Oil and gas giants falsified pollutant reports, regulators say

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FOSSIL FUELS

• Colorado regulators accuse Chevron, Occidental Petroleum, and Civitas Resources of falsifying lab reports and minimizing levels of arsenic, barium, benzene, and other pollutants in the soil and groundwater at oil and gas facilities, saying the firms ​“betrayed our trust.” (Colorado Sun)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management says its recent oil and gas lease sale in New Mexico netted $58.3 million for 16 parcels, the agency’s third highest per-parcel bid ever. (news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Idaho pauses a federal program aimed at creating an electric vehicle charging network along interstate highways after the Trump administration indicated it would review the program. (Idaho Capital Sun)

CLEAN ENERGY

• The American Clean Power Association calls on California regulators to speed up renewable energy procurements to allow ratepayers and developers to benefit from expiring federal clean energy tax credits. (E&E News)

• U.S. House Republicans advance a bill that would block federal funding for the proposed Lava Ridge wind project in Idaho ​“unless and until” the president reviews its Biden-era permits. (Heatmap)

• Colorado officials say the Trump administration’s policies likely will hamper the state’s clean energy goals and lead to more expensive electricity. (Colorado Sun)

• Exus Renewables secures nearly $150 million in financing for its Zia solar project portfolio in New Mexico. (Solar Quarter)

GRID

• Oregon-based battery storage company Powin filed for bankruptcy this summer, jeopardizing its 11.3 GWh of storage projects installed around the world. (Canary Media)

• The Union of Concerned Scientists finds California’s investor-owned utilities have not built out enough transmission to meet clean energy goals or addressed reasons for continued delays. (PV Magazine)

CLIMATE

• Oregon climate advocates propose adding a Green Amendment to the state constitution aimed at shifting the legal and regulatory regime toward stronger environmental protections. (E&E News)

DATA CENTERS

• Arizona’s largest utilities say demand from planned new data centers could increase total power load by 300% over current levels, causing ​“growing concern.” (Arizona Republic)

TRANSPORTATION

• Colorado business interests propose a ballot initiative that would require transportation-related fee, tax, and toll revenues to go toward road and bridge maintenance rather than multimodal transit and vehicle electrification programs. (Colorado Newsline)

• California’s Energy Commission awards San Francisco $5 million to expand the city’s EV charging infrastructure. (Hoodline)

UTILITIES

• California officials say claims stemming from January’s Eaton Fire could ​“fully exhaust” the state’s wildfire fund if Southern California Edison is found liable for sparking the blaze. (Los Angeles Times)

• Oakland, California’s city council rejects a proposed resolution supporting legislation that would require the state to study the feasibility of replacing Pacific Gas & Electric with a public utility. (Grist, Oaklandside)

MINING

• Law enforcement records indicate the Federal Bureau of Investigation and private security officers surveilled Indigenous and environmental advocates protesting the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada. (Nevada Independent/​ProPublica)

• Trump administration officials and other Republicans celebrate the opening of Ramaco Resources’ rare earth minerals mine in Wyoming, even though the materials mostly will be used in clean energy applications. (Inside Climate News)

NUCLEAR

• An industry expert says a Utah and Texas lawsuit against the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission could force the agency to relinquish some of its reactor licensing authority, leading to a ​“patchwork of state-level oversight.” (E&E News)

• The Idaho National Laboratory and Amazon Web Services team up to develop artificial intelligence tools for nuclear energy projects. (news release)

STORAGE

• The U.S. EPA approves Vistra’s plan to remove and dispose of batteries damaged by the January blaze at its Moss Landing energy storage facility. (Mercury News)

COMMENTARY

• California columnist Sammy Roth urges state and local officials to encourage solar development on water-stressed agricultural land. (Los Angeles Times)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Trump admin cancels $4.9B loan for biggest transmission line in US — Jeff St. John

• Chart: Public EV chargers are growing steadily in the US — Dan McCarthy

• Massachusetts could give heat pump owners a huge discount on electricity — Sarah Shemkus

• Maine moves to fast-track clean energy before federal tax credits expire — Sarah Shemkus