Colorado officials accuse Xcel Energy of obstructing wildfire probe

UTILITIES: Colorado officials accuse Xcel Energy of obstructing their probe of the 2021 Marshall Fire that investigators blamed on the utility’s equipment. (Denver 7)

ALSO:
• Xcel Energy tells shareholders it may not have enough insurance to pay damages stemming from Marshall Fire-related lawsuits. (CPR)
• California advocates urge Pacific Gas & Electric to install covered conductors and insulate power lines to further mitigate wildfire risk. (Utility Dive)

TRANSPORTATION: Federal regulators greenlight the first 49-mile segment of a proposed Los Angeles-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line. (Press-Enterprise)

OIL & GAS:
• A Colorado county urges the federal Bureau of Land Management to conduct a full review of a proposed oil-train terminal expansion in Utah, saying it could increase petroleum-hauling rail traffic through the region. (Colorado Newsline)
• A southern California county seeks $1.8 million from Chevron for the 2022 cleanup of an abandoned pipeline oil spill. (Los Angeles Times)
• Biden administration officials say New Mexico’s ozone pollution rules for oil and gas operations could serve as a model for federal regulations. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• New Mexico economists predict the state’s oil and gas production could begin declining as soon as 2028. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• Alaska appeals a March federal court ruling allowing ConocoPhillips to keep drilling data secret. (Alaska Beacon)

BATTERIES: Southern California fire officials report an increase in blazes sparked by lithium-ion battery malfunctions. (KRDO)

SOLAR:
• An Arizona solar panel manufacturer plans to leverage federal infrastructure bill tax credits to establish its fifth U.S. factory in an undisclosed location. (Utility Dive)
• Arizona prosecutors sue a residential solar retailer and installer for allegedly misleading and pressuring potential customers. (KTAR)

TRANSITION: Northwest New Mexico officials say the region’s transition from a fossil fuel-reliant economy is progressing, but much work remains. (Farmington Daily Times)

COAL: Peabody says a June tornado caused $5 million worth of damage and hampered coal shipments at one of its Powder River Basin mines. (County 17)

GRID: A powerful monsoon storm snaps utility lines in southern Arizona, leaving more than 50,000 customers without power during a record heat wave. (Arizona Daily Star)

NUCLEAR: The U.S. Senate passes an amendment aimed at increasing domestic advanced nuclear reactor fuel production and jumpstarting uranium mining in Utah and Wyoming. (Cowboy State Daily) 

CLIMATE: California researchers find climate change-exacerbated rising temperatures led to the loss of 10 trillion gallons of water in the Colorado River Basin over two decades, depleting reservoirs and diminishing hydropower capacity. (Los Angeles Times)