California may axe EV charger requirements for affordable housing

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Western Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• A California lawmaker introduces legislation that would exempt new affordable housing construction from a rule requiring multifamily buildings to be equipped with EV charging infrastructure, sparking advocates’ concern. (Canary Media)

OIL & GAS

• New Mexico regulators vote to hike oil and gas facility and other industrial air quality permit fees in an effort to boost funding for inspections, monitoring, and enforcement. (Source NM)

• Continental Resources and Devon Energy appeal a federal judge’s ruling requiring the federal Bureau of Land Management to redo its review of the proposed 5,000-well Converse County oil and gas drilling project in Wyoming. (E&E News)

• Alaska energy officials say Iran war-spurred high gasoline and heating oil prices could lead to a ​“survival scenario” for rural villages. (Northern Journal)

RESEARCH

• Advocates criticize the Trump administration’s proposal to slash the National Laboratory of the Rockies’ budget by more than 50%, saying it would lead to staff cuts and expertise loss at the Colorado facility. (PV Tech)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Silverthorne, Colorado, kicks off its Energy Action Plan aimed at reducing per capita energy consumption and increasing utility-scale and rooftop solar generation. (Summit Daily)

• Xcel Energy brings online solar-plus-storage installations in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico. (news release)

• A county jail in California expects to offset about 55% of its annual energy use with a new carport solar-plus-storage array. (news release)

• A Renewable America report finds California’s distribution grid has the capacity to support 5.4 GW of community-scale solar and storage. (news release)

DATA CENTERS

• Development firm Green Data proposes a 10 GW solar-plus-storage facility to power a proposed 2 GW data center near Socorro, New Mexico. (El Defensor Chieftain)

• New Mexico environmental groups urge federal regulators not to fast-track reviews and permitting for a proposed natural gas pipeline that would feed the Project Jupiter data center’s generators. (Source NM)

• Tucson, Arizona’s city council proposes new large data center zoning that would establish a rigorous review process and require developers to disclose projected water and energy use. (Tucson Agenda)

ELECTRIFICATION

• Xcel Energy moves to expand a Colorado program that connects heat pump installers and customers to help residents electrify their homes. (news release)

STORAGE

• California community-choice aggregator Ava Community Energy launches an $11.25 million rooftop solar-plus-storage incentive program that allows customers to share up to 80% of their home battery capacity. (Utility Dive)

HYDROPOWER

• California climate advocates call on state regulators to track methane emissions from reservoirs, saying it would help inform hydropower-related policy decisions. (Los Angeles Times)

NUCLEAR

• Idaho and Utah officials seek ways to develop the skilled workforce required by the burgeoning nuclear power industry. (Utah News Dispatch)

COMMENTARY

• A climate journalist explains how he came to support the controversial proposed Soda Mountain solar-plus-storage facility in the Mojave Desert even though it could disrupt imperiled bighorn sheep habitat. (Climate Colored Goggles)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Vermont’s first neighborhood geothermal project prepares to break ground — Sarah Shemkus

• Stegra lands funding to complete world’s first major green-steel mill — Maria Gallucci

• What to expect as Ohio utility corruption trial heads for a do-over — Kathiann M. Kowalski

• Georgia Power will now let data centers bring their own clean energy — Jeff St. Johnwe