Supreme Court rejects bid to block California climate lawsuit

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CLIMATE

• The U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear an argument from Republican-led states aimed at blocking California and other states from suing oil and gas companies for climate change-related damages. (New York Times, Landmark)

• New Mexico legislation aimed at locking in the state’s net-zero emissions by 2050 goal stalls after some Democratic lawmakers vote with Republicans to table the bill. (E&E News)

• A startup says it has secured $30 million to finance its proposed direct-air carbon capture facility in New Mexico. (E&E News)

• California lawmakers debate how to spend $4.4 billion its carbon market generated last year. (E&E News)

OVERSIGHT

• The Trump administration suspends a Biden-era rule aimed at holding energy companies and other firms liable for accidentally killing migratory birds, potentially affecting the wind and oil and gas industries. (Washington Post)

GRID

• An Oregon regulator approves a utility’s plan to clear cut a swath through Portland’s urban forest for a proposed transmission line. (OPB)

• NorthWestern Energy says its plan to provide Colstrip coal plant power to proposed data centers will benefit other customers by supporting infrastructure upgrades. (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Advocates lead OGI camera-enabled ​“emissions tours” of oil and gas fields that allow them to see and monitor methane plumes from wells, tanks and other infrastructure. (Capital & Main)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Alaska Renewables moves forward with proposed wind power installations in the state even as the Trump administration works to stifle new development. (Anchorage Daily News)

• Pacific Steel Group breaks ground on a steel mill in southern California that will include a solar-plus-storage array to reduce carbon emissions. (Bakersfield Californian)

• A California community choice aggregator and a private firm plan to outfit 300 low-income households with rooftop solar-plus-storage systems and include them in a virtual power plant. (PV Magazine)

• A developer proposes a 375 MW wind-plus-storage facility in eastern Washington after the county lets a moratorium on clean energy development expire. (Spokesman-Review)

NUCLEAR

• New Mexico regulators propose allocating $50 million to clean up abandoned uranium mines and other contaminated sites around the state. (New Mexico In Depth)

• An advocacy group plans a rally in Tucson to protest Arizona utilities’ plan to build new nuclear reactors. (Arizona Republic)

STORAGE

• Activist Erin Brockovich urges California regulators to develop firmer safety and siting regulations for grid-scale battery energy storage systems in the wake of the Moss Landing fire in January. (Mercury News)