Feds ask court to block California oil and gas setbacks

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.

OIL & GAS

• The Trump administration asks a federal court to block California’s law banning new oil and gas wells near residences, schools, and hospitals, saying it improperly restricts drilling on federal land. (Courthouse News)

• Colorado advocates propose ballot measures that would hold oil and gas operators more accountable for environmental damage and ban utilities from hoisting gas infrastructure costs on ratepayers. (CPR)

• Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources tentatively approves allowing oil and gas exploration on state land near the Yukon River. (Alaska Beacon)

• Alaska’s petroleum industry says a successful federal oil and gas lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve portends a bright future for the industry in the state. (Alaska Beacon)

• Eastern Montana officials say the oil and gas industry has shown increased interest in the region as neighboring North Dakota fields are tapped out. (Montana Free Press)

• Hawaii advocates push back against Japan firm JERA’s proposed 500 MW gas plant on Oahu, saying importing LNG is too expensive and unreliable. (E&E News)

• Oregon advocates slam NW Natural’s plan to acquire a natural gas pipeline from Coos County and recover repair costs from ratepayers, saying the utility should be electrifying the area rather than investing in fossil fuel infrastructure. (Oregonian)

UTILITIES

• NV Energy plans to stop supplying electricity to Lake Tahoe-area Liberty Utilities, citing unprecedented data center-driven demand growth and state clean energy targets. (CalMatters)

• NV Energy submits to regulators its new plan to protect its grid against wildfire and extreme heat impacts. (News 4)

DATA CENTERS

• California lawmakers, advocates, and residents push back on new data centers, citing energy and water use and disproportionate impacts to disadvantaged communities. (Los Angeles Times)

• New Mexico lawmakers call for public hearings on the Project Jupiter data center complex’s air quality permit for its proposed on-site natural gas generators. (Source NM)

CLEAN ENERGY

• New Mexico advocates urge regulators to quickly approve proposed new community solar rules to clear the way for 300 MW of new projects. (Albuquerque Journal)

• Jerome County, Idaho’s commissioners propose restricting utility-scale solar and wind projects to industrial zones. (KIVI)

• Utah firm rPlus Energies secures more than $650 million in debt and tax equity financing for its proposed 520 MW Blacks Creek solar facility in Ada County, Idaho. (Construction Owners)

STORAGE

• Western Colorado startup Micro-Grids develops a stand-alone, fire-resistant battery energy storage cabinet for outage-prone areas. (ColoradoBiz)

WILDLIFE

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agrees to decide by May 31 whether to extend Endangered Species Act protections to the Railroad Valley toad in Nevada, possibly affecting oil and gas drilling and lithium extraction. (Nevada Current)

POLLUTION

• Advocates say the Trump administration’s plan to revoke the regional haze rule and to keep coal plants running would lead to increased air pollution in national parks. (Associated Press)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• California startup Voltu Motors rolls out its first heavy-duty electric truck, a converted Ford F-350, to prospective buyers. (Riverside Record)

• Data show gas-powered car sales in Oregon outpaced those of electric vehicles last year for the first time in a decade after federal EV tax credits expired. (Oregonian)

GRID

• Heavy rains and flooding batter utility equipment in Hawaii, leaving more than 2,000 customers without power. (Los Angeles Times)