FERC denies pumped hydro storage facilities on Navajo Nation

STORAGE: Federal regulators deny proposed pumped hydropower storage projects’ permits on the Navajo Nation and establish a new policy of not permitting projects on tribal land if the tribe opposes it. (KUNC)

OIL & GAS: 

• New Mexico lawmakers end their legislative session without passing bills that would have reformed the state oil and gas law and increased royalties for drilling on state land. (NM Political Report)
• ExxonMobil drops its bid to reverse a California county’s rejection of its proposal to transport oil by truck along the coast to revive idle offshore drilling platforms. (Santa Barbara Independent)
• A poll finds a majority of residents in Western states support requiring oil and gas companies to pay to clean up their facilities and favor protecting public lands over using them for energy production. (CPR)

PIPELINES: Federal regulators approve a cross-border pipeline proposed to carry Permian Basin natural gas to an LNG export terminal on Mexico’s west coast. (E&E News)

TRANSMISSION: The federal Bureau of Land Management urges a court to deny tribal nations’ bid to halt construction on the SunZia transmission project, saying the lawsuit comes too long after its 2015 route approval. (E&E News)

SOLAR:

• Nevada lawmakers and advocates accuse NV Energy of dragging its feet on implementing its community solar program. (Nevada Independent)
• A Colorado electric cooperative suspends applications for new residential solar systems in areas that have reached maximum generating capacity. (Durango Herald)

UTILITIES:

• A rural Oregon utility becomes Oregon’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter after new Amazon data centers increase demand on the co-op’s grid. (Oregonian)
• Xcel Energy acknowledges missing greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets established in its franchise agreement with a Colorado city. (Daily Camera)
• Two tribal nations in Arizona each receive $1 million in federal funding to upgrade electric utility infrastructure. (KJZZ)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Arizona lawmakers consider a bill that would establish a $135 annual fee on electric and other non-gasoline or diesel-fueled vehicles. (Arizona Daily Star)

MINING: Conservation groups call on Nevada lawmakers to establish a rule-making process aimed at steering proposed lithium mining away from areas of greatest conflict and environmental impact. (Nevada Current)

CLIMATE:

• A watchdog group finds more than two dozen Oregon lobbyists represent both climate advocates and industries that contribute to climate change. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
• A rural Oregon community struggles to fund a sustainability and climate plan it passed last year. (Daily Yonder)

COAL:

• Arch Resources considers selling its coal mines in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin. (Cowboy State Daily)
• Colorado officials complete mitigation of an underground abandoned coal mine fire near the ignition site of the destructive 2021 Marshall Fire. (Longmont Times-Call)