Oil field traffic bugs Alaska caribou

OIL & GAS: A peer-reviewed study finds oil field traffic disturbs caribou in Alaska more than previously recognized, raising additional concerns about the Willow drilling project’s impacts on wildlife. (Alaska Beacon)

ALSO:

• Advocates urge the Biden administration to use an obscure legal tool to override federal regulators’ approval of a proposed natural gas pipeline expansion in the Northwest. (BNN Bloomberg)
• A Colorado farming family pushes state regulators to adopt stronger pipeline safety rules after an oil and gas leak destroys their home and property. (Colorado Sun)
• New Mexico regulators call on state lawmakers to increase oil and gas company reclamation bonds to ensure adequate funding for plugging abandoned wells. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• Wyoming’s oil and gas industry accuses the federal Bureau of Land Management of withholding high-value parcels from lease sales. (WyoFile)

SOLAR:

• Advocates urge federal regulators to require an Arizona utility to offer non-discriminatory rates to customers selling rooftop solar to the grid, saying the current policy violates federal laws. (Utility Dive)
• Hawaii advocates urge regulators to reconsider a new policy slashing compensation for new rooftop solar, saying it could destroy the industry in the state. (Honolulu Civil Beat)
• A California solar company plans to lay off 62 employees at three locations across the state, citing a slowdown in demand for residential installations. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

WIND: A 98 MW wind power facility on California’s central coast begins commercial operations. (Noozhawk)

GRID:

• California’s grid operators increase cybersecurity spending in an effort to fend off a rise in attempted electricity network hacks. (San Diego Tribune)
• Strong winds in Hawaii batter utility lines, leaving thousands of customers without power. (Hawaii News Now)
• Montana grid operators are forced to import electricity from out of state after extreme cold increases power demand and diminishes wind facility output. (KTVQ)

UTILITIES: Oregon residents slam utilities for communication failures after a severe winter storm leaves thousands of customers without power in the Portland area for up to four days. (Oregonian)

ELECTRIFICATION:

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes slashing building decarbonization program spending by $238 million to address a looming budget shortfall. (Utility Dive)
• California regulators reject a utility’s $200 million electric heat pump and water heater rebate plan, saying it would raise rates too much. (California News Service)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The U.S. EPA awards Washington and Oregon school districts more than $51 million to purchase 144 electric buses. (OPB)

CLIMATE: Montana’s Supreme Court denies a bid to pause a court ruling finding the state’s fossil fuel-friendly policies violate residents’ constitutional right to a healthy environment. (Daily Montanan)

URANIUM:

• Colorado residents call on state regulators to rescind a company’s permit to do exploratory drilling for uranium in the southeastern part of the state, saying it could contaminate drinking water. (Colorado Sun)
• A company plans to reopen its in-situ uranium recovery facility in Wyoming after commodity prices hit their highest level since 2011. (Mining)