Colorado pollution monitors contradict oil industry claims

OIL & GAS: Colorado cities’ air monitors contradict oil and gas industry claims that emissions from their facilities are declining. (Colorado Sun)

ALSO:
• California lawmakers advance a bill purportedly aimed at increasing transparency on imported oil’s emissions, but that experts say would increase drilling in the state while understating resulting emissions. (Capital & Main)
• A Wyoming petroleum industry group challenges an environmentalists’ lawsuit attempting to revoke more than 3,500 federal oil and gas drilling permits. (Oil City News)

UTILITIES: New Mexico regulators reject a utility’s bid to delay issuing refunds to customers following the closure of a coal power plant later this year. (NM Political Report)

EFFICIENCY:
• An Oregon city considers decarbonizing its building stock by prioritizing electrification and efficiency of existing homes over banning natural gas hookups in new construction. (Register-Guard)
• Honolulu, Hawaii, passes a law requiring high-rise owners to monitor buildings’ electricity, water and natural gas use. (Hawaii News Now) 

WIND: A project replacing 104 old turbines with new, more powerful equipment at a California wind power facility is completed ahead of schedule. (Santa Barbara Independent) 

SOLAR:
• New Mexico’s community solar program, aimed at expanding low-income homeowners’ and renters’ access to renewable energy, goes into effect after a year-long rulemaking process. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• Washington state energy officials extend the approval process deadline for two proposed solar facilities in Yakima County. (Yakima Herald)

COAL: The U.S. Interior Department issues guidance to states and the Navajo Nation for applying for $725 million in federal funds to clean up abandoned coal mines. (Associated Press)

GRID:
• Electricity demand on Public Service Company of New Mexico’s grid hits a record high, but officials say delaying closure of a coal power plant makes blackouts unlikely. (Albuquerque Journal)
• High temperatures push power demand to an all-time high on a southern New Mexico utility’s grid. (El Paso Times)
• About 15,000 households are left without power in southcentral Alaska after workers knock a tree into utility equipment. (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
• Substation equipment damage leaves 21,000 households without power in California’s Monterey Peninsula. (KION)

STORAGE: Battery storage deployment slows in California, raising concerns that a goal of 4,000 MW total capacity by summer’s end will not be reached. (Energy Storage News) 

URANIUM: A U.S. Senate committee’s tie vote stalls a bill that would permanently ban uranium mining on federal land around Grand Canyon National Park. (E&E News, subscription)

CLIMATE: Portland, Oregon’s city commission approves a ​“Climate Emergency” roadmap guiding efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. (Oregonian)

HYDROPOWER: Climate change-exacerbated drought causes Lake Mead water levels to drop to a record low, further diminishing hydropower generating capacity. (Los Angeles Times)