Researchers: Salton Sea contains more lithium than expected

LITHIUM: California researchers estimate 18 million metric tons of lithium could be extracted from geothermal brine below the Salton Sea, far more than previously thought. (Los Angeles Times)

OIL & GAS: 

• Air quality researchers suspect booming Permian Basin oil and gas development is elevating ozone, benzene, methane and airborne radioactivity levels in southeastern New Mexico. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• An analysis finds Utah oil and gas operators waste about $48 million worth of methane annually by way of leaks and flaring and venting. (St. George News)
• A California refinery spews smoke plumes over the San Francisco Bay area after a power outage triggers flaring at the facility. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Hawaii officials call on the U.S. Navy to clean up as much as 2 million gallons of petroleum spilled at the defunct Red Hill fuel storage facility since the 1940s. (Honolulu Civil Beat)
• An environmental group sues the Biden administration for not disclosing why it rejected a petition to phase out oil and gas drilling on federal lands by 2035. (news release)

SOLAR:

• Los Angeles looks to increase lower-income residents’ access to distributed clean energy by reducing community solar subscription rates for eligible customers and expanding generation capacity at public and multifamily sites. (PV Magazine)
• Public Service Company of New Mexico predicts 25% of its customers will have solar panels or battery storage by 2040, up from 8% today. (NM Political Report)

ELECTRIFICATION: Washington state regulators back off from a proposed ban on natural gas appliances in new construction and offer permitting incentives to builders choosing electric heat pumps instead. (Washington State Standard)

CLIMATE: California officials attend the United Nation’s climate conference in Dubai to tout the state’s progress toward clean energy goals and zero-emissions vehicles. (Los Angeles Times)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Pacific Gas & Electric and Ford partner on an electric vehicle-to-home pilot project that will use the F-150 Lightning’s batteries as grid energy storage. (Forbes)
• An Arizona startup launches a mobile electric vehicle charger-sharing app in Phoenix allowing residents to sell charges to motorists. (KJZZ)

GRID: Puget Sound Energy launches a virtual power plant program aimed at integrating efficiency, demand response, distributed generation and storage and electric vehicles. (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES: Wyoming utility regulators approve a smaller than proposed rate hike for Rocky Mountain Power after a flurry of criticism from customers and lawmakers. (WyoFile)

TRANSPORTATION: Colorado’s transportation department breaks ground on a mobility hub aimed at getting residents out of their cars and onto public transit. (Loveland Reporter-Herald)