Biden plans offshore drilling ban

OIL & GAS: President Biden reportedly plans to use a 1953 law to ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in parts of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and other federal waters in an effort to cement his environmental legacy. (New York Times)

ALSO:

• New Mexico lawmakers reconsider a proposal to allow treated oil and gas wastewater to be reused for industrial, manufacturing and agricultural processes. (Inside Climate News)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management extends the public comment period for proposed natural gas and produced water pipelines in western Colorado. (Post-Independent)

PUBLIC LANDS: President Biden plans to designate two new national monuments and ban new solar, wind or geothermal development on 644,000 acres of federal land in southern California and on 200,000 acres in the northern part of the state. (Los Angeles Times)

POLLUTION: Data show Colorado’s populous Front Range exceeded federal ozone pollution limits on 41 days last year, putting the state’s goal of reaching U.S. EPA standards by 2027 into doubt. (Colorado Newsline)

CLEAN ENERGY: Colorado ski towns and a rural electric association surge ahead of the state as a whole in their quest to decarbonize the power grid while also keeping rates relatively low. (Vail Daily)

SOLAR: A peer-reviewed study finds many optimal utility-scale solar development sites in the Southwest overlap with prime habitat for imperiled wildlife. (news release)

DIVESTMENT: Oregon’s first progress report on efforts to decarbonize its state employee retirement fund finds the portfolio includes more than $370 million worth of investments in fossil fuel companies. (Californian)

CARBON CAPTURE: A Wyoming lawmaker proposes closing a loophole exempting carbon capture and sequestration projects from paying property taxes. (Wyoming Tribune Eagle)

NUCLEAR:

• Utah and Texas file a lawsuit accusing federal regulators of hindering small modular nuclear reactor development with overly stringent, costly and time-consuming licensing requirements. (Washington Examiner)
• Utah officials urge lawmakers to encourage nuclear power development to help meet data centers’ growing power demand. (KUER)

GRID:

• Nevada regulators issue permits for NV Energy’s proposed Greenlink West high-voltage transmission project, clearing the way for construction to begin this year. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• California’s grid operator says utilities may continue to participate only in its Western Energy Imbalance Market after its day-ahead market is launched. (RTO Insider, subscription)

COMMENTARY: A California editorial board urges President-elect Trump to retain federal electric vehicle incentives, saying they enjoy bipartisan favor, support American jobs and can help fight climate change. (Los Angeles Times)