Feds: Nevada lithium mine won’t wipe out rare wildflower

MINING: The federal Bureau of Land Management finds a proposed Nevada lithium mine’s protection plan is adequate to avoid driving an endangered wildflower to extinction. (Associated Press)

ALSO:

• The Hualapai Tribe asks a court to block a proposed lithium extraction project in western Arizona, saying it would harm ceremonial sites. (AZ Mirror)
• An Arizona judge overturns a proposed copper mine’s right-of-way across state land after regulators failed to disclose a pipeline would carry mining waste. (Tucson Sentinel)

SOLAR:

• Yakama Nation officials say the Bonneville Power Administration’s red tape is stifling the tribe’s efforts to use a $32 million federal grant to build a solar installation over old irrigation canals in Washington state. (High Country News)
• Colorado reopens its automated solar permit processing grant program and awards two counties $1 million to implement rooftop permitting software. (Solar Power World)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on the proposed 200 MW Cowboy solar project in southeastern New Mexico. (news release)

GRID:

• Federal regulators consider a proposal to craft rules for tribal nations looking to connect large generating projects to the grid. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Federal land management agencies seek public input on the proposed Cross-Tie high-voltage transmission project designed to connect Nevada’s and Utah’s power grids. (news release)

STORAGE: A southern California tribal nation’s proposed microgrid project becomes the first long-duration energy storage system to receive a U.S. Energy Department loan guarantee. (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIFICATION: California advocates criticize the state’s new building efficiency standards for only encouraging heat pumps and other electric appliances in new homes and businesses, not existing ones. (Canary Media)

CLEAN ENERGY: A Nevada nonprofit launches a tool aimed at expanding residents’ access to federal home electrification, rooftop solar, electric vehicle and other clean energy incentives. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

OIL & GAS: The Navajo Nation passes legislation aimed at reducing methane emissions from oil and gas facilities on tribal land. (news release)

CLIMATE: California advocates and scientists urge voters to support a $10 billion climate bond ballot measure, saying investing in resilience will save money in the long-term. (Inside Climate News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Data show California has acquired, ordered or funded more than 3,000 electric school buses, more than three times that of any other state. (Canary Media)

TRANSPORTATION:

• Colorado’s transportation department adopts goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions, expand transit and reduce automobile use. (news release)
• A California startup secures $645 million for its Washington state facility designed to use clean energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into aviation fuel. (Biofuels Digest)