Feds greenlight Northwest pumped hydropower storage project

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Western Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

HYDROPOWER

• Federal regulators issue a 40-year license to the proposed 1,200 MW Goldendale pumped hydropower storage facility in Washington state over opposition from tribal nations and environmental advocates. (Water Power)

DATA CENTERS

• Southern California residents and advocates push back on a proposed 330 MW data center in Imperial County, saying it would strain the power grid and water supplies. (KPBS)

• Colorado lawmakers are set to consider dueling bills that would provide tax incentives to developers, and require the facilities to pay for necessary grid upgrades. (CPR)

• New Mexico advocates call on state lawmakers and regulators to increase transparency around the Project Jupiter data center complex under development in the southern part of the state. (Source NM)

CLEAN ENERGY

• A coalition of labor unions forms Climate Jobs Oregon, a group aimed at expanding, training, and organizing the state’s clean energy workforce. (Oregonian)

UTILITIES

• NV Energy proposes fully reimbursing overcharged Nevada customers after a previous plan to partly compensate ratepayers sparked criticism. (Nevada Current)

OIL & GAS

• An analysis finds oil and gas producers in Wyoming convert 57% of approved state drilling permits into drilled wells. compared to 91% in neighboring Colorado, sparking lawmakers’ concerns. (Cowboy State Daily)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on 271 proposed oil and gas leases on 357,358 acres in Wyoming for its September lease sale. (news release)

• A Greek shipping company invests $50 million into the proposed Alaska liquefied national gas pipeline and export terminal and agrees to ship the fuel if the project is realized. (E&E News)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on its proposal to auction 74 oil and gas leases on 33,530 acres in New Mexico and Texas in May. (news release)

MINING

• Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox develops a ​“strategic framework” for developing a critical mineral supply chain in the state, including streamlining permitting, approving five mining operations in the next 18 months, and creating a new research center. (Deseret News)

TRANSPORTATION

• EV maker Rivian pledges $4.6 million to support a proposed Washington state ballot measure that would rescind a law — from which Tesla is exempt — banning direct EV sales from the manufacturer. (Washington State Standard)

• Data show 79,066 zero-emission vehicle sales in California during the fourth quarter of 2025, bringing the state’s all-time EV sales to 2.5 million. (Infrastructure News)

• New Mexico’s Environmental Improvement Board approves a new rule aimed at reducing transportation fuels’ carbon intensity by 20% by 2030. (news release)

COMMENTARY

• A victim of the 2015 Aliso Canyon natural gas storage site blowout urges officials to shutter the facility, saying keeping it open is not worth the risk of another leak. (CalMatters)

• An Alaska advocate says proposed offshore oil and gas drilling along the state’s coast threatens wildlife, food security, and Indigenous culture. (Alaska Beacon)