Los Angeles utility joins effort to bring power to Navajo homes

UTILITIES: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power joins an effort to bring electricity to some 15,000 Navajo Nation homes that lack power. (City News Service)

ALSO:
• NorthWest Energy withdraws its request for pre-approval of its payment plan for building a new natural gas power plant and will begin construction without securing a rate hike. (Helena Independent Record)
• A new energy co-op hopes to bring locally owned solar power to Molokai, Hawaii — home to some of the most expensive electricity in the nation. (Honolulu Civil Beat)
• Pacific Gas & Electric plans to install 600 distribution fault anticipators to alert grid operators to circuit anomalies before they can cause an outage or fire. (KXXV)

SOLAR:
• A California solar industry group sues the state over a mandate that only certified electricians can install rooftop solar and storage installations. (New York Times)
• A Bay Area city invests $21 million in efficiency upgrades, including 10 new solar installations and 22 electric vehicle chargers, to meet its climate goals. (news release)
• A major renewable investment firm acquires and closes debt financing on a 300 MW solar plus 150 MW battery storage plant currently under construction in New Mexico. (Energy Storage News)

ELECTRIFICATION: A progressive Washington city’s plans to phase out natural gas in buildings runs into opposition, providing a bellwether of the challenges facing the nationwide push to electrify buildings. (Grist)

COAL:
• Ninety-four workers will lose their jobs when PacifiCorp’s Bridger coal mine in Wyoming closes this November. (Wyoming Public Media)
• A California state senator introduces a bill to stop construction of a proposed rail line that some suspect would haul Powder River Basin coal to the state’s northern coast for export. (Lake County News)

OIL & GAS:
• Colorado regulators fine a Denver oil and gas company $2 million for a series of spills and leaks and lax cleanup efforts. (KDVR)
• Advocates say Los Angeles County’s ban on new drilling and phaseout of existing wells is an environmental justice victory. (Bloomberg)

CLIMATE:
• A government report finds human-caused climate change has helped make this year’s Western drought the most severe on record. (Reuters)
• California wildfires emitted twice as much carbon dioxide this summer than during the same period last year. (New York Times)
• The KNP Complex Fire in Sequoia National Park spares some of the park’s largest trees, but continues to threaten 100-year-old cabins and other groves. (Los Angeles Times)

GRID: Oregon officials begin talks on whether and how utilities should participate in a regional transmission organization. (RTO Insider, subscription)

TRANSPORTATION: Nevada energy officials say the state’s low electricity and high gas prices make transitioning to electric vehicles economically viable. (KNPR)

COMMENTARY: A California U.S. representative and a nonprofit leader call the fossil fuel industry ​“a poster child for corporate welfare” and say Congress needs to increase royalty rates. (Los Angeles Times)