Nevada governor looks to block Western solar plan

SOLAR: Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo urges the federal Bureau of Land Management to cancel its Western solar plan, saying it would ​“overwhelm local land-use plans,” disrupt economies and harm desert tortoises and sage grouse. (Heatmap)

NUCLEAR: Utah Gov. Spencer Cox proposes spending $20 million on nuclear power ​“site preparation,” saying building new reactors is the only way to fully decarbonize the electricity sector. (KJZZ)

OIL & GAS: 

• An industry report finds building an 800-mile natural gas pipeline across Alaska would be more economic than importing the fuel into the state, but some lawmakers question its conclusions. (KDLL)
• A Colorado county’s commissioners accuse state regulators of waiting too long to inform them about petroleum company consultants falsifying oil and gas facilities’ environmental data. (KDVR)
• Oil and gas production on New Mexico lands generated more than $2.5 billion for state coffers last fiscal year, the second highest amount ever. (Source NM)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Oregon plans to install 460 public electric vehicle charging stations next year in public parking lots, workplaces and multi-family housing complexes. (KOIN)

TRANSPORTATION: Washington state transportation officials urge lawmakers to authorize a voluntary small-scale road usage charge in an effort to offset dwindling gasoline tax revenues. (KIRO)

GRID: Analysts predict new data centers, factories and cryptocurrency mining facilities will drive ​“staggering” electricity demand growth on the Western grid over the next decade. (RTO Insider, subscription)

BIOFUELS: Oregon regulators reject advocates’ bid to block a proposed biodiesel refinery on the lower Columbia River. (OPB)

HYDROGEN: A mining firm looks to extract geologic hydrogen from its nickel and platinum mine in Alaska and sequester carbon in the pockets left behind. (Northern Journal)

COAL: Utah officials say attempts to mitigate an underground coal seam fire in an abandoned mine could cost $1 million, but acknowledge it may never be completely extinguished. (Salt Lake Tribune)

COMMENTARY:

• A California columnist comes away from a visit to a utility-scale solar-plus-storage project that provides electricity to Los Angeles encouraged by the city’s climate leadership. (Los Angeles Times)
• A Nevada consultant says federal permitting has put a ​“chokehold on our entire economy” by unnecessarily slowing transmission lines, clean energy projects and green metal mines. (Nevada Independent)