Probe: New federal oil and gas bonds are inadequate, based on bad math

OIL & GAS: A media investigation finds new federal Bureau of Land Management oil and gas reclamation bonding amounts are based on faulty calculations and will not adequately cover cleanup costs. (Capital & Main)

ALSO: Immigrants, including undocumented workers, make up much of the Permian Basin oilfield workforce, putting conservatives’ calls for more drilling and less immigration at odds. (USA Today)

ELECTRIFICATION: Colorado’s oil and gas industry drops a proposed ballot measure that would block natural gas hookup bans after missing a filing deadline, but similar proposals continue to advance. (CPR)

SOLAR:

• California grid operators look to exports and added transmission and battery storage to tame the deepening ​“duck curve” resulting from a growing solar power glut. (Washington Post)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management greenlights a proposed 200 MW solar-plus-storage installation in southern Nevada. 
• A California lawmaker introduces legislation that would streamline state property tax rules to encourage solar and wind development on agricultural land. (Our Valley Voice)
• Environmental groups urge the Biden administration to push utility-scale solar development on federal lands towards previously disturbed areas near existing transmission. (news release)
• A proposed 80 MW solar installation in southwestern Wyoming is delayed indefinitely by ownership changes and possible litigation. (Cowboy State Daily)

HYDROPOWER: An Alaska Native village proposes restoring water to a segment of river dried out by a hydroelectric dam before removing the facility entirely after replacement energy sources are developed. (Anchorage Daily News, subscription)

WIND: The Yakama Nation urges Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to reject a council’s recommendation to approve a scaled-back version of the Horse Heaven Hills wind project, saying it will harm the tribe’s cultural resources. (KIMA)

CLIMATE:

• California startups experiment with direct air carbon capture and geoengineering to tackle climate change, but some experts remain wary of potential side effects and high costs. (Los Angeles Times)
• A study finds climate change supercharged a Pacific Northwest heat dome in 2021, leading to a more intense wildfire season that summer. (Los Angeles Times) 

HYDROGEN: Researchers at a national laboratory in New Mexico look into storing hydrogen fuel in depleted oil and gas fields. (NM Political Report)

TRANSPORTATION: A California Bay Area city breaks ground on pedestrian and bike paths that will link new development with public transit hubs. (Mercury News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Colorado city plans to purchase an electric trolley as part of its effort to electrify its entire vehicle fleet. (Durango Herald)

COAL: Wyoming plans to pump 30,000 cubic yards of concrete into an abandoned coal mine beneath an interstate highway to prevent it from collapsing. (Cowboy State Daily)

TRANSMISSION: The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on 155 miles of proposed transmission upgrade projects in southern Nevada. (news release)