California unions lobby for a just transition for workers

TRANSITION: California labor unions form a political coalition aimed at lobbying state lawmakers to help fossil fuel workers transition to clean energy jobs and protect workers from global warming’s effects. (Los Angeles Times)

CARBON CAPTURE:

• Advocates call on the Biden administration to end tax credits for injecting captured carbon into Permian Basin oil wells to stimulate production, saying it amounts to subsidizing fossil fuel extraction. (Washington Post)
• California residents and advocates push back on Kern County’s proposal to establish a carbon management business park, saying it would saddle underserved communities with industrial pollution. (Bakersfield Californian)

OIL & GAS: A New Mexico county votes to oppose a utility’s proposed liquefied natural gas storage facility on the outskirts of Rio Rancho following an outpouring of safety and climate concerns. (KRQE)

CLEAN ENERGY: The federal Bureau of Land Management’s Idaho office begins requiring clean energy developers to gather public input on proposed projects before the agency’s environmental review. (KIFI)

SOLAR:

• Idaho Power customers urge regulators to reject the utility’s proposal to slash compensation for electricity generated by rooftop solar systems installed after 2019. (Idaho Capital Sun)
• California advocates say a proposal to prohibit residents of multi-meter properties from consuming their own rooftop solar production would be a ​“blatant seizure of property.” (PV Magazine)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• California awards a firm $1.88 million to install 247 electric vehicle chargers at multifamily structures in low-income and disadvantaged southern California communities. (news release)
• California Bay Area communities and nonprofits roll out electric bicycle rebate and lending library programs. (Government Technology)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The U.S. EPA allocates tens of millions of dollars to Western projects aimed at advancing environmental justice, ranging from pollution monitoring to health impact assessments to home electrification efforts. (news release)

GRID: Idaho launches a federally funded $9.3 million grant program for utilities and electric cooperatives to harden power grids against extreme weather and wildfires. (Boise State Public Radio)

EFFICIENCY: Public Service Company of New Mexico awards 40 nonprofits $200,000 for efficiency upgrades. (KRQE)

BATTERIES:

• California officials say the state has 6,600 MW of grid-scale battery storage, a 757% increase over four years. (Energy Storage News)
• A developer secures $60 million to finance remaining construction of a 200 MW battery storage system in California. (PV Magazine)

CLIMATE: Residents of California’s San Joaquin Valley struggle to adapt to living in what experts call a front line for climate change impacts. (Los Angeles Times)

UTILITIES: Wyoming lawmakers consider a raft of bills aimed at protecting ratepayers from rising utility costs. (WyoFile)