Federal government sues California utility over 2020 Bobcat Fire

UTILITIES: A federal government lawsuit accuses Southern California Edison of failing to prevent trees from contacting utility lines and sparking the 2020 Bobcat Fire. (Los Angeles Times) 

ALSO: U.S. lawmakers probe Hawaiian Electric’s fire prevention efforts leading up to last month’s deadly Maui blazes. (The Hill)

SOLAR: California advocates call on regulators to lock in a proposed community solar payment structure before utilities derail it, saying the new tariff would revive the state’s flagging community solar market. (Canary Media)

GRID: Pattern Energy breaks ground on the $10 billion SunZia transmission project being built to carry up to 3,500 MW of wind power from New Mexico to urban Arizona and California. (Associated Press)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• A nonprofit launches in Washington state aimed at establishing the Tri-Cities region as a clean energy research and development hub. (Tri-City Herald)
• Colorado officials say the federal Inflation Reduction Act has spurred $400 million in clean energy investments and created at least 850 jobs in the state. (KUNC)

OIL & GAS:
• Southern California regulators vote to strengthen smog-forming pollution rules for tanks at oil and gas refineries and other facilities. (Sacramento Bee)
• ConocoPhillips says a pending court ruling on the fate of its federal permits could make or break the controversial Willow oil and gas project in Alaska. (Alaska Beacon)
• An industry-commissioned study finds the oil and gas sector has an oversized economic impact in Alaska, supporting about 16% of the state’s jobs. (Alaska Beacon)
• Arctic advocates say increasing Russian oil shipments through the Bering Strait threaten Alaska villages, coastlines and fisheries. (Anchorage Daily News)
• California lawmakers vote to endorse an international treaty aimed at ending oil and gas exploration and phasing out existing production. (Bakersfield Californian)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Electric vehicle users say Alaska’s charging network still lags behind other states after an agency recently added nine chargers along highways. (Anchorage Daily News, subscription)

TRANSPORTATION: California’s rail agency energizes a second substation on its San Francisco-San Jose main line as part of a plan to launch overhead-electric operations next year. (Trains)

GEOTHERMAL:
• A central Colorado company looks to develop the state’s first geothermal power plant, but some residents worry it could harm groundwater and property values. (Colorado Sun)
• Colorado plans to launch a geothermal grant program this fall for residential heating and cooling systems and grid-scale power generation projects. (news release)

COMMENTARY: A California energy analyst says building out clean energy transmission could help the state reduce its reliance on natural gas generation and leak-prone storage facilities. (CalMatters)