Supreme Court revives Texas, New Mexico nuclear waste plans

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NUCLEAR

• The U.S. Supreme Court reverses a lower court ruling invalidating a federal license for a proposed nuclear waste repository in southwestern Texas, clearing the way for a similar facility in southeastern New Mexico. (Associated Press)

• Alaska villagers push back against firms’ proposed uranium and rare earth elements exploration in the western part of the state, saying it could harm wildlife and cultural sites in the remote region. (Northern Journal)

• Utah lawmakers introduce legislation aimed at luring advanced nuclear reactor manufacturing firms to the state. (Utah News Dispatch)

• Indigenous and environmental activists protest the Trump administration’s fast-tracked approval for a proposed uranium mine in southeastern Utah. (Moab Times-Independent)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The federal Bureau of Land Management plans to open parts of southwestern Wyoming’s Red Desert to drilling based on new oil and natural gas reserve estimates for the area. (WyoFile)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management affirms its approval for a 224-well oil and gas drilling project in western Colorado after a court ordered the agency to redo its environmental analysis. (news release)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on 61 proposed oil and gas leases on about 51,000 acres in western Colorado. (news release)

ELECTRIFICATION

• Colorado professional landscapers adopt electric equipment after state rules limiting gasoline powered tools go into effect, saying clients prefer the quieter and zero-emissions machines. (Canary Media)

STORAGE

• The Sacramento Municipal Utility District signs on to purchase power from a 160 MW battery energy storage system under construction in northern California. (Solar Power World)

GRID

• Xcel Energy proposes using eminent domain to acquire rights of way through 48 properties in eastern Colorado to make way for its Colorado Pathway transmission project. (Colorado Sun)

CLEAN ENERGY

• A southwestern Colorado county rejects a proposed utility-scale solar project on private farmland, but may reconsider after developing clean energy-specific land-use codes. (Cortez Journal)

• Colorado economists say state heat pump, e-bike, and electric vehicle tax credits likely will be slashed next year following lower-than-expected revenue forecasts. (Colorado Sun)

HYDROPOWER

• Federal officials predict climate change-exacerbated drought could deplete the Colorado River and force them to curtail hydropower production at Glen Canyon and Hoover dams. (Arizona Daily Star)

COMMENTARY

• A Navajo Nation advocate says coal mining and generation have destroyed her communities’ land, health, and water, and urges Congress to reject efforts to revive the flagging industry. (USA Today)

NEW FROM CANARY

• The Senate’s version of the ​“Big, Beautiful Bill” is a little gentler on clean energy, containing positives for battery storage, but still will gut hydrogen, EV, and home electrification incentives, Kathryn Krawczyk reports.

• Minnesota removed its community solar program from a recently passed energy omnibus bill, saving it from a repeal that likely would’ve stymied 500 MW of planned projects, Alison F. Takemura reports.