Colorado regulators send oil and gas project back to drawing board

OIL & GAS: Colorado regulators temporarily block a proposed 26-well oil and gas drilling project in the northeastern part of the state and order the developer to consider locations where local residents would have more input. (Colorado Sun)

CLEAN ENERGY: A Washington state report finds property owners can generate far more revenue leasing pastures and cropland for wind and solar development than from farming the same parcels. (Capital Press)

TRANSPORTATION: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis unveils a plan aimed at reducing transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions and meeting climate goals by incentivizing transit ridership, biking and walking over the next decade. (Colorado Newsline)

GRID: A bomb cyclone slams the Northwest and batters utility equipment, leaving about 600,000 customers without power. (Associated Press)

ELECTRIFICATION:

• A Los Angeles affordable housing group begins installing electric heat pump space and water heaters and coolers and induction cook stoves in 482 residential units. (EnergyTech)
• Arizona officials say a federally funded program aimed at bringing electric heat pump cooling systems to low-income households has been delayed by cumbersome eligibility requirements. (KJZZ)
• Some Silicon Valley cities implement building codes that incentivize electrification in new buildings while leaving room for some gas appliances. (San Jose Spotlight)

COAL: Wyoming mining officials hope the incoming Trump administration will ​“roll some stuff back and bring a 180-degree turn” to the federal government’s approach to fossil fuels, even though that is unlikely to halt the coal industry’s decline. (Cowboy State Daily)

URANIUM: Arizona advocates and scientists call for a new environmental analysis of a uranium mine near the Grand Canyon, saying the 1986 review is outdated. (news release)

COMMENTARY:

• A California columnist looks into a proposal to revive a troubled proposed groundwater project in the southern part of the state as a solar-powered green hydrogen production facility. (Los Angeles Times)
• A California columnist calls on federal lawmakers to pass legislation aimed at providing a consent-based solution for disposing of and storing nuclear reactor waste. (Mercury News)