Court upholds California rooftop solar cuts

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Western Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

CLEAN ENERGY

• A California appeals court upholds state regulators’ decision to slash net-metering incentives for rooftop solar, drawing advocates’ and industry’s criticism. (Utility Dive, Climate Colored Goggles)

• Tribal nations turn to philanthropy, low-interest loans, and nonprofits to pay for clean energy projects after the Trump administration claws back $1.5 billion in federal funding. (Grist)

• A private firm tests a solar-powered ionization system in Utah that is designed to help boost snow and rainfall. (Fox 13)

• Creekstone Energy secures a state land lease and zoning change in Utah for its proposed 1 GW solar installation that would power its planned Delta Gigasite data center. (Renewables Now, Indexbox)

• Avangrid completes panel installation at its 286 MW Tower solar project in Boardman, Oregon. (Renewables Now)

HYDROPOWER

• The Yakama Nation condemns federal regulators for green-lighting the proposed Goldendale pumped hydropower storage facility on a cultural site alongside the Columbia River in Washington state. (High Country News)

OIL & GAS

• Climate advocates file a lawsuit accusing New Mexico energy regulators of endangering residents’ health by failing to address thousands of unplugged, inactive oil and gas wells and related sites. (Source NM)

• A U.S. Justice Department legal opinion finds the Trump administration could invoke the Defense Production Act to overrule California regulators and restart Sable Offshore’s proposed drilling project off the state’s coast. (New York Times)

• Wyoming’s petroleum industry says spiking oil prices are unlikely to spur a drilling boom in the near-term because the situation is too volatile. (Cowboy State Daily)

COAL

• Xcel Energy proposes keeping four units at two Colorado coal plants open beyond their scheduled retirement dates to meet growing demand, drawing advocates’ pushback. (Colorado Sun)

ELECTRIFICATION

• Pacific Gas & Electric begins testing technologies designed to allow customers to electrify their homes without expensive upgrades while also avoiding grid overload. (Canary Media)

• PG&E plans to install 3,800 EV chargers at 88 sites in northern California by 2030 as part of an effort to electrify its entire vehicle fleet. (CleanTechnica)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• California auto analysts say EV sales in the state could tick up if Iran conflict-related oil and gasoline prices persist. (Los Angeles Times)

UTILITIES

• Arizona residents push back on the state’s largest utility’s proposed 14% rate hike and subsequent annual increases, saying it would be ​“untenable” for fixed-income customers. (Cronkite News)

CRITICAL MATERIALS

• The U.S. Forest Service releases its final environmental review for South32’s proposed Hermosa battery material mine expansion in southern Arizona. (E&E News)

CLIMATE

• A Hawaii bill that would have required fossil fuel companies to pay for climate-related insurance rate hikes dies in a legislative committee following the American Petroleum Institute’s opposition lobbying. (E&E News)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Offshore wind farms race toward completion despite Trump’s attacks — Maria Gallucci

• Base Power to launch 100-MW home battery network for Texas utility — Julian Spector

• A food bank cut costs with solar. A local Goodwill noticed. — Elizabeth Ouzts

• Oil and gas workers find an easy segue into geothermal jobs — Benton Graham