Sprawl complicates California’s climate ambitions

CLIMATE: Despite having ambitious climate goals, many Californians still resist zoning changes that could allow denser housing, which advocates say will be key to reducing emissions. (NPR)

GRID:
• A new ​“virtual power plant” project by three Bay Area electricity providers aims to improve grid reliability and reduce dependence on big utilities. (InsideClimate News)
• California’s power grid operator gets a new CEO, the former head of the Bonneville Power Administration. (Seattle Times)

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RENEWABLES: Facebook signs contracts for an additional 806 MW of wind and solar power. (Bloomberg)

SOLAR:
• A 240 MW behind-the-meter solar project, the largest in the U.S., moves forward at a Pueblo, Colorado steel mill. (Mountain Town News)
• An international owner and operator of power generation and energy storage projects closes on funding for two Oregon solar projects totalling 100 MW. (reNEWS)

OIL & GAS:
• Navajo Nation leaders continue to push the EPA to address a high concentration of methane emissions in northwestern New Mexico. (E&E News)
• More than 200 employees at Marathon Petroleum’s New Mexico refinery will lose their jobs as the facility is shut down indefinitely. (Albuquerque Business First)
• A Colorado startup that monitors real-time oil and gas emissions merges with a Texas company that certifies environmental best practices to focus on ​“responsibly sourced gas.”. (Denver Business Journal, subscription required)

UTILITIES:
• A new analysis explores how California energy providers are tackling energy resilience in the face of another year of public safety power shutoffs. (GreenBiz)
• The City of Boulder, Colorado and Xcel Energy release additional documents related to their settlement talks announced last week. (news release)
• Nevada regulators release a second concept paper on alternative rate-making mechanisms for electric utilities. (Pahrump Valley Times)

TRANSPORTATION:
• The Department of Energy awards a $2.5 million grant to a team led by Washington State University for a project that will lower auto manufacturing costs while reducing air pollution. (WSU Insider)
• Utah State University is set to establish an international research center to advance sustainable, electrified transportation thanks to a five-year $26 million grant. (Deseret News)

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HYDROPOWER: Federal officials release an updated environmental review about a proposed $1.4 billion project to raise a Northern California dam. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)

COMMENTARY:
• An official with a Pacific Northwest non-profit representing community-owned utilities says hydropower doesn’t deserve a tarnished reputation like coal and natural gas. (Utility Dive)
• Three conservationists say Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines’ support for the Great American Outdoor Act is ​“a blip in an abysmal public lands record.” (Helena Independent Record)