Judge blocks Wyoming drilling project over groundwater impacts

OIL & GAS: A judge halts work on a 5,000-well oil and gas drilling project in Wyoming after finding federal regulators miscalculated the project’s groundwater impacts. (Courthouse News Service)

ALSO:

• A judge temporarily blocks the federal Bureau of Land Management from enforcing its oil and gas facility methane rule in Wyoming, Utah, Montana and two other states. (Associated Press)
• California advocates urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a bill that would allow local governments to ban or limit oil and gas drilling. (Mercury News)

UTILITIES: California regulators approve Pacific Gas & Electric’s fourth proposed rate hike in 15 months, saying it is necessary to recoup costs associated with winter storms and wildfire mitigation. (Sacramento Bee)

ELECTRIFICATION: California advocates call on Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a bill that would allow utilities to electrify entire neighborhoods rather than replace costly natural gas lines. (Canary Media)

GRID:

• A study finds increasing numbers of heat pumps, rooftop solar and other clean energy and efficiency measures have helped operators balance the Northwest grid. (OPB)
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers find building out high-voltage transmission projects currently under development in the Western U.S. would enable new clean energy projects and lead to a 73% drop in carbon emissions. (news release)

MICROGRIDS: The U.S. Energy Department loans a southern California tribal nation $72.8 million to fund a 15 MW carport solar array, a vanadium flow battery storage system and a microgrid. (Tribal Business News)

WIND: Washington state’s energy siting council votes to recommend approval of a less-scaled back version of the proposed Horse Heaven wind and solar project in the southeastern part of the state. (Center Square)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A Denver-area school district plans to use a U.S. EPA grant to replace 14 diesel buses with electric ones by the end of this year. (Denver Post)
• The Biden administration awards Arizona $15 million to build electric vehicle charging infrastructure. (Center Square)

CLEAN ENERGY: A Utah city votes not to participate in a state program giving residents the option to acquire 100% of their electricity from renewable sources. (Sandy City Journal)

COAL: A California real estate firm acquires the troubled Kemmerer coal mine in southwestern Wyoming, but does not disclose its plans for the facility. (Cowboy State Daily)

COMMENTARY: A California advocate calls on state regulators to reconsider a rule blocking solar contractors from installing residential battery systems, saying it will increase costs and slow the clean energy transition. (Times of San Diego)