GreenFire Energy revives defunct geothermal well in California

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GEOTHERMAL

• GreenFire Energy says it has used its closed-loop technology to revive a defunct geothermal well at the Geysers power complex in northern California. (The Hill)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The Southern Ute Indian Tribe calls on a pipeline company to expedite its cleanup of a December gasoline spill in southwestern Colorado, saying benzene and other contaminants could harm springs and the nearby Animas River. (Durango Herald)

• Wyoming watchdogs say an underground benzene plume left over from a long-defunct gas station in Jackson could contaminate groundwater or leak into a development proposed for the site. (KHOL/​WyoFile)

• A Sierra Club report criticizes PacifiCorp’s plan to delay coal plant retirements and back off on renewable energy investments, saying it will perpetuate pollution and cost communities thousands of clean energy construction jobs. (Inside Climate News)

• Congressional Republicans introduce a bill that would rescind federal Endangered Species Act protections for a rare lizard in the Permian Basin, saying they could stifle oil and gas development. (Ruidoso News)

• U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, introduces legislation that would streamline oil and gas permitting on federal lands. (KDVR)

DATA CENTERS

• Prometheus Hyperscale plans to develop a natural gas-powered data center in Wyoming and purchase 500,000 carbon removal credits annually from a nearby sequestration facility in an effort to be carbon-neutral. (Data Center Dynamics)

SOLAR

• New Mexico residents appeal a county planning commission’s approval of a proposed 96 MW solar-plus-storage facility near Santa Fe, saying the batteries pose a fire hazard. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

STORAGE

• The California Energy Commission awards a startup $10 million to install a water-based flow battery at a hospital in the southern part of the state for backup during public power safety outages. (Microgrid Knowledge)

GRID

• Portland, Oregon’s city council votes to reject a utility’s plan to cut down trees in an urban forest to make way for a new transmission line following widespread opposition. (Willamette Week)

TRANSPORTATION

• Oregon lawmakers spar over public transit funding, with Republicans looking to eliminate it and Democrats proposing spending increases. (OPB)

CLIMATE

• A Hawaii advocate lauds state lawmakers for passing a ​“monumental” tourism tax expected to generate about $100 million annually for climate mitigation and restoration projects, saying it shows ​“organizing has paid off.” (HEATED)

NUCLEAR

• A mining company and an energy firm team up to explore establishing a uranium production, enrichment, and nuclear reactor fuel production supply chain in Wyoming. (Cowboy State Daily)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on a proposed uranium exploratory drilling project in central Wyoming. (news release)

NEW FROM CANARY

• The Trump administration looks to gut the Energy Department’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, putting 26 U.S. manufacturing projects and thousands of jobs at risk, Alexander C. Kaufman reports.

Tesla’s grip on the EV sector is slipping in the U.S. and beyond, with analysts blaming its aging model lineup, growing competition, and Elon Musk’s political moves, Dan McCarthy reports.