California unveils $1 billion electric truck rebate program

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

• California announces the June 26 launch of its $1 billion California Clean Fuel Reward rebate program for electric medium and heavy-duty trucks as part of an effort to boost sales of zero-emission semis. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

GEOTHERMAL

• Fervo Energy’s initial public offering raises $1.9 billion to support land acquisitions and enhanced geothermal project development, including its Cape Station operations in Utah. (Canary Media)

CLEAN ENERGY

• California regulators are poised to decide next month whether to adopt proposed changes to the state’s community solar program that clean energy advocates say would diminish projects’ financial viability. (Utility Dive)

• Residential solar installer Bright Planet Solar lays off 60 workers at its Provo, Utah, facility, citing a shifting market. (Salt Lake Tribune)

• Wyoming electric cooperative Lower Valley Energy says it will continue to pursue its proposed community solar project after Lincoln County commissioners withdrew its permit. (Cowboy State Daily)

• A Yale University poll finds that more than 70% of Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico residents support renewable energy development on federal lands. (Utah Public Radio)

STORAGE

• Juniper Energy plans to deploy 500 MWh of Alsym Energy’s sodium-ion battery energy storage systems across California, saying the technology is more heat-resistant than lithium-ion batteries. (electrek)

FOSSIL FUELS

• A federal court rejects advocates’ lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to allow an offshore oil drilling platform along California’s coast to restart. (E&E News)

• Alaska’s Industrial Development and Export Authority approves spending up to $190 million on oil exploration and leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Northern Journal)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on 40 proposed oil and gas leases covering nearly 79,000 acres in northwestern Arizona, even though past drilling efforts in the area have been unsuccessful. (KJZZ, Arizona Republic)

• An Alaska review board plans this week to determine the trans-Alaska pipeline’s value and the amount of annual property taxes its owners would owe to the state and local boroughs. (Northern Journal)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management plans to auction 66 oil and gas leases on more than 29,000 acres in Montana and North Dakota in July. (news release)

GRID

• California advocates urge lawmakers to continue funding the state’s Demand-Side Grid Management Program, saying proposed budget cuts could kill the world’s largest virtual power plant. (Los Angeles Times)

UTILITIES

• Survivors of 2020 wildfires in Oregon ask the state’s Supreme Court to take up their class-action lawsuit against PacifiCorp seeking $1 billion in damages after a panel of judges dismissed the case due to a procedural flaw. (OPB)

• Montana advocates push back against NorthWestern Energy’s proposed $15.4 billion merger with Black Hills Corp, saying it would take control away from state residents. (Daily Montanan)

DATA CENTERS

• Stak Energy proposes a 3 GW data center and gas-fired power plant on Alaska’s North Slope, but did not disclose potential fuel sources or how it would overcome a seven-year gas turbine manufacturing backlog. (Northern Journal)