Feds give California $123 million for EV chargers

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The U.S. Transportation Department awards California $122.9 million to build electric vehicle charging facilities and hydrogen fueling stations. (Sacramento Bee)

CLIMATE:

• Fossil fuel companies ask the U.S. Supreme Court to toss out Honolulu’s lawsuit seeking to hold oil and gas firms liable for damage caused by climate change. (Center Square)
• Data show Washington state’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped during the first year of the COVID pandemic, but partially rebounded in 2021. (Seattle Times)

SOLAR:

• A study finds wildfire smoke in the Western U.S. is hampering solar generation less than previously feared, but still reduces output in panels close to blazes. (The Hill)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management greenlights the proposed 600 MW Jove solar-plus-storage project in western Arizona. (KAWC)
• Tri-State Generation & Transmission brings the 140 MW Spanish Peaks solar project online in southeastern Colorado. (news release)
• The developer of the 690 MW Gemini project in Nevada — the nation’s largest solar-plus-storage facility — looks to build more large-scale arrays to meet the ​“unbelievable appetite for clean energy.” (Energy Storage News, subscription)
• Portland General Electric agrees to purchase power from the 120 MW Tower solar project under development in the northeastern part of the state. (Solar Quarter)

GRID:

• Colorado releases a microgrid roadmap aimed at leveraging local and distributed generation to increase electricity infrastructure resilience. (NBC Los Angeles)
• A nonprofit’s long-term outlook predicts California’s grid will face ​“critical reliability challenges” in the next decade as growing demand and planned generator retirements result in supply shortfalls. (Sacramento Bee)
• Nevada advocates appeal Reno’s approval of a proposed data center, saying the facilities use too much power to be considered industrial warehouses. (This is Reno)

UTILITIES: Southern California utilities warn customers of potential public safety power shutoffs as unusually severe winds and dry conditions grip the region. (Mercury News)

TRANSPORTATION: California Gov. Gavin Newsom touts progress on and plans for high-speed rail between Los Angeles and the Bay Area in advance of expected attacks on the project from the incoming Trump administration. (Los Angeles Times)

COAL: Utah environmental groups worry a state plan to create ​“inland ports” to spur economic development will lead to an idled coal mine’s revival. (KSL)

POLLUTION: Southern California environmental justice advocates push back on a proposed biofuel terminal, saying diesel pollution from shipping trucks would harm the neighboring community. (NBC San Diego)