Colorado coal town taps clean energy to lure new industry

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.

GEOTHERMAL

• Hayden, Colorado, installs a geothermal heating and cooling system in a new business park designed to help the community weather the planned 2028 closure of a coal plant and associated mine. (Canary Media)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management plans this week to auction 18 parcels for geothermal leases on about 70,000 acres in southern Idaho. (news release)

COAL

• Rocky Mountain Power is slated to shutter its Naughton coal plant in Wyoming at the end of the month and convert it to run on natural gas, but the associated mine plans to continue operating. (WyoFile)

• President Trump signs legislation revoking resource management plans and Biden-era coal leasing bans in the Powder River Basin, drawing praise from Republican Montana and Wyoming lawmakers. (Cowboy State Daily)

• University of Wyoming researchers look to develop non-combustion uses for coal, such as for building materials, road-paving, and as a soil amendment. (Wyoming Public Radio)

DATA CENTERS

• Chandler, Arizona’s city council votes to reject a proposal to rezone a parcel of land to make way for a data center following residents’ opposition over the facility’s potential water and power use. (E&E News)

• Pima County, Arizona’s board of supervisors is set to vote on the proposed Project Blue data center’s pledge to use air-cooling to save water and match its energy consumption with renewable sources. (Arizona Daily Star)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Wyoming ranchers say state lawmakers and weak net-metering policies have stymied their efforts to use ranch-scale solar projects to slash their electricity bills. (Inside Climate News)

• A proposed agrivoltaics solar installation in a Navajo Nation community raises concerns after rumors arise that it might include a new data center. (Arizona Republic)

• Two southern California Costco distribution centers plan to install fully-integrated off-grid solar-plus-storage systems with electric truck charging stations. (news release)

UTILITIES

• Clean energy advocates and Nevada’s Consumer Protection Bureau file a lawsuit accusing state utility regulators of illegally approving NV Energy’s proposed new billing formula, saying it harms rooftop solar customers. (Nevada Independent)

OIL & GAS

• California advocates say a spate of recent oil and gas-related spills and a new law aimed at encouraging more drilling tarnish Gov. Gavin Newsom’s climate-friendly reputation. (Inside Climate News)

• Federal and California regulators launch a probe of a natural gas pipeline explosion in Hayward that injured six people and destroyed a building. (KQED)

• Washington state’s congressional delegation calls on BP to release details about the causes and effects of the Olympic Pipeline breach and petroleum leak in November. (news release)

BIOFUELS

• University of California researchers find increasing ethanol content in gasoline can cut carbon dioxide, particulate, and nitrogen oxide emissions and lower fuel prices. (news release)

TRANSPORTATION

• A federal judge rejects the Trump administration’s bid to dismiss California’s lawsuit challenging the termination of $4 billion in federal funding for the state’s high-speed rail project. (E&E News)

• California’s Transportation Commission approves $1.1 billion in new funding for zero-emission transit, roadway safety upgrades, and resilient infrastructure. (Streets Blog)

CRITICAL MINERALS

• Ionic Minerals Technology says it has identified a large deposit of critical minerals and rare earth elements south of Salt Lake City, Utah. (Grist)

GRID

• A northern California city seeks a Pacific Gas & Electric grant to develop a community solar-plus-storage powered microgrid to provide backup to city facilities during outages. (news release)

COMMENTARY

• A Colorado researcher says data centers are reshaping the state’s environmental and economic landscape and urges state leaders to adopt smart, transparent policy to guide their growth. (Colorado Newsline)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Indiana says it’s retiring two coal plants, but is it making other plans? — Kari Lydersen

• Permitting talks are back, and clean energy is caught in the middle — Kathryn Krawczyk