Report: Alaska paid $1 million for pro-drilling campaign

OIL & GAS: A report finds Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration awarded an Indigenous group $1 million for a campaign aimed at building public support for oil and gas drilling in the Arctic. (The Guardian)

ALSO:

• A Wyoming education official urges lawmakers to swap a piece of state land for federal parcels with oil and gas drilling potential rather than sell it for $100 million to the National Park Service. (Jackson Hole News & Guide)
• Wyoming economists predict rising oil- and gas-related investments will help offset forecasted coal tax revenue declines in the coming year, a sign the state’s economy is diversifying but also becoming more volatile. (WyoFile)

OVERSIGHT: Advocates say a pending U.S. Supreme Court case over a proposed oil-hauling railway in Utah could ​“dramatically remake” federal environmental law if the justices side with industry. (Colorado Sun)

UTILITIES:

• Colorado regulators order Xcel Energy to remove investor relations costs, lobbying fees and a portion of executive salaries from its rates to comply with a new state law. (Colorado Sun)
• California researchers find fixed time-of-use rates can reduce power consumption during peak demand by as much as 15%, with the biggest savings on hot days. (Energy Institute Blog)

EFFICIENCY: Colorado allocates $7.6 million in federal funds to its weatherization assistance program aimed at helping low-income residents insulate their homes. (CPR)

STORAGE:

• An Alaska utility brings a battery energy storage system online, saying it will provide backup power and stabilize electricity costs. (KNOM)
• Arizona Public Service signs on to purchase power from a 250 MW battery energy storage system under development in the central part of the state. (news release)

ELECTRIFICATION: The Biden administration awards an Alaska city $45.7 million to install facilities at its port to enable cruise ships to plug into onshore power rather than relying on diesel generators. (KBBI)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tesla proposes a 168-stall electric vehicle charging station in central California. (Teslarati)

GRID: New Mexico regulators issue principles aimed at helping utilities decide which proposed regional day-ahead power market to join. (RTO Insider, subscription)

SOLAR:

• A northern Colorado county greenlights a proposed 650 MW solar-plus-battery storage installation on private agricultural land. (KUNC)
• Colorado solar installers worry a second Trump administration’s proposed tariffs would eat into their earnings and harm their businesses. (Loveland Reporter-Herald)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management releases its final environmental review for the proposed 400 MW Rough Hat solar-plus-storage project in Nevada. (news release)

COMMENTARY: An Arizona advocate says state utility regulators’ stance on solar subsidies and data center-driven power demand growth favors monopoly utilities’ profits over ratepayers’ interests. (AZ Mirror)