Supreme Court justices appear to favor Utah oil railway

OIL & GAS: Observers say U.S. Supreme Court justices appeared set to rule in favor of a proposed Utah oil-hauling railroad and to limit the scope of reviews required by a landmark federal environmental law. (New York Times, Colorado Sun)

ALSO:

• New Mexico officials expect investments of oil and gas-related revenues to generate more income for state coffers than personal income tax collections for the first time. (Associated Press)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on its review of Trump-era oil and gas lease sales in the Greater Chaco Region of northwestern New Mexico. (news release)

SOLAR:

• Nevada advocates file a lawsuit seeking to force federal land agencies to protect the Old Spanish Trail from utility-scale solar projects, mining and other development. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• Phillips 66 plans a 30 MW solar array to provide power to its biofuel refinery in California’s Bay Area. (Reuters)

CLEAN ENERGY:

• Republican federal lawmakers from Arizona urge Congress and the incoming Trump administration to keep the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy-related incentives intact, saying repealing them would harm the state’s economy. (AZ Mirror)
• California tech giant Google and a developer plan to ​“colocate” new clean energy installations and electricity-intensive data centers. (Canary Media)

STORAGE:

• The U.S. Energy Department awards a California startup $305 million in loan guarantees to deploy its virtual power plant-enabled thermal energy storage technology in commercial and industrial buildings. (Power)
• Federal regulators approve $3.5 million in fines for battery energy storage companies for submitting inaccurate state of charge information to California’s grid operator. (RTO Insider, subscription)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Some analysts say slowing California electric vehicle sales show the state may not meet its mandate of 100% zero-emission car sales by 2035. (Los Angeles Times)
• An Idaho nonprofit joins a coalition looking to develop an electric vehicle charging network along scenic highways across eight Western states. (Idaho Capital Sun)

POLLUTION: California advocates say a state law aimed at phasing out diesel trucks has failed to reduce pollution in communities near the Port of Los Angeles. (CalMatters)

GRID: California’s grid operator considers factoring the cost of starting and operating gas peaking units into its extended day-ahead market pricing. (RTO Insider, subscription)

UTILITIES: High wildfire hazard prompts utilities to de-energize lines in southern California, leaving tens of thousands of residents without power for days. (KPBS)

CLIMATE: Researchers find increasing wildfires and climate change-driven warmer temperatures are thawing Arctic permafrost and causing the tundra to emit greenhouse gases. (NPR)