Conservationists urge Utah to revoke oil shale proposal’s water rights

OIL & GAS: A conservation group calls on Utah officials to revoke an electric cooperative’s rights to water that it says could be used for a proposed oil shale mine and processing plant. (KUER)

ALSO: Industry experts say a sale of low-producing oil and gas wells in Colorado illustrates how companies shuffle assets around to evade liability for cleanup costs and hoist it on the public. (High Country News)

WIND:
• The Western Area Power Administration approves the interconnection of a proposed 504 MW wind facility in Wyoming to its grid, clearing the way for construction to begin. (ReNews.biz)
• A California elected officials’ advocacy group calls for expedited permitting of West Coast offshore wind power facilities. (KCBX)

SOLAR:
• Western Colorado officials begin creating rules for land use and revenue from an expected surge in utility-scale solar development proposals. (Big Pivots)
• Solar power advocates gather at a southern California utility’s headquarters to protest proposed cuts to rooftop solar net metering payments. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• A renewable energy developer and Arizona utility partner to construct a 300 MW solar-plus-storage facility in the central part of the state. (PV Magazine)
• New Mexico researchers develop a transparent coating that helps photovoltaic panels shed snow and ice and increase power output. (news release)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Federal transportation officials approve Colorado’s proposal to build out an electric vehicle charging network along 3,164 miles of roads. (Denver Gazette)
• King County, Washington’s city council votes to require developers to install electric vehicle chargers in at least 10% of new apartment buildings’ parking spaces. (GeekWire)
• California allocates $125 million for an incentive program for purchasing zero-emissions off-road industrial equipment and vehicles. (Freight Waves)

HYDROPOWER: Federal officials say a transformer fire Tuesday at Hoover Dam was extinguished without injuries or interruption to the power grid. (Reuters)

CLIMATE:
• Boulder, Colorado, considers a tax on electricity and natural gas utility bills that would raise funds for climate resiliency projects. (CPR)
• A Colorado startup says it has developed a method to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using mine waste. (Canary Media)

COMMENTARY: Renewable energy advocates call on the federal government to encourage West Coast offshore wind power development by funding new transmission and offering tax credits for floating wind turbines. (Utility Dive)