Feds deal setback to Nevada transmission project

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GRID

• The federal Bureau of Land Management orders its Nevada office to address environmental advocates’ protests against the proposed Greenlink North transmission line, delaying the project’s final environmental review. (Nevada Independent)

• Unusually severe winds and rainfall batters the Northwest, leaving about 585,000 utility customers without power. (Reuters)

• A judge sentences a California man to ten years in federal prison for bombing Pacific Gas & Electric transformers in the San Jose area in 2022 and 2023. (E&E News)

CLEAN ENERGY

• The U.S. Energy Department’s Inspector General launches a probe of the Trump administration canceling $8 billion in federal clean energy grants in California and other Democratic-leaning states. (Los Angeles Times)

• An Arizona nonprofit says endangered burrowing owls that were relocated from a housing development to a Phoenix-area solar installation are thriving and successfully reproducing. (Audubon)

COAL

• Advocates and state officials push back on a Trump administration order to keep operating the Centralia coal plant in Washington state beyond its scheduled end-of-year retirement date. (Canary Media)

UTILITIES

• California regulators vote to keep utility profit margins near 10%, despite consumer advocates’ calls to slash them to 6% in an effort to address increasing rates. (Los Angeles Times)

NUCLEAR

• Advocacy groups push back on a proposal to store radioactive waste from Canada at a Utah facility, saying it sets a dangerous precedent. (KSL)

DATA CENTERS

• Granite Renewables proposes a 2,000 MW data center complex on Colorado’s rural eastern plains. (Big Pivots)

• Pima County, Arizona’s board of supervisors approves the proposed Project Blue data center’s agreement to use 100% renewable energy and a closed-loop cooling system. (Arizona Luminaria)

OVERSIGHT

• Advocacy groups sue the Trump administration for allegedly stifling public comment on mining and drilling projects on federal lands. (Courthouse News)

OIL & GAS

• The federal Bureau of Land Management and the Wyoming Industrial Council greenlight Blue Spruce Operating’s proposed Dry Piney helium, natural gas, and carbon sequestration project in the western part of the state. (WyoFile)

• An economist says a Republican-led push to reverse a Biden-era increase in minimum federal oil and gas royalty rates could cost New Mexico up to $1.7 billion over the next decade. (Associated Press)

• Advocates say the proposed $44-billion Alaska natural gas pipeline and LNG export terminal poses financial risks and environmental hazards. (Grist)

• Fruitland, Idaho, residents push back on a proposed oil and gas drilling project adjacent to housing developments. (KIVI)

• The University of Wyoming files a lawsuit seeking $2.5 million from ACU Energy for reneging on its contract to support enhanced oil recovery research. (WyoFile)

• New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez works to develop a strategy for fighting oilfield crime. (News-Sun)

CLIMATE

• Scientists blast the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado and its climate-related programs. (Scientific American)

EMISSIONS

• Colorado regulators approve proposed rules aimed at reducing landfills’ methane emissions, drawing qualified praise from environmental advocates who fought for tougher regulations. (Colorado Sun)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Chart: Clean energy remains dominant in the US — despite Trump — Dan McCarthy

• PJM’s capacity costs hit record as grid falls short on supply — Jeff St. John

• Ford is retreating from EVs — but embracing grid batteries — Julian Spector

• New Hampshire clean energy program goes national with federal funds — Sarah Shemkus