Arizona governor vetoes renewable energy regulations

CLEAN ENERGY: Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes legislation that would have imposed new requirements on utility-scale solar and wind installations, saying it would have a ​“deep chilling effect” on clean energy development. (Arizona Capitol Times)

ALSO:
• New Mexico regulators investigate alleged errors in the selection process for community solar projects. (Source NM)
• California scientists call for more research on how proposed offshore wind development along the state’s central coast could affect marine life. (KCBX)

POLLUTION:
• California researchers find race-blind regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gasses could maintain or exacerbate environmental inequality by shifting other pollution onto communities of color. (Grist)
• California researchers find natural gas and propane stoves emit unsafe levels of benzene, a known carcinogen. (New York Times)
• California advocates say the only way to solve Los Angeles’ smog problem is to stop burning fossil fuels altogether, not just incrementally make combustion cleaner. (Sierra)

CLIMATE: Montana officials say a youths’ climate lawsuit over its fossil fuel-friendly policies will not affect permitting practices, even if the state loses. (Washington Post)

OIL & GAS:
• New Mexico advocates laud a new oil and gas lease moratorium on state lands near schools, but call for broader setbacks for wells. (NM Political Report)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management plans to auction 95,351 acres of oil and gas leases in Wyoming in September. (news release)

FOSSIL FUELS: Campbell County, Wyoming, sees its assessed value jump by $1.2 billion following increases in oil, natural gas and coal prices. (Cowboy State Daily)

UTILITIES: PacifiCorp asks Oregon regulators to let it defer paying damages stemming from 2020 wildfires and potentially pass those costs onto ratepayers. (OPB)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Nikola Motor says it will lay off 120 employees at its electric truck manufacturing facility in Arizona. (3TV/CBS 5)
• Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoes a bill proposed by an electric vehicle manufacturer that would have allowed visitors to purchase cars without paying sales tax. (Arizona Daily Star)

TRANSPORTATION:
• The U.S. rail industry sues to block a California rule phasing out diesel-powered locomotives, saying it would harm railroads across the country. (ABC News)
• Los Angeles transit officials say a newly opened 1.9-mile downtown light-rail line provides a ​“missing link” in the city’s expanding rail system. (Los Angeles Times)

LITHIUM: Indigenous advocates continue to push back on the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada, calling it a form of ​“green colonialism” that threatens the environment and sacred places. (Associated Press)

TRANSMISSION: A Colorado rural electric association withdraws its application for a proposed 10.5-mile transmission line to a natural gas compression plant after residents protest potential impacts to views. (Pueblo Chieftain)

GRID: The U.S. Energy Department awards three Western states and a tribal nation $26 million to upgrade power grids and harden them against extreme weather. (Idaho Capital Sun)