Lawsuit: Oil companies defrauded New Mexico on cleanup costs

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OIL & GAS

• New Mexico residents file a lawsuit accusing ExxonMobil, Empire Petroleum, and their subsidiaries of accounting fraud for undervaluing future cleanup costs when selling hundreds of oil and gas wells in the state. (Capital & Main)

• New Mexico advocates support proposed state oil and gas facility cleanup rule updates and increased bonding requirements, saying they would discourage companies from abandoning old oil and gas wells. (Source NM)

• Colorado awards Larimer County $5.2 million to complete plugging and cleaning up 50 abandoned oil and gas wells. (CBS News)

• The U.S. Interior Department awards Utah $5 million to plug and remediate orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells. (ABC4)

• California lawmakers consider bills that would extend a workforce development program for displaced oil and gas workers and address decommissioned well cleanup costs. (Bay City News)

• Colorado allocates $5.5 million from its new oil and gas production fee to fund seven wildlife habitat projects around the state. (ColoradoBiz)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Wyoming observers say fluctuating political views and a patchwork of permitting authorities make it difficult to predict whether and how much new energy development will occur in the state. (WyoFile)

• A Los Angeles-area municipal utility launches a pilot rebate program for residential and commercial rooftop solar and battery storage installations. (Public Power)

• Colorado’s House of Representatives passes legislation that would establish a regulatory framework for plug-in solar installations. (PV Magazine)

ELECTRIFICATION

• A California startup introduces a single-room electric heat pump that it says is cheaper and easier to install than conventional models. (Canary Media)

CRITICAL MATERIALS

• Southern California residents welcome and fear a promised lithium extraction boom in the Imperial Valley and the potential economic benefits and environmental impacts it may bring. (New York Times)

UTILITIES

• Conservative advocacy group Turning Point Action backs fossil fuel-friendly candidates in Arizona utility Salt River Project’s board elections held this week. (Associated Press)

• Public Service Company of New Mexico officials defend its $400 million stock sale to private equity firm Blackstone, saying it was necessary to support the utility’s operating and capital budgets while the firms’ proposed merger is pending. (Source NM)

• A Nevada court schedules hearings on the state’s consumer protection bureau’s legal challenge to NV Energy’s contested peak demand charge. (Nevada Current)

DATA CENTERS

• Imperial County, California’s supervisors vote to clear the way for a proposed data center complex following strong opposition from residents and advocates worried about grid strain, water use, and other environmental impacts. (KPBS)

HYDROPOWER

• Natrona County, Wyoming’s commissioners scrutinize the proposed 970 MW Seminoe pumped hydropower storage project’s potential environmental and recreational impacts. (Oil City News)