Funding freeze imperils abandoned oil and gas well plugging program

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FOSSIL FUELS

• The Trump administration appears to have halted a $4.7 billion Biden-era program to plug and reclaim abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells, saying it is ​“under review.” (High Country News)

• Colorado researchers work to develop new methods of detecting methane emissions from oil and gas wells, but the federal funding freeze has muddled its future. (Rocky Mountain PBS)

• Congressional Republicans from Western states urge Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to rescind a Biden-era rule that raised oil and gas drilling royalty rates and reclamation bonds. (E&E News)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management brings in over $39 million in revenue from oil and gas lease sales in Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Nevada. (news release)

• New Mexico lawmakers pass legislation that would increase oil and gas royalties for drilling on state land. (Artesia Daily Press)

• Wyoming officials say rising natural gas prices have helped drive up coal production at Powder River Basin mines this year. (Cowboy State Daily)

• California advocates call on the Los Angeles Dodgers to end Phillips 66’s team sponsorship after the company’s refinery was accused of dumping oil into the local sewer system. (Los Angeles Daily News)

CLIMATE

• A Washington judge rules that a tribal nations’ lawsuit seeking to hold oil companies accountable for deceiving the public about climate change can proceed in state court. (E&E News)

• Oregon climate advocates urge lawmakers to put a measure on the ballot that would enshrine the right to a healthy environment into the state constitution. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management advances a proposed carbon dioxide sequestration project on about 605,100 acres in southwestern Wyoming. (news release)

GRID

• A federal court considers reviving advocates’ and tribes’ lawsuit seeking to block a southern Arizona segment of the SunZia transmission line. (Tucson Sentinel)

• Pacific Gas & Electric plans to award up to $43 million in grants to deploy microgrids in northern California communities. (news release)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Climate-friendly Colorado communities push back against legislation aimed at expediting rooftop solar permitting, saying automated systems don’t accommodate local building codes. (CPR)

• A northern California county advances a proposed utility-scale solar project on private land despite some residents’ opposition. (KCRA)

TRANSPORTATION

• Oregon looks to expand its voluntary per-mile road usage fee program to more drivers as gasoline tax revenues decrease. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

COMMENTARY

• An Idaho advocate urges lawmakers to push the Trump administration to release federal funding for EV chargers, saying her state will not be able to afford the infrastructure without help. (Idaho Capital Sun)