California coastal sanctuary, offshore wind move ahead

WIND: The Northern Chumash Tribe and wind energy companies agree to a phased establishment of a national marine sanctuary along central California’s coast that would clear the way for offshore wind development while providing protections the tribe seeks. (KCLU)

ALSO: The Biden administration plans to lease up to a dozen new federal offshore wind tracts over the next five years, including ones in California and Hawaii. (Associated Press)

SOLAR:

• Colorado lawmakers consider establishing a repository of model codes and ordinances aimed at helping local governments evaluate utility-scale clean energy development proposals. (Solar Power World)
• The Biden administration awards Washington state $156 million and Alaska $125 million to expand solar access to tribal nations and low-income residents. (Anchorage Daily News)
• An 80 MW solar installation that will provide power to Utah ski resorts, cities and a university is slated to come online later this spring. (KSL)

BATTERIES: Battery storage system output was the largest power source on California’s grid for the first time this week, surpassing natural gas, hydroelectric and wind generation for about two hours. (Renew Economy)

UTILITIES:

• Hawaii advocates back legislation that would support the state’s largest utility, saying the company’s stability is necessary to meeting clean energy targets. (Honolulu Civil Beat)
• Western utilities look to delay implementation of resource inadequacy penalties, saying supply chain constraints have hampered their ability to keep up with rising power demand. (Utility Dive)
• Wyoming lawmakers consider taxing electricity generation and exports in an effort to protect utility ratepayers from rising power costs. (WyoFile)

POLLUTION: The American Lung Association finds the Los Angeles area continues to be the nation’s smoggiest region, even though air quality has improved significantly over the last three decades. (Los Angeles Times)

HYDROGEN: The nation’s first commercial hydrogen fueling station for big-rig trucks opens at a port in Oakland, California. (Los Angeles Times)

OIL & GAS: 

• A study finds a serious oil spill within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could expose dozens of polar bears to lethal levels of crude and other compounds. (Carbon Brief)
• California lawmakers advance bills aimed at holding oil and gas companies financially liable for harm caused by drilling. (news release)

PUBLIC LAND: Western advocates and Republican lawmakers prepare for a legal battle over the Biden administration’s new federal public lands rule aimed at putting conservation on a par with extractive uses. (Utah News Dispatch, Source NM)

CLIMATE: The National Science Foundation awards an Alaska university $20 million to study how climate change could affect the state’s fishing and aquaculture industries. (KTOO)

BIOFUELS: Construction begins on a 13.4 MW power plant in California that will be fueled by wastewater-derived biogas. (Microgrid Knowledge)