Goldendale pumped hydro project set to be nation’s largest

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HYDROPOWER

• Rye Development says it will break ground on its newly licensed 1,200 MW Goldendale pumped hydropower storage project in Washington state as soon as it secures buyers for its electricity. (Canary Media)

OIL & GAS

• California files a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Trump administration’s approval of Sable Offshore’s contested proposal to restart two oil pipelines along the state’s coast, saying the ​“federal government has no right to usurp California’s regulatory authority.” (Associated Press)

UTILITIES

• Idaho Power proposes expanding an existing natural gas plant and building a new one in the southwestern part of the state, saying it needs the extra capacity to meet growing electricity demand. (Capital Press)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Washington state’s Commerce Department launches an effort aimed at expediting utility-scale wind and solar installations and grid interconnections after media outlets find the state ranks last in the nation for renewable growth. (OPB)

• Data show that the rapid growth of solar and battery storage capacity on California’s grid has displaced some natural gas generation and led emissions to decrease. (Distilled)

• Oregon researchers find that West Coast communities and residents welcome the potential economic benefits of offshore wind development, but remain uncertain about the overall impacts. (OPB)

• Colorado technical ceramics firm CoorsTek plans three off-site net-metered solar installations to power the company’s operations. (news release)

CLIMATE

• California environmental justice advocates criticize state regulators for continuing a carbon market provision allowing polluters to avoid paying some penalties for greenhouse gas emissions. (E&E News)

• Climate startup Vaulted Deep proposes a project in northeastern Colorado that would inject methane-rich cattle feedlot waste underground as a carbon capture and storage strategy. (CPR)

• A Democratic California lawmaker introduces a bill aimed at speeding up $10 billion in voter-approved funding for climate-related projects. (KPBS)

COAL

• Colorado regulators lift power-generation limits on the Comanche 2 coal plant in Pueblo, drawing advocates’ criticism. (Colorado Sun)

• Federal regulators reject Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s proposed merger after Wyoming coal producers pushed back on worries it would raise transportation costs. (Cowboy State Daily)

OVERSIGHT

• Wyoming lawmakers introduce legislation aimed at giving the public more say over proposed radioactive waste depositories and energy development on state lands. (WyoFile)

COMMENTARY

• New Mexico advocates call on state lawmakers to require lobbyists to be more transparent and disclose when they are working for the oil and gas industry. (Source NM)

• A New Mexico filmmaker calls for more transparency from, and public input on, the proposed Project Jupiter data center in the southeastern part of the state. (Source NM)