Colorado regulators order Xcel to expedite solar connections

SOLAR: Colorado regulators order Xcel Energy to file rooftop solar system grid-connection fees and timelines after customers complain about months-long interconnection delays. (Denver Post)

HYDROPOWER: A Washington state court allows the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe to proceed with its lawsuit against Seattle over its utility’s hydropower dams’ impact on salmon and other fish. (KING5)

BATTERIES: A lithium-ion battery manufacturer plans to establish a 500 MWh production facility in Colorado. (Denver Post)

GEOTHERMAL:
• A startup works to create flexible geothermal power plants and energy storage facilities at its Nevada testing site. (MIT Technology Review)
• Federal researchers develop maps guiding geothermal power development to areas where it has the least impact on imperiled greater sage-grouse. (news release)

UTILITIES: California consumer advocates and environmental groups urge regulators to reject SoCalGas’ proposal to generate an additional $5 billion in ratepayer revenue, saying it would disproportionately harm low-income customers. (Los Angeles Times)

ELECTRIFICATION: Advocates accuse a utility of ​“astroturfing” by falsely creating an illusion of grassroots support for its effort to overturn an Oregon city’s gas hookup ban. (Grist)

OIL & GAS:
• A federal court orders an oil and gas company to pay $65 million for repeated violations of federal and state environmental laws at its California facilities. (news release)
• U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, an Alaska Democrat, urges the Biden administration to approve the proposed Willow oil and gas drilling project, saying it is ​“an essential step forward in our energy transition.” (Newsweek)

COAL: New Mexico lawmakers advance a bill that would expand eligibility for and expedite distribution of funds from the state’s Energy Transition Act to workers affected by coal plant and mine closures. (NM Political Report)

HYDROGEN: Honda repurposes used electric vehicle hydrogen fuel cells to create a stationary power system for its California data center. (CleanTechnica)

CLIMATE: A Hawaii city and county ask the state’s Supreme Court to review their lawsuit accusing the oil and gas industry of lying about climate change. (E&E News, subscription)

COMMENTARY:
• A New Mexico leader calls on legislators to pass a bill that would overhaul the state’s foundational oil and gas law and reduce or prevent the industry’s most harmful impacts. (Albuquerque Journal)
• A Colorado journalist urges regulators to reform federal oil and gas leasing to ensure industry — not the taxpayer — funds abandoned well plugging and cleanup. (Writers on the Range)