Feds advance plans to open millions of Alaska acres to drilling

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FOSSIL FUELS

• The U.S. Interior Department releases a draft analysis advancing a plan to lift oil and gas drilling restrictions on 82% of the 23 million acre National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska in an effort to ​“unleash its vast resource potential.” (Reuters, news release)

• A California mine’s effort to replace one of two onsite coal plants with a solar thermal system echoes heavy industry’s struggle to replace fossil fuels for heat generation. (New York Times)

• Pueblo leaders in New Mexico call on Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to consult with them and other tribal nations regarding his proposed rollback of an oil and gas drilling ban around Chaco Culture National Historical Park. (Indianz.com)

• Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoes legislation that would have required more transparency around oil and gas tax audits. (Alaska Beacon)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Republican Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoes legislation that would have established a state subscription-style community solar program, baselessly claiming it could raise other customers’ rates. (Montana Public Radio)

• California’s Energy Commission plans to vote on a contentious proposed wind power development in Shasta County later this summer. (Redding Record Searchlight)

UTILITIES

• An energy analyst tells Montana regulators that NorthWestern Energy’s bid to increase its ownership stake in the Colstrip coal plant could significantly increase customers’ rates. (Daily Montanan)

• Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo signs legislation allowing regulators to forego standard cost-of-service utility rate setting in favor of other variables, but advocates say it will increase customer costs. (Nevada Current)

DATA CENTERS

• An Arizona county supervisor calls on his board to reconsider its approval of a proposed data center after Tucson Electric Power requests a 14% rate hike, saying the proposed increase raises doubts about the facility’s impact on the grid. (Arizona Daily Star)

GRID

• A Utah coal community’s mayor calls on Congress to preserve the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy tax credits, saying her town needs them to harden its grid and diversify its power sources. (Utah Public Radio)

CLIMATE

• Oregon lawmakers pass the Climate Resilience Investment Act that would require the state’s public employee pension fund to be 100% carbon neutral by 2050. (KOIN, Oregonian)

NUCLEAR

• Northwest advocates file a lawsuit seeking to force the U.S. Energy Department to release documents related to plans to lease 19,000 acres of the Hanford nuclear site for clean energy development. (Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business)

• The Columbia nuclear plant in southern Washington comes back online after a 65-day refueling outage. (Spokesman-Review)

• The Navajo Nation and U.S. EPA move forward on a plan to remediate and restore abandoned uranium mining sites. (KJZZ)

COMMENTARY

• An Idaho journalist slams the Trump administration for canceling a deal with tribal nations to restore fish runs in the Northwest and urges the federal government to replace harmful hydropower dams with clean energy generation. (Idaho Capital Sun)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Cleveland-Cliffs’ plan to replace its coal-blast furnaces with an ironmaking facility that uses hydrogen and electric furnaces appears dead as the company looks to align with the Trump administration’s pro-fossil fuel goals, Alexander C. Kaufman reports.

• Republicans’ ​“Big, Beautiful Bill” seems set on ending green hydrogen incentives, potentially dooming the already-struggling industry, Julian Spector reports.