Drought threatens hydropower at Glen Canyon Dam

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.

HYDROPOWER

• Climate change-exacerbated drought and overconsumption push the Colorado River and Lake Powell’s water levels to an all-time low, threatening hydropower production at Glen Canyon Dam. (Los Angeles Times, Land Desk)

FOSSIL FUELS

• New Mexico regulators propose a rule aimed at monitoring and mitigating methane super-emitters by working with third parties to identify leaks at oil and gas facilities. (KRQE)

• Southwestern Colorado officials call on federal regulators to take measures to prevent a repeat of a 2025 gasoline pipeline spill that contaminated groundwater and rendered homes uninhabitable. (Durango Herald)

• Advocates push back on the federal Bureau of Land Management’s proposal to lower oil and gas well reclamation bonding rates, saying it would incentivize firms to abandon facilities and heft cleanup costs on taxpayers. (Utah Public Radio)

• California lawmakers advance a union-backed bill that would preserve petroleum refinery safety rules that are up for revision as part of a legal settlement with the oil and gas industry. (CalMatters)

UTILITIES

• Nevada regulators reject the state Bureau of Consumer Protection’s call for a public hearing on NV Energy’s proposed 2027 Integrated Resource Plan, drawing advocates’ criticism. (Nevada Current)

GRID

• Tropical storm Lala batters utility infrastructure in Hawaii, leaving more than 150,000 customers without power. (CNN)

• California lawmakers advance bills that would guide and set compensation rates for virtual power plants using distributed resources to reduce grid strain. (Solar Power World)

• Los Angeles-area residents renew calls for Southern California Edison to underground utility lines in Newport Beach, saying it would improve safety, reliability, and aesthetics. (Los Angeles Times)

DATA CENTERS

• Energy Transfer delays the expected completion date for its Green Chile natural gas pipeline in southern New Mexico designed to serve Oracle’s Project Jupiter data center. (Oil Price)

NUCLEAR

• California business groups, labor unions, and elected officials call for Diablo Canyon nuclear plant to continue operating until 2045, saying it is needed to meet growing power demand. (Los Angeles Times)

MINING

• A Democratic New Mexico lawmaker calls for a uranium mining moratorium to allow the state to develop regulations that ​“reflect the needs of our communities.” (Source NM)

• Oregon regulators issue exploratory drilling permits to HiTech Minerals for its proposed McDermitt Caldera lithium extraction project in the southern part of the state. (news release)

• U.S. Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) introduces legislation that would expand a federal manufacturing tax credit to critical mineral extraction projects. (Deseret News)

HYDROGEN

• Observers say competition from electric vehicles, federal funding cuts, and high production costs have all but killed California’s plans to fuel automobiles and electricity generation with hydrogen. (Los Angeles Times)