California advocates sue to stop Salton Sea lithium facility

LITHIUM: As construction begins at a lithium extraction and geothermal power plant at the Salton Sea, advocates sue to stop it, citing the project’s potential impacts to the environment and low-income residents. (Desert Sun)

UTILITIES:

• Arizona advocates praise Tucson Electric Power’s bid to shutter coal plants and increase clean energy on its grid, but criticize plans to add natural gas generation. (Arizona Daily Star)
• Wyoming lawmakers are set to consider six bills aimed at keeping utility rate hikes in check. (WyoFile)

OIL & GAS:

• New Mexico lawmakers strip an oil and gas reform bill of a provision that would require infrastructure to be set back from schools and other structures after industry lobbyists donate more than $800,000 to state politicians. (New Mexico In Depth)
• An unusually severe cold snap in Alaska coincides with natural gas well equipment failures, hindering fuel deliveries to utilities and customers. (Northern Journal)
• A coalition of oil and gas-producing Western states and tribal nations urge the Biden administration to reverse its LNG export terminal permitting pause. (news release)
• A company proposes drilling for oil and gas on a central California ranch that is part of Harvard University’s endowment fund. (Noozhawk)

FOSSIL FUELS: Wyoming economists predict falling oil and gas prices and coal production will lead to lower annual revenues than previously forecast, but expect wind facility construction to offset some of the losses. (WyoFile)

SOLAR:

• New Mexico lawmakers advance legislation offering tax credits to companies that install solar panels at public schools, while tabling a proposed tax on renewable energy producers. (NM Political Report)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management approves the proposed 44 MW Camino solar project in southern California. (news release)

BATTERIES: A San Diego community choice aggregator signs on to purchase power from a proposed battery energy storage facility and a separate solar-plus-storage installation. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

HYDROGEN:

• A company says its proposed green hydrogen production facility in Washington state partly hinges on securing a reliable supply of affordable clean energy to power it. (Salish Current)
• Analysts say high pump prices and supply chain constraints are hampering California’s effort to promote hydrogen-powered vehicle adoption. (S&P Global)

NUCLEAR:

• Colorado advocates push back on a proposal to replace a retiring coal plant with an advanced nuclear reactor, citing the expense and lengthy permitting and construction timelines. (Pueblo Chieftain)
• Hawaii lawmakers consider bills that would remove barriers to constructing nuclear power plants in the state. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser, subscription)

CLIMATE:

• Western lawmakers propose adding environmental rights to their state constitutions following last year’s Montana youths’ climate lawsuit victory. (E&E News, subscription)
• A peer-reviewed study finds human-caused climate change led to record-high temperatures in the Southwest over the last two decades, intensifying the drought. (Washington Post)