California, Northwest projects selected for hydrogen hub funding

HYDROGEN: The Biden administration awards $7 billion to proposed hydrogen development and production hubs nationwide, including projects in California and the Northwest. (Associated Press, news release)

ALSO: The developers of a proposed hydrogen pipeline that would cross the Navajo Nation attend a tribal fair to tout the project. (Navajo Times)

GRID:

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoes a bill aimed at expediting transmission permitting, citing concerns of bureaucratic overlap. (Los Angeles Times)
• Arizona Public Service was able to avoid heat-related outages and wildfire ignitions this summer even as customers set several peak energy demand records. (Arizona Republic)
• Western grid operators prepare for a predicted 65% to 90% solar power generation plunge during the Oct. 14 eclipse. (BNN Bloomberg)
• An Arizona town’s residents gear up to fight a proposed transmission line that would cross federal and private land. (Red Rock News)

UTILITIES:

• A California court rejects an environmentalists’ and consumer advocates’ lawsuit challenging San Diego’s franchise agreement with electric and natural gas utility SDG&E. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Pacific Gas & Electric says it is on track to underground at least 350 miles of utility lines by the end of the year to reduce fire hazard. (KRCR)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Colorado offers $2.5 million in grants to fund local and tribal electric bicycle incentive programs. (CPR)
• A Canadian company plans to produce 50 electric double-decker buses annually at a Las Vegas manufacturing facility. (Electric Autonomy)
• Sacramento, California, installs a zero-emissions mobility hub with clean energy-powered electric vehicle chargers, public transit and other services. (CBS Sacramento)

BATTERIES: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill requiring grid-scale battery energy storage facilities to establish safety and communication protocols. (Santa Cruz Sentinel)

TRANSPORTATION: A California transportation department executive is demoted after pushing back on an interstate-widening plan she believed would increase traffic and emissions. (Los Angeles Times)

OIL & GAS: 

• New Mexico researchers detect suspended solids, salts, microorganisms and radioactive material in oil and gas wastewater. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• New Mexico regulators plan to hold hearings in February on a proposal to ban the use of PFAS, or ​“forever chemicals,” from oil and gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• A natural gas pipeline explodes in Idaho, injuring one person and forcing the evacuation of about 10,000 residents. (Associated Press)
• A California court orders Phillips 66 to halt work on a proposed biofuel refinery in the Bay Area until the county complies with environmental review requirements. (news release)

DIVESTMENT: University of Colorado students and advocates urge the institution to divest from fossil fuels, saying the investments contribute to climate change and will lose value. (Daily Camera)

GEOTHERMAL: A New Mexico lawmaker plans to introduce legislation aimed at encouraging geothermal energy development after a similar bill was vetoed earlier this year. (NM Political Report)

CRITICAL MINERALS: Arizona researchers seek ways to extract critical elements such as lithium from copper mining tailings and other waste. (Arizona Daily Star)

NUCLEAR: The Idaho National Laboratory achieves 90% final design on its nuclear microreactor, clearing the way for fabrication and construction. (Power)

CARBON CAPTURE: A California energy company proposes capturing carbon from its industrial operations and injecting it into nearby oil fields. (Gas World)