Los Angeles fire investigators zero in on transmission line

GRID: Investigators looking into the cause of one of the Los Angeles-area fires focus on a Southern California Edison transmission tower where witnesses saw flames, but the utility says there’s no evidence its equipment sparked the blaze. (Los Angeles Times, KQED)

ALSO: Federal lawmakers from New Mexico urge the Biden administration to establish a national monument near Los Alamos, but stop short of opposing a contested proposed transmission line that would power the national laboratory there. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

SOLAR:

• Washington Gov. Jay Inslee greenlights the proposed 470 MW Wautoma solar-plus-storage facility in the southern part of the state. (Yakima Herald-Republic)
• New Mexico regulators consider revising some of the state’s nascent community solar program’s rules after utilities and advocates seek changes. (New Mexico Political Report)

CLEAN ENERGY: The U.S. Agriculture Department awards 47 California farmers and small businesses $25.4 million for solar arrays, efficiency upgrades and other clean energy projects. (news release)

OIL & GAS: Alaska officials reveal more details about a private company that plans to take over a proposed $44 billion liquefied natural gas pipeline, export terminal and carbon sequestration project. (KTOO)

MICROGRIDS: A California tribal nation’s solar-powered microgrid proposal advances to the second round of a competition for a U.S. Energy Department grant. (Microgrid Knowledge)

POLITICS: U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, a Wyoming Republican, introduces legislation that would block federal Bureau of Land Management plans restricting energy development in the southern part of the state and banning new coal leases in the Powder River Basin. (WyoFile)

TRANSPORTATION: The Biden administration awards a southern California passenger rail line $27 million to increase the number of trips between San Diego and Los Angeles. (CNS)

LITHIUM: A judge dismisses a lawsuit by southern California advocates accusing state regulators of inadequately addressing a proposed lithium extraction facility’s potential environmental impacts. (inewsource)

MINING: A western Colorado county proposes strengthening land-use regulations in an effort to mitigate the impacts of an expected uptick in uranium mining. (Telluride Daily Planet)

HYDROGEN: Washington state officials seek public input on a newly released study of green hydrogen fuel production, its potential impacts and mitigation methods. (news release)

CLIMATE:

• The U.S. EPA awards a Montana city $20 million to build a community climate resilience hub. (NBC Montana)
• New Mexico advocates urge state lawmakers to bolster programs that track climate change-related health impacts. (Source NM)

COMMENTARY: A Wyoming resident urges state lawmakers to reject legislation that would clear the way for storing spent nuclear reactor fuel in the state, saying the risks outweigh economic benefits. (WyoFile)