Biden gives big bucks to bolster battery supply chains

BATTERIES: The U.S. Energy Department awards a Colorado electric vehicle battery manufacturer $50 million as part of an effort to beef up the nation’s battery supply chain. (CPR)

ALSO: The U.S. Energy Department awards a manganese and zinc mine under development in southern Arizona $166 million to spur production of the battery metals. (Arizona Daily Star)

CLIMATE: A California report finds greenhouse gas emissions have dropped across all sectors in the state except residential and commercial, with transportation seeing the largest year-to-year decline as electric vehicle sales climb. (KTLA, news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• California advocates say slow grid connections are stifling electric truck charging infrastructure buildout and zero-emission big-rig adoption. (Canary Media)
• Industry observers blame a lack of a cohesive plan for Nevada failing to build out its electric vehicle charging infrastructure on schedule. (Nevada Independent)

SOLAR:

• A western Colorado county approves new land-use regulations aimed at preserving agricultural areas by encouraging utility-scale solar development on previously disturbed land. (Telluride Daily Planet)
• A rural Nevada county pushes back on the federal Bureau of Land Management’s plan to open hundreds of thousands of acres to solar development, fearing it will become ​“an industrial park.” (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• A firm breaks ground on a 400 MW solar-plus-battery storage project in rural eastern Utah. (Solar Industry)
• California regulators schedule a public meeting on a proposed 1,150 MW solar-plus-battery storage system and green hydrogen generator in Fresno County. (news release)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on the proposed Copper Rays solar project in Nye County, Nevada. (news release)

GRID: The Western power grid reached a record-breaking peak load on July 10 even though demand was relatively moderate on California’s system. (RTO Insider, subscription)

WIND: A Hawaii wind facility’s operator says a new system designed to deter bats and prevent collisions with turbines has been successful so far. (Hawaii Public Radio)

OIL & GAS: 

• New Mexico regulators propose raising oil and gas permitting fees to help fund staff to process applications and enforce rules. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• New Mexico advocates warn that Project 2025, the right-wing playbook for a second Trump administration, calls for nixing the oil and gas drilling ban around Chaco Culture National Historical Park. (NM Political Report) 

URANIUM: The Navajo Nation and a mining company continue working to negotiate a deal that would allow uranium ore shipments across tribal land. (AZ Mirror)