California lawmakers look to make oil and gas pay for climate disasters

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FOSSIL FUELS

• California lawmakers introduce a bill that would levy a fee on oil and gas companies to pay for climate change-driven disasters. (Sierra)

• Wyoming lawmakers advance legislation that would subsidize enhanced oil recovery projects, or injecting captured carbon dioxide into aging wells to stimulate production. (Douglas Budget)

• Los Angeles officials exempt residents rebuilding after the Eaton and Palisades fires from a 2023 ordinance banning natural gas hookups in new homes, but some homeowners are still going all-electric. (Fresno Bee)

UTILITIES

• The Trump administration’s spending freeze throws nearly $3.2 billion in grants and loans to Colorado electrical co-ops into limbo. (Colorado Sun)

• California lawmakers explore ways to tackle rising utility rates, but acknowledge that efforts to address climate change and mitigate its effects have complicated the task. (KQED)

• Arizona lawmakers plan to reconsider legislation that would shield utilities from liability if their equipment sparks a wildfire. (Arizona Capitol Times)

• A Colorado municipal utility looks to the state for guidance on meeting greenhouse gas reduction goals after canceling planned clean energy projects due to rising costs. (Gazette)

• Colorado regulators approve Xcel Energy’s proposed new peak-rate times, allowing the utility to charge more for power on weekday evenings. (CPR)

GRID

• California grid experts urge regulators and utilities to inventory and address idled and abandoned transmission lines, saying they pose a wildfire hazard. (Fortune)

• A firm begins deploying its behind-the-meter hybrid flywheel battery energy storage systems at Utah commercial and industrial facilities as part of Rocky Mountain Power’s virtual power plant. (Utility Dive)

TRANSPORTATION

• California electric vehicle maker Rivian posted its first ever quarterly profit at the end of last year, but expects federal policies to dampen sales in 2025. (Mercury News)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Utah’s clean energy industry pushes back on a state lawmaker’s proposed annual tax on utility-scale wind and solar facilities that would fund wildlife conservation programs. (Utah News Dispatch)

• Some Colorado communities look to develop floating solar arrays as a way to reduce evaporation and save water. (Colorado Sun)

• Developers break ground on the 80 MW Ostrea solar installation in southeastern Washington. (Yakima Herald-Republic)

NUCLEAR

• A Colorado municipal utility considers adding a nuclear facility to its power generating fleet. (Power)

• U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, worries the Trump administration firing Energy Department workers will jeopardize safety at the Hanford nuclear site. (OPB)