PacifiCorp pays $250 million for Oregon wildfire

UTILITIES: PacifiCorp agrees to pay timber companies $250 million to resolve a lawsuit over its alleged role in sparking southern Oregon wildfires in 2020. (OPB)

ALSO: Nevada regulators vote to approve NV Energy’s proposed rate hike aimed at recouping grid infrastructure improvement costs. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

OIL & GAS: 

• The Biden administration’s proposed National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska rules would further restrict oil and gas development by considering its cumulative impacts, but not ban drilling outright. (E&E News)
• A state royalty-free oil and gas lease sale aimed at spurring natural gas production from Alaska’s Cook Inlet draws a tepid response. (Alaska Beacon)
• New Mexico advocates worry record-high oil and gas-related revenues will give the industry too much power to thwart pollution regulations and environmental protections. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

ELECTRIFICATION: Western cities find innovative ways to push building electrification — such as setting emissions targets and restricting indoor air pollution — that don’t violate a court order prohibiting natural gas hookup bans. (Grist)

SOLAR: New Mexico lawmakers propose appropriating $110 million to fund community solar projects. (Daily Sentinel)

WIND:

• The federal Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management proposes leasing two areas along southern Oregon’s coast for offshore wind power development. (Eugene Register-Guard)
• California researchers investigate the impacts of offshore wind development and climate change on West Coast fisheries. (news release)
• An analysis finds a full offshore wind power buildout along California’s coast would require up to $41.3 billion in transmission infrastructure. (news release)

CARBON CAPTURE:

• Wyoming’s consumer advocate says utility customers shouldn’t have to pay for state-mandated carbon capture studies aimed at extending coal plants’ lives. (WyoFile)
• Kern County, California, releases the draft environmental review of a proposed carbon capture and sequestration project. (Bakersfield Californian)

GRID:

• California’s grid operator approves a 285-mile high-voltage transmission line across Nevada to improve access to wind power from Idaho. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• A faulty transformer leaves more than 4,500 customers without power in northern California. (East Bay Times)

CRITICAL MATERIALS:

• The operator of an Idaho cobalt mine that shut down before production began is optimistic about reopening when market conditions improve. (NPR)
• A reclamation firm walks away from treating an abandoned Colorado uranium mine’s water, leaving the state to finish the job with a $7.3 million surety bond. (Colorado Sun)

COMMENTARY: Alaska fisherwomen call on state regulators and the oil and gas industry to slash methane emissions to help mitigate climate change’s effects on fisheries. (Anchorage Daily News)