Interior looks to streamline Alaska drilling permits

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Western Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

FOSSIL FUELS

• The U.S. Interior Department proposes streamlining oil and gas infrastructure permitting in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska after an industry group calls for expediting development. (E&E News, news release)

• The U.S. EPA rejects Hawaii’s proposed long-term haze reduction plan that would have required two oil-fired plants to shut down, saying the closures could lead to power reserve shortfalls. (E&E News)

• The Southern Ute Indian Tribe says a 2024 petroleum pipeline rupture on its land in southwestern Colorado likely spilled 200,000 gallons of gasoline, more than twice previous estimates. (Durango Herald)

• Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs backs the proposed Desert Southwest natural gas pipeline, saying it will increase the state’s energy capacity. (Center Square)

• Westmoreland lays off 63 workers at its Rosebud coal mine in Montana, citing reduced winter demand. (Exponent)

HYDROPOWER

• City Light agrees to pay three Skagit River tribal nations $1.35 billion to build fish passages and otherwise mitigate hydropower dams’ impact on salmon and other fish. (Inside Climate News)

CRITICAL MATERIALS

• Lithium Americas says tariffs on steel and rising oil prices could increase the cost of constructing itsThacker Pass mine in Nevada by as much as $120 million. (Mining)

• Amnesty International accuses the federal government of violating human rights by advancing lithium extraction projects in Nevada without meaningful Indigenous consent. (Vanguard)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Utah ranchers lease their land to utility-scale solar developers to generate extra income and conserve water. (Salt Lake Tribune)

• Rio Grande County, Colorado, seeks public input on proposed utility-scale solar facility regulations. (Alamosa Citizen)

GRID

• California advocates push back on San Diego Gas & Electric’s proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink transmission project that would run through Anzo-Borrego Desert State Park, saying it would harm the area’s wilderness character. (Los Angeles Times)

POLITICS

• New Mexico’s gubernatorial candidates spar over how to spend a tax revenue windfall resulting from Iran conflict-driven high oil prices. (Associated Press)

• A Virginia-based clean energy political action committee supports Democratic New Mexico public lands commissioner candidate Juan Sanchez, drawing criticism from his primary opponents. (Source NM)

• California advocates criticize Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra for accepting oil companies’ campaign contributions. (Climate Colored Goggles)

NUCLEAR

• Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority, a state agency, plans to loan itself $16.5 million to help fund a proposed uranium enrichment facility at the Camp Williams national guard base. (KSL)

DATA CENTERS

• Reno, Nevada’s city council votes to pause new data center permits to allow it to develop new regulations, citing the facilities’ growing cumulative energy use. (Nevada Independent)

• Lake Tahoe, California’s Liberty Utilities seeks a new power provider after NV Energy says it can no longer serve the area due to growing data center-driven demand in northern Nevada. (Fortune)

• Calipatria, California’s city council proposes a moratorium on new data centers, citing the facilities’ high energy demand and other impacts. (KYMA)

CARBON CAPTURE

• Summit Carbon Solutions reroutes its proposed carbon dioxide pipeline to run from Iowa to a storage facility in Wyoming after encountering landowner resistance in South Dakota. (Grand Forks Herald)

UTILITIES

• The U.S. Energy Department plans to name former Montana utility regulator Travis Kavulla as the new Bonneville Power Administration CEO and administrator. (NewsData)

• A California legislative committee kills two bills aimed at addressing rising electricity costs by fixing utility rates and scrutinizing wildfire-mitigation expenses. (E&E News)