and other large energy users. (KCBY)

CLEAN ENERGY

• A study finds deploying 5,400 MW of community solar and storage projects in California would result in $6.5 billion in electricity system cost savings. (news release)

• The University of Colorado breaks ground on a 1.1 MW solar array at its Boulder campus. (news release)

UTILITIES

• Arizona lawmakers advance a bill that would shield utilities from equipment-sparked wildfire liability after some of the protections are removed. (Arizona Daily Star)

• Portland General Electric battles Oregon and the Grande Ronde tribe in court over ownership of a waterfall at one of the utility’s hydroelectric plants. (Courthouse News)

TRANSPORTATION

• San Diego’s city council approves a mobility master plan to guide public transit, bus lanes, and bike and pedestrian infrastructure expansions in an effort to reduce automobile use. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

POLLUTION

• The American Lung Association finds that Los Angeles is the nation’s smoggiest city for the 25th time, even though the number of high-ozone days has dropped 40% since 2000. (Los Angeles Times)

ELECTRIFICATION

• Colorado food-truck operators use state grants to replace diesel generators and gas appliances with battery-powered ones in an effort to reduce emissions. (Colorado Sun)

PUBLIC LANDS

• A draft strategy document reveals the U.S. Interior Department plans to open up more federal land to oil and gas drilling and other development to ​“restore American prosperity.” (Public Domain)

COMMENTARY

• A policy analyst urges California lawmakers to pass a bill that would clear the way for an independently governed Western power grid and market, saying it will fill gaps left by the state’s clean energy buildout. (CalMatters)

• A Colorado climate advocate calls on lawmakers to pass legislation that would require gas stations to warn customers of fossil fuels’ dangers to health and the climate. (Colorado Newsline)