Study: All-electric rebuilding after L.A. fires is cheaper, faster

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Western Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

ELECTRIFICATION

• A study finds all-electric construction is likely to be the fastest and most cost-effective way to rebuild after the January Los Angeles fires. (Canary Media)

CLIMATE

• Hawaii lawmakers pass legislation increasing the state’s tourist lodging tax to raise funds for climate change-fueled disaster mitigation and restoration projects. (Associated Press)

• Oregon climate advocates call on lawmakers to pass a legislative package aimed at lowering power costs, funding energy efficiency programs, and requiring utilities to justify spending on marketing and lobbying. (OPB)

TRANSPORTATION

• California’s electric bicycle rebate program’s online portal crashes for the second consecutive year shortly after launching, sparking criticism and frustration from would-be applicants. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

• Oregon plans to reopen its popular electric vehicle rebate program later this month and keep it live until funds run out. (Oregonian)

• An Alaska borough replaces three diesel buses with compressed natural gas models as part of an effort to modernize its public transit fleet. (KTUU)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Republican federal lawmakers propose legislation that would cut fossil fuel royalty rates, expand drilling on public lands, reinstate canceled mining leases, and rescind resource management plans that restrict energy development. (Inside Climate News)

• Northwestern Colorado residents and officials call on Xcel Energy to pay $89 million in just transition funding to help communities weather planned coal plant retirements. (Steamboat Pilot & Today)

• Some Arizona residents hope President Trump’s fossil fuel-friendly policies will keep coal plants operating, but utilities are moving forward with planned retirements. (Associated Press)

GEOTHERMAL

• California lawmakers advance legislation that would relax some hazardous waste regulations for geothermal energy developments. (Desert Review)

GRID

• A southwestern Utah city shifts the location of a proposed substation to avoid a fossil quarry following paleontologists’ protests. (Salt Lake Tribune)

• A California energy official says the state’s grid is ​“stronger, smarter, and cleaner” than ever thanks to rapid renewable energy and storage deployment and strategic reserve planning. (news release)

UTILITIES

• Arizona advocates urge Gov. Katie Hobbs to veto a bill that would allow utilities to use bonds to recoup funding from ratepayers for aging assets such as coal plants, saying it was rushed through the legislature and may be unconstitutional. (Arizona Capitol Times)

NUCLEAR

• Holtec plans to establish a regional Mountain West ​“nuclear ecosystem” centered in Utah that would include small modular reactor manufacturing and workforce training facilities. (World Nuclear News)

• The U.S. EPA approves the proposed Lost Creek in-situ uranium extraction operation in the Red Desert in Wyoming following years of delay. (Cowboy State Daily)

COMMENTARY

• The Seattle Times editorial board calls on state and federal lawmakers to spend more money to upgrade and modernize the power grid so it can handle expected demand increases. (Seattle Times)

A columnist celebrates planned petroleum refinery closures in California, saying the price volatility it may lead to is a natural part of the ​“present we created as we marched toward a climate-stable future.” (Earth Hope)