Firms abandon record number of oil and gas wells in Colorado

OIL & GAS: Data show two now-defunct companies abandoned 551 oil and gas wells in Colorado last year, leaving them to the state to plug and reclaim. (CPR)

ALSO: New Mexico regulators reject dozens of proposed oil and gas wastewater disposal wells in the Permian Basin following a series of drilling-related earthquakes. (Capital & Main)

POLLUTION: Advocates call on the U.S. EPA to clamp down on smog-forming emissions from Wyoming coal plants and oil and gas facilities rather than waiting for the state to come up with its own plan. (Inside Climate News)

COAL: A western Colorado community works to build up its tourism and outdoor recreation industries to help it weather the 2028 retirement of a major coal plant and mine. (Rocky Mountain PBS)

WIND:

• Developers complete a 161 MW wind power facility on private and state land in northern Arizona that will provide power to a Phoenix-area data center. (news release)
• A northern Arizona county approves a permit for a proposed 324 MW wind facility on private and state land. (Arizona Daily Sun)

SOLAR:

• The U.S. Energy Department chooses a firm to develop a 150 MW or greater solar-plus-storage installation at a nuclear waste depository in southeastern New Mexico. (Axios)
• A national clean energy jobs census finds Utah added about 325 solar-related jobs last year. (KSL)

UTILITIES: Nevada regulators reject NV Energy’s proposed rate hike for customers in the northern part of the state, saying it was an ​“inordinately large” increase. (Nevada Independent)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The Port of San Diego begins operating two 400 ton electric cranes. (Electrek)

LITHIUM: Hualapai tribal members urge a federal judge to extend an exploratory drilling ban at a proposed lithium mine in western Arizona, saying it would harm culturally significant lands. (Associated Press)

STORAGE:

• California awards UC San Diego $7.2 million to replace its microgrid’s energy storage with a 10 MW lithium-ion battery system. (news release)
• A Utah startup plans to expand and add about 172 new jobs to its Salt Lake City-area flywheel energy storage system manufacturing facility. (Business Facilities)

COMMENTARY: A California columnist calls on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign 13 climate-related bills including ones that would expedite more rooftop solar, encourage home electrification and clear the way for oil and gas drilling bans. (Los Angeles Times)