California governor signs gasoline price spike law

OIL & GAS: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a law aimed at preventing gasoline price spikes by authorizing regulators to require refiners to maintain minimum fuel reserves. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR: Google signs a deal with a California nuclear startup to develop a fleet of small modular reactors to help power the tech giant’s data centers, but did not disclose the number or location of the proposed facilities. (Canary Media)

CLIMATE: A Hawaii court declares greenhouse gas emissions to be pollutants, bolstering local governments’ lawsuits seeking to hold oil and gas companies accountable for climate change’s effects. (E&E News, subscription)

CLEAN ENERGY:

• Industry observers say federal interconnection rules and high upfront costs stifle tribal nations’ ability to develop clean energy projects aimed at replacing lost fossil fuel jobs and bringing electricity to off-grid homes. (Utility Dive)
• Arizona advocates and scholars say this year’s race for three utility regulatory commission seats will determine whether the state embraces clean energy and fights climate change or continues the fossil fuel-heavy status quo. (Inside Climate News)

SOLAR:

• A developer secures $260 million in tax equity financing for a proposed 300 MW solar facility in central Arizona. (Renewables Now)
• A Colorado county considers a proposed 650 MW solar-plus-battery storage installation on a cattle feedlot. (BizWest, subscription)

UTILITIES:

• Colorado regulators allow Xcel Energy to transfer money to restart commercial energy efficiency initiatives after high demand, primarily from marijuana grow houses, drained the program’s funds. (Colorado Sun)
• Federal regulators reject Pacific Gas & Electric’s request to tack wildfire mitigation costs onto its rates, but allow the utility to recover costs from two equipment-sparked blazes. (RTO Insider, subscription)

GRID: Industry experts say increased battery storage capacity and broader support from the regional energy imbalance market led to an ​“uneventful” summer for the Western grid, even though extreme heat drove record high power demand. (RTO Insider, subscription)

BIOFUELS: Developers bring a $6.1 million biodiesel hub and fueling station online in southern Washington state. (Tri-City Herald)

GEOTHERMAL: An enhanced geothermal energy facility’s developers say drilling technology advances have increased the Utah project’s efficiency and lowered costs. (NPR)

COMMENTARY:

• A New Mexico columnist calls on Santa Fe to streamline solar permitting for big box store rooftops and parking lots, saying current codes hamper distributed clean energy development. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• A Utah advocate debunks claims the Biden administration is stifling oil and gas development and shows industry is pursuing less land and fewer permits for drilling. (Deseret News)
• Colorado academics urge both presidential candidates to craft policies aimed at encouraging critical mineral mining by streamlining regulations and increasing incentives. (Utility Dive)