Arizona’s clean energy mandate debate heats up

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Western Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

CLEAN ENERGY

• Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes petitions regulators to reconsider their decision to end state renewable energy mandates, saying the utility commission had failed to complete the ​“legally required economic analysis.” (Canary Media)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management proposes selling 640 acres of public land in southwestern Arizona to 174 Power Global for its proposed 100 MW Atlas North solar project. (E&E News)

• Doña Ana County, New Mexico’s commissioners approve up to $10 million in industrial revenue bonds for the proposed 5 MW Lower Rio Grande community solar project. (Albuquerque Journal)

• A southern California church says its rooftop solar array has outperformed expectations during its first two years in service. (Solar Power World)

GRID

• California’s clean energy industry and advocates urge lawmakers to increase funding for the state’s Demand Side Grid Support program, one of the nation’s largest virtual power plants, saying it saves all utility customers money. (Canary Media)

CRITICAL MINERALS

• A federal judge upholds the Bureau of Land Management’s 2024 approval of the proposed Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine in southern Nevada, rejecting advocates’ challenge over its potential impacts to an endangered wildflower. (Nevada Current)

COAL

• The U.S. Energy Department extends its order requiring the Craig 1 coal plant in northwestern Colorado to continue operating past its scheduled retirement date at the end of last year. (Coloradoan)

• Colorado advocates call on Xcel Energy to reveal more information about repairs to the utility’s Comanche 3 coal plant, which has been offline since August 2025. (KRCC)

OIL & GAS

• A federal judge rejects the Trump administration’s attempt to block California’s law barring oil and gas drilling near homes, schools, and hospitals, saying it is a reasonable environmental regulation. (Courthouse News)

• Sable Offshore begins selling oil from its contested platform off California’s coast after the Trump administration intervened against the state’s objections. (E&E News)

DATA CENTERS

• New Mexico’s Land Office denies an Energy Transfer subsidiary’s proposed lease for a natural gas pipeline that would serve the Project Jupiter data center complex under development in the southern part of the state. (Source NM)

• Montana regulators vote to reject motions to require NorthWestern Energy to disclose information about data center service agreements as part of its proposed merger with Black Hills Corp. (Daily Montanan)

UTILITIES

• Nevada regulators vote to allow NV Energy to delay rolling out its contested peak demand charge until the beginning of next year. (Nevada Current)

• Oregon regulators approve proposed rate increases for Portland General Electric and Pacific Power. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

• La Plata Electric cooperative in southwestern Colorado completes its split from power wholesaler Tri-State Generation & Transmission. (Big Pivots)