Biden considers $1 billion loan for Thacker Pass lithium mine

LITHIUM: The Biden administration considers lending $1 billion to the developers of the controversial Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada as part of an effort to establish a critical mineral domestic supply chain. (Bloomberg)

UTILITIES:

• Northern Colorado advocates push back against a utility’s plan to build a natural gas peaker plant that can later be converted to burn hydrogen. (Coloradoan)
• Rural Colorado electrical cooperatives look to exit contracts with wholesale providers Tri-State Generation and Transmission and Xcel Energy in search of cleaner, more affordable power. (Colorado Sun)

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TRANSPORTATION: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis seeks local leaders’ support for a proposed passenger rail line along the state’s populous Front Range. (CPR)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A northern California transit authority adopts a plan aimed at accelerating electric vehicle deployment by expediting public charging station installations, electrifying public fleets and educating residents. (Marin Independent Journal)
• A Colorado resort town plans to significantly expand its electric bicycle sharing program after a successful rollout earlier this year. (Summit Daily)

SOLAR: Washington state awards $35.4 million to governments, tribal nations and nonprofits to plan and install solar-plus-battery storage systems at community buildings. (Issaquah Reporter)

WIND:

• Chumash advocates urge the Biden administration to expand a proposed marine sanctuary to include areas targeted for offshore wind development along California’s central coast. (Guardian)
• A report finds a complete buildout of offshore wind power along the West Coast would require up to $35 billion in port construction and upgrades. (Wind Power Monthly)

PUBLIC LANDS: California environmental advocates credit the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein with protecting millions of acres of public lands from solar, wind and other development via a 1994 law and encouraging national monument designations. (Los Angeles Times)

STORAGE: A California energy firm says adding 16 MW of battery storage to a natural gas peaker plant has reduced the facility’s particulate emissions by as much as 78%. (Power)

GRID: California’s grid operator proposes prioritizing interconnection requests in zones with existing or under-development transmission to reduce backlogs. (RTO Insider, subscription)

POLLUTION: Oregon joins nine other states suing the U.S. EPA for failing to regulate wood stove emissions. (KOIN)

CLIMATE: Oregon natural gas providers ask an appeals court to toss out the state climate plan’s requirement that they slash greenhouse gas emissions 90% by 2050. (IJPR)

OIL & GAS: 

• An Alaska-owned bank plans to sell a troubled North Slope oil and gas operation that was foreclosed upon after the previous owners failed to repay a state loan. (Alaska Beacon)
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom has not said if he will sign a bill that would require oil and gas companies to set aside enough money to pay the full cleanup costs of high-risk wells. (ProPublica)