EV charger funding freeze threatens state projects

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Western Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

TRANSPORTATION

• The Trump administration rescinds funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure and blocks $71 million that had been allocated to Washington state. (Seattle Times)

• Arizona plans to begin building 18 federally financed electric vehicle charging stations later this year, but puts another 85 units on hold while the Trump administration establishes new guidelines. (Arizona Daily Star)

UTILITIES

• A jury awards $50 million in damages to survivors of the 2020 PacifiCorp equipment-sparked Labor Day fires in southern Oregon, adding to the utility’s blaze-related financial woes. (OPB)

• An Arizona lawmaker introduces a bill that would change the utility regulatory board’s name from the Arizona Corporation Commission to something more reflective of its role. (Arizona Capitol Times)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Nevada advocates push back on NV Energy’s proposal to add two natural gas peaking units to a converted coal plant to meet growing demand, saying it wasn’t in the utility’s approved resource plan. (Nevada Independent)

• A firm plans to import liquefied natural gas via an idle export terminal on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula in an effort to stave off a looming fuel shortage in the state. (Alaska Beacon)

• Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon says his state will continue to pursue carbon capture projects as a way to benefit its coal industry even without Trump administration support or incentives. (Associated Press)

• A Utah lawmaker introduces legislation aimed at shifting control of the Intermountain coal plant to the state in an effort to keep it operating beyond its scheduled closure. (St. George News) 

CLEAN ENERGY

• A federal judge orders the Trump administration to lift a funding freeze for Nevada community solar programs, but electric school bus charging station money remains on hold. (Nevada Current)

• An advocacy group’s report urges Colorado governments to streamline rooftop solar permitting, saying red tape can add up to $3,200 to an installation’s cost. (news release)

• Colorado joins 22 other states in a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration’s funding freeze for rooftop solar, efficiency and other clean energy programs. (news release)

• Two developers propose utility-scale solar installations on federal land in western Colorado. (Grand Junction Sentinel)

PUBLIC LANDS

Wyoming lawmakers advance a resolution demanding that Congress transfer federal lands to the state in a bid to loosen energy regulations and reap more income from oil and gas and coal development. (WyoFile)