Eugene becomes first Oregon city to ban natural gas hookups

ELECTRIFICATION: Eugene, Oregon, votes to prohibit natural gas hookups in new low-rise residential buildings and becomes the state’s first city to enact such a ban. (KLCC)

OIL & GAS: Federal regulators greenlight reopening a natural gas pipeline shut down by a 2021 explosion in Arizona, possibly easing supply constraints in California. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

SOLAR:
• The federal Bureau of Land Management greenlights construction of the 300 MW Desert Quartzite solar project in southeastern California. (news release)
• The Bureau of Land Management schedules an additional public hearing on proposed changes to its Western solar energy program due to substantial interest. (news release)
• A 100 MW solar facility in Arizona goes online to provide power to Salt River Project and a future Meta data center. (PVTech)
• A California company signs on to install solar on several multi-family residential buildings across the state. (PV Magazine)

WIND: Some Washington state residents urge regulators to reject a proposed 600 MW wind facility that would create 299 construction jobs, saying it would impact their views. (Spokesman-Review)

CLEAN ENERGY: A nonprofit finds more than 19,000 clean energy jobs have been created in Western states since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law last August. (CNBC)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A California lawmaker introduces a bill that would offer residents up to $2,000 to retrofit gasoline or diesel powered cars with battery electric drivetrains. (Road and Track)

LITHIUM: A southern California county votes to offer tax rebates and other incentives to local lithium producers and manufacturers using the product. (Desert Sun)

CLIMATE: Southern Oregon University commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and energy intensity by 25% compared to 2018 levels within the next ten years. (news release)

COAL: Wyoming utilities looking to comply with a state law requiring them to consider retrofitting retiring coal plants with carbon capture struggle to find bidders to do the work. (WyoFile)

NUCLEAR: New Mexico lawmakers advance a bill that could block a proposed interim spent nuclear fuel depository in the southeastern part of the state. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

HYDROGEN:
• Federal regulators clear a California company to fly its hydrogen-powered test airplane in Washington state. (Seattle Times)
• An environmental group’s study finds California’s and New Mexico’s efforts to establish hydrogen production hubs could strain already drought-diminished water supplies. (news release)

COMMENTARY:
• A California editorial board urges state regulators to prohibit new drilling in neighborhoods while a law that would do the same is suspended until a 2024 referendum. (Los Angeles Times)
• A former Colorado lawmaker says Western utilities should decentralize the power grid to make it more resilient to sabotage and attacks. (Denver Gazette)