Experts: Oregon judge had conflict in PacifiCorp wildfire case

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CLEAN ENERGY

• New Mexico residential solar installers turn to prepaid leasing and other options in an effort to stem a ​“substantial retraction” in the market since federal clean energy tax credits expired in January. (Albuquerque Journal)

• Lincoln County, Wyoming’s commissioners reject a proposed 1 MW community solar project, citing residents’ concerns over who would use the power. (Cowboy State Daily)

• Ogden, Utah’s city council votes to join Rocky Mountain Power’s Community Clean Energy Program designed to finance renewable power development. (KSL)

• An Oregon irrigation district brings online the state’s first floating solar project designed to reduce evaporation and generate power for local subscribers and water infrastructure. (KDRV)

UTILITIES

• Legal experts say an Oregon judge who sided with PacifiCorp in a multi-billion dollar wildfire-damages lawsuit should have recused herself from the case because she represented the utility for years as a private attorney. (Oregon Journalism Project)

• Xcel Energy lobbies against a Colorado bill aimed at addressing rising electricity costs by requiring the utility to use securitization to fund some infrastructure projects, saying it would stifle investment. (CPR)

PUBLIC LANDS

• The U.S. Interior Department transfers 1.4 million acres of federal land along the Dalton Utility Corridor in Alaska to the state in an effort to boost a proposed liquefied natural gas pipeline and achieve ​“energy dominance.” (E&E News)

HYDROPOWER

• Federal officials forecast record-low inflows for Lake Powell on the Colorado River this summer, affecting downstream water deliveries and Glen Canyon Dam’s hydropower production. (Colorado Sun)

NUCLEAR

• Navajo Nation EPA officials say no radioactive material leaked following a crash involving a uranium-ore hauling truck in northern Arizona last week. (KJZZ)

ELECTRIFICATION

• California’s Bay Area Air District considers exempting low-income residents from its ban on new gas-powered water heaters and furnaces to address affordability concerns before the rules take effect next year. (Mercury News)

• NW Natural asks Oregon’s Appeals Court to reverse state regulators’ decision requiring the utility to phase out its ​“line extension allowance” that subsidizes new gas hookups and infrastructure. (OPB)

• Democratic Colorado lawmakers plan to introduce legislation aimed at blunting the impact of a ballot initiative that would give consumers and utilities the right to buy and sell natural gas for cooking and heating. (Colorado Newsline)

GRID

• Investigators find humidity likely damaged critical equipment and led to a fire at a Pacific Gas & Electric substation in December, sparking an outage that left about one-third of San Francisco without power during the Christmas weekend. (KQED)

• Avista brings online eastern Washington’s first community-based microgrid to power a family outreach and community center in Spokane. (KREM)

GEOTHERMAL

• An Idaho town considers using a federal grant to expand an existing geothermal heating system throughout the community. (KIVI)

DATA CENTERS

• A Navajo Nation chapter passes a resolution opposing a proposed data center near Page, Arizona, citing energy and water-consumption concerns. (Corner Post)

COMMENTARY

• A journalist balks at the scale of the proposed Stratos Project data center and co-located 9 GW gas plant in Utah, saying projects like it will lock in fossil fuel-burning and associated emissions for years to come. (Land Desk)