Feds propose banning drilling around New Mexico caves

OIL & GAS: Federal land managers propose banning oil and gas drilling on 28,500 acres in southern New Mexico to protect sensitive cave systems near Carlsbad Caverns National Park. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

ALSO:
• Wyoming lawmakers consider offering incentives to projects using captured carbon dioxide to stimulate oil and gas well production. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• California advocates launch a campaign to fight oil industry efforts to block a law banning new drilling near homes and schools. (CalMatters)
• New Mexico county officials ask oil and gas companies to help pay for replacing a dilapidated bridge that accesses well fields. (Farmington Daily-Times)
• A federal oil and gas lease sale in Nevada receives no bids, indicating a lack of industry interest in unproven areas. (E&E News, subscription; news release)

COAL: Montana regulators say coal ash cleanup at the Colstrip power plant is progressing, but inflation is driving costs upward by hundreds of millions of dollars. (Billings Gazette)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• U.S. House Republicans push legislation that would withhold federal funding for Idaho wind development pending completion of an environmental impact study. (Utah Public Radio)
• A southern Idaho county tables consideration of a proposed moratorium on renewable energy permitting until August. (Times-News)
• California’s energy commission awards more than $17 million to research and develop offshore wind environmental monitoring technologies aimed at reducing turbines’ impacts on wildlife. (S&P Global)
• A California company develops a solar-generating fence. (Solar Power World)

UTILITIES: Pacific Gas & Electric launches a program to help grid operators coordinate distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar, batteries and microgrids to improve system resilience. (PV Magazine)

CLIMATE: New Mexico advocates push back on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s selection as the leader of a national climate group, saying she has broken promises to rein in the fossil fuel industry. (Searchlight New Mexico) 

GRID: Severe thunderstorms damage utility equipment in Phoenix, Arizona, leaving 35,000 customers without power during a record-breaking heat wave. (ABC15)

OVERSIGHT: Colorado regulators link community advocates with pro bono lawyers to give them more say in complex environmental rulemaking. (Colorado Sun)

NUCLEAR: Alaska regulators develop rules prohibiting new nuclear reactors near homes, national parks or coastal areas vulnerable to storm surges. (KTOO)

BUILDINGS: A Colorado city votes to require new construction to be equipped for rooftop solar, electric vehicle charging and electrification. (Daily Camera)

COMMENTARY: A Colorado resident calls on ski resorts to help fund regional public transit to ease winter congestion and pollution on the state’s highways. (Colorado Sun)