California firm defies regulators as it restarts offshore drilling

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FOSSIL FUELS

• California regulators say a petroleum company is working to restart production without necessary state permits at offshore oil facilities that suffered a catastrophic 2015 spill. (Los Angeles Times)

• The Trump administration cancels a Biden-era proposal to withdraw 264,000 acres of federal land in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains from new oil, gas, and geothermal leasing. (Nevada Current)

• Alaska youth advocates ask the state’s Supreme Court to delay a proposed liquefied natural gas export facility’s transfer to a private firm until their lawsuit seeking to block the project is heard. (E&E News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• As congressional Republicans look to revoke California’s vehicle emissions waivers, the U.S. Senate parliamentarian pushes back on their efforts and says the rules aren’t subject to the Congressional Review Act. (The Hill)

• Washington state officials say stagnating EV sales — driven by opposition to Elon Musk and Tesla — could put the state’s clean-car targets out of reach. (OPB)

• U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, a Nevada Republican, urges fellow lawmakers to retain Biden-era electric vehicle tax credits he originally voted against, saying the state’s lithium mining and battery production industries depend on them. (Nevada Independent)

STORAGE

• California lithium-sulfur battery startup Lyten says the Trump administration’s tariffs on construction materials may hamper its plans to expand manufacturing facilities for its mostly domestically sourced products. (Heatmap)

CLEAN ENERGY

• The Trump administration freezes nearly $2.3 billion in loans and grants to Arizona Public Service Co. and electric cooperatives for proposed solar-plus-storage facilities. (Arizona Daily Star)

• A Hawaii nonprofit donates mobile solar units to communities rebuilding after the deadly 2023 Maui wildfires. (Maui Now)

GEOTHERMAL

• A New Mexico university launches a graduate program focusing on geothermal energy. (New Mexico Political Report)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management schedules a virtual public meeting about geothermal leasing and development on public lands in Idaho. (news release)

CLIMATE

• Advocates urge policymakers not to merge Washington state’s carbon cap-and-invest market with California’s, saying it could benefit polluters and lead to disproportionate impacts to disadvantaged communities. (E&E News)

MINING

• Federal data show Wyoming and Utah uranium mines’ production rebounded in 2024 after six years of near dormancy. (news release)

• A proposed battery-grade graphite mine in Alaska triples its projected production rate following the Trump administration’s pro-mining executive order. (Nome Nugget)

COMMENTARY

• A California columnist calls on regulators to address rising electricity bills by capping utility profits rather than slashing compensation for rooftop solar. (East Bay Times)

• Utah advocates urge federal lawmakers to keep Biden-era clean energy tax credits in place, saying repealing them could slash the state’s GDP by $1.34 billion. (Deseret News)