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Probe: Industry shapes laws criminalizing anti-fossil fuel protests

By Jonathan P. Thompson

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OIL & GAS: An investigation finds fossil fuel industry lobbyists coordinated with lawmakers in Utah, Idaho and other states to shape laws cracking down on peaceful protests against oil and gas development. (The Guardian)

ALSO:

  • A federal oil and gas lease auction in Wyoming nets just $27,000 in bids, prompting industry officials to accuse the Biden administration of trying to indirectly halt drilling through higher fees and tighter regulations. (E&E News)
  • U.S. Sen. Michael Bennett, a Colorado Democrat, introduces legislation that would block new oil and gas drilling on 74,000 acres in the western part of the state. (Vail Daily)
  • Environmental and Indigenous advocates file a lawsuit over federal regulators’ failure to require firms to update their oil drilling plans for installations off California’s coast. (news release)
  • California lawmakers advance legislation that would direct regulators to set minimum fuel storage requirements for refiners in an effort to avoid price spikes. (KCRA)

SOLAR:

CLEAN ENERGY:

  • A study finds Washington and Idaho are among the nation’s top states for their share of clean energy-generated electricity, while Utah and Alaska are near the bottom of the list. (Reuters)
  • A report finds Wyoming lags behind other states in clean energy job creation, prompting advocates to urge policymakers to shift their focus from fossil fuels and carbon capture to solar and wind development. (Inside Climate News)

GRID: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a law aimed at encouraging utilities to adopt grid-enhancing technologies to reduce transmission congestion. (Electrek)

ELECTRIFICATION:

UTILITIES: Hawaiian Electric assures customers it will pay incentives owed them by the now-shuttered company that operated the utility’s home battery virtual power plant program. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

NUCLEAR: The Idaho National Laboratory prepares to install and test the nation’s first transportable nuclear reactor. (Boise State Public Radio)

CARBON CAPTURE: U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, introduces a bill that would increase subsidies for using captured carbon dioxide to stimulate oil and gas production from aging wells. (E&E News, subscription; news release)

COMMENTARY: California equity advocates urge companies and policymakers to ensure Imperial County communities benefit directly from an imminent lithium boom around the Salton Sea. (Los Angeles Times)

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