Judge rejects feds’ Montana coal mine expansion approval

COAL: A federal judge rejects the U.S. Interior Department’s approval of Signal Peak Energy’s proposed coal mine expansion in central Montana, citing ​“sufficiently serious” errors in the government’s environmental review.
(Montana Free Press)

OIL & GAS:
• The oil and gas industry claims the Biden administration’s proposed methane emission rules give too much power to environmental groups by forcing companies to react to third-party leak reports. (Reuters)
• A peer-reviewed study finds states like California that require oil and gas firms to disclose hydraulic fracturing fluids’ contents have higher water quality. (The Hill)
• New Mexico lawmakers kill two proposed bills that would have stepped up state oil and gas regulation enforcement, but may still consider a third. (Capital & Main)
• Another Colorado county joins groups urging the Biden administration to reverse its approval of a proposed rail line that would carry oil from the Uintah Basin in Utah across the state. (Sky-Hi News)
• A derailed train spills 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel into a tributary of the Yaquina River in Oregon. (KOIN)
• Wyoming’s congressional delegates introduce federal legislation that would prohibit the Biden administration from halting energy leasing or permitting without congressional approval. (news release)

UTILITIES:
• Colorado lawmakers consider legislation that could limit Xcel Energy’s profits following public outcry over high utility bills. (9News)
• Consulting firm McKinsey agrees to pay $25 million to a California wildfire victims’ trust to settle claims over the company’s work with Pacific Gas & Electric and ties to the deadly 2018 Camp Fire. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)

STORAGE: A California startup says it has developed a method of converting inactive oil and gas wells into energy storage installations. (Business Journal)

LITHIUM: A California lawmaker introduces a bill that would create a hiring tax credit for qualifying lithium-related businesses in the Salton Sea region. (news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• California offers $30 million in incentives to fund fast electric vehicle charging station construction in the Central Valley, Central Coast and eastern part of the state. (news release)
• Pacific Gas & Electric partners with a transportation firm to establish California’s first electric passenger ferry route. (news release)

BIOFUELS: A Montana rural electric cooperative plans to double its landfill gas power plant’s generating capacity. (NRECA)

WIND: The Yurok Tribe partners with California universities to create an offshore wind workforce training program. (news release)

GEOTHERMAL: A Colorado ski town’s housing authority plans to use ground source geothermal heating in a proposed 2,300-unit affordable housing development. (Steamboat Pilot)

HYDROGEN:
• Southern California Gas unveils a microgrid that runs on hydrogen generated by on-site solar panels. (Los Angeles Business Journal)
• Developers of a proposed wind-powered green hydrogen production facility in Wyoming plan to begin construction in 2026. (Wyoming Public Radio)

CLIMATE:
• Washington state lawmakers consider legislation that would allow the state land agency to sell carbon credits and create carbon offset projects. (KPBX)
• Alaska lawmakers begin considering Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposal to establish carbon capture and sequestration regulations and fees. (Alaska Beacon)

COMMENTARY: A Colorado journalist suggests electrifying homes and other buildings would free residents from volatile natural gas prices. (Big Pivots)