Court revives tribes’ SunZia lawsuit

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GRID

• A federal court revives the Tohono O’odham and San Carlos Apache tribes’ lawsuit seeking to block a segment of the SunZia transmission project in southern Arizona, saying a judge’s previous ruling was in error. (Courthouse News)

• Xcel Energy looks to join SPP’s regional day-ahead power market to comply with Colorado law, but critics say the upfront costs are too high and the benefits minimal. (Colorado Sun)

• Pacific Gas & Electric anticipates significant power demand increases in the San Jose area as data centers come online in Silicon Valley. (East Bay Times)

• California Independent System Operator’s board approves a $4.8 billion transmission plan that will see 31 projects built over the next 15 years. (Renewable Energy World)

• California’s grid operator records a new all-time record highs for utility-scale solar generation and battery energy storage output. (PV Magazine)

CLIMATE

• Hawaii Gov. Josh Green signs legislation increasing lodging taxes to help fund climate change mitigation projects. (Associated Press)

TRANSPORTATION

• California advocates call on lawmakers to reject Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to slash $1.5 billion in public transit funding, saying it could harm the state’s climate goals. (Fresno Bee)

MINING

• The U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear a lawsuit from nonprofit Apache Stronghold seeking to block a proposed copper mine at Oak Flat in central Arizona. (NBC News)

• Utah regulators look to encourage mineral exploration and development by decreasing royalty rates on uranium and lithium extracted from state lands. (Salt Lake Tribune)

SOLAR

• A Colorado energy independence advocate says proposed cuts to federal residential solar tax credits would be catastrophic to small installation firms and a ​“knife in the back” to families with rooftop arrays. (Aspen Times)

HYDROPOWER

• Federal analysts expect hydropower production in the Northwest to rebound this summer after drought led to near historic low outputs last year. (KDRV)

NUCLEAR

• Wyoming lawmakers consider legislation that would allow temporary spent nuclear reactor fuel storage in the state after a similar bill was voted down last year. (WyoFile)

• TerraPower asks Wyoming lawmakers to shield its private security force from some civil liabilities relating to incidents at its advanced nuclear reactor under development in the western part of the state. (WyoFile)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Southern California nonprofits and agencies seek public input on a proposed plan to transform a former 387-acre oil and gas field in Orange County into a nature preserve. (Los Angeles Times)

COMMENTARY

• A Colorado advocate urges federal lawmakers to reject the Trump administration’s ​“energy dominance” agenda, saying it is an assault on public lands to benefit the fossil fuel industry. (Writers on the Range)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Startup Talusag partners with farming cooperative Landus to produce green ammonia on a modular scale, hoping to create a model that could cut carbon and costs from fertilizer production nationwide, Jeff St. John reports.

• The collapse and bankruptcy of EV battery recycling startup Li-Cycle underscores the battery recycling industry’s challenges, especially as federal support dwindles, Julian Spector reports.