New Mexico utility plans solar, wind, storage

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CLIMATE

• California’s Air Resources Board’s overhaul of its cap-and-invest program includes a plan allowing polluting industries to earn free emissions allowances for investing in facility decarbonization, sparking fears it will undermine climate goals. (Canary Media)

• A federal court rejects Montana youth’s lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s fossil fuel-friendly executive orders, saying the judicial branch lacks the power to change or enforce government policies. (Montana Free Press)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Colorado advocates criticize regulators for failing to hold three petroleum firms accountable for failing to reclaim 14,600 ​“dead” oil and gas sites in Colorado, where production has ended but pollution or other impacts continue. (Guardian)

• Officials in rural western Alaska villages say high petroleum prices driven by the Iran conflict ​“could completely wipe out” the region that depends on the fuel for heating, transportation, and power generation. (Northern Journal)

• California Bay Area advocates protest Chevron’s Richmond petroleum refinery ahead of a July deadline for the facility to come into compliance with emissions regulations and pay tens of millions of dollars in pollution-related penalties. (Mercury News)

UTILITIES

• Public Service Company of New Mexico looks to meet growing demand and replace capacity ahead of its 2031 exit from the Four Corners coal plant by adding 800 MW of wind, 240 MW of solar, and 40 MW of natural gas generation along with 610 MW of battery energy storage. (PV Tech)

• Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes blocks recent renewable energy standards repeal from going into effect, saying regulators failed to follow proper rulemaking procedures. (KJZZ)

• Idaho Power says its equipment may have sparked last week’s 250-acre brush fire that destroyed multiple structures in the southwestern part of the state. (Idaho Statesman)

GRID

• Northwest developers propose a high-voltage transmission line under the Columbia River to move power from eastern Washington and Oregon to coastal areas, drawing concerns over potential harm to cultural sites and fish. (OPB)

DATA CENTERS

• Arizona State University researchers find data centers’ air-cooled condenser arrays radiate a thermal plume that can increase temperatures in adjacent neighborhoods by up to 4 degrees Fahrenheit, potentially having a ​“very significant impact on our lives.” (Utility Dive)

• New Mexico Tech and Green Data table their proposed 10,000-acre data center and solar array near Socorro following intense local opposition over potential environmental impacts. (Source NM)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Colorado electric cooperative Holy Cross Energy says it met 100% of its 45,000 members’ power demand with clean energy generation in March, and credits high solar output during the unseasonably warm and sunny month. (Colorado Sun, Big Pivots)

• A Denver school looks to install a battery and microgrid to store energy from an existing solar array and provide backup power during outages or when electricity prices are high. (CBS Colorado)

STORAGE

• AES proposes the 350 MW Jewelflower battery energy storage project on agricultural land near San Jose, California. (Mercury News)

NUCLEAR

• Urenco says it plans to expand its uranium enrichment facility in New Mexico to meet projected reactor fuel demand increases. (news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Long Beach, California, plans to install six off-grid solar-plus-storage EV charging systems as the city works to electrify its vehicle fleet. (electrek)

GEOTHERMAL

• The University of Utah launches a consulting agency to provide independent engineering and technical services to advanced geothermal projects. (news release)