California oil field shuttered by pipeline spill set to reopen

OIL & GAS: A drilling company prepares to restart production at its offshore oilfield in southern California after a connecting pipeline’s 595-barrel spill of crude shut down operations in 2021. (Bloomberg)

ALSO:
• Colorado’s oil and gas industry reports its facilities’ emissions and water demand increased last year after regulators approved 883 new wells, but advocates say the estimates are too low. (Colorado Sun)
• A Colorado county dials back proposed oil and gas drilling regulations following a flurry of public input and debate. (Durango Herald)

POLLUTION: Colorado lawmakers consider requiring companies to prove proposed development would not further degrade local air quality. (CPR)

UTILITIES:
• Documents filed in a class-action lawsuit against PacifiCorp show Oregon regulators warned utilities about fire risks and urged them to depower utility lines ahead of the 2020 Labor Day wildfires. (OPB)
• Washington and New Mexico utilities join the Western regional reliability planning and compliance program. (S&P Global)
• Southwest Gas and NV Energy together contributed $380,000 to Nevada lawmakers’ campaigns last year, making them the state’s largest energy-related political donors. (Nevada Independent)

DATA CENTERS:
• A media outlet’s investigation finds 34 cryptocurrency mining centers across the U.S. — including ones in Montana and Washington state — together consume as much electricity as 3 million homes. (New York Times)
• Amazon says it has a deal to buy renewable energy to power its eastern Oregon data centers, but will not disclose the sources or amount it plans to purchase. (Oregonian)

HYDROGEN:
• Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah apply for more than $1 billion in federal funds to establish a regional hydrogen production and distribution hub that could employ as many as 26,000 people. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Hawaii Gas requests proposals to purchase renewable natural gas and hydrogen for use in utility gas distribution. (news release)

CLEAN ENERGY: U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich criticizes fellow New Mexico Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for vetoing clean energy tax credits in a budget package. (Albuquerque Journal)

SOLAR:
• California regulators dismiss Sunnova’s application to create a ​“micro-utility” that would install and operate solar-plus-storage microgrids to power home developments. (Solar Builder)
• Capital One makes a $90 million tax equity investment in the proposed 120 MW Jackpot Solar project in Idaho. (ABL Advisor)

WIND: An international maritime company proposing to build a terminal to support offshore West Coast wind development opens an office in northern California. (Lost Coast Outpost)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Colorado climate advocates clash with the real estate industry in urging lawmakers to require more electric vehicle chargers in multi-family buildings. (Colorado Sun)
• A report finds the nation’s most ​“EV-friendly” metro areas are all in the Western U.S., with Seattle in the top spot. (Smart Cities Dive)

CLIMATE: Washington lawmakers look to spend revenues from the state’s new carbon-cap program on electric buses and ferries and other clean energy projects. (Crosscut)

TRANSMISSION: A southern California utility votes to purchase private property to clear the way for a transmission line upgrade. (Desert Review)

COMMENTARY: Energy analysts urge states to follow California’s plan to phase out fossil fuel-powered car sales by 2035, saying it will create jobs, reduce pollution and save drivers money. (Energy News Network)