Supreme Court to hear Colorado, oil industry climate case

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Western Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

CLIMATE

• The U.S. Supreme Court takes up the oil industry’s bid to move a Colorado community’s lawsuit seeking to force fossil fuel companies to pay for climate change-related disasters to federal court. (Daily Montanan)

• Oregon environmental advocates propose a ballot initiative that would establish a fee on large corporations to fund clean energy and climate projects in Eugene. (Oregonian)

UTILITIES

• Federal regulators approve equity firm Blackstone’s bid to acquire Public Service Company of New Mexico’s parent TXNM Energy, but state regulators have yet to weigh in. (Power Technology)

• Arizona utility Salt River Project seeks proposals to provide up to 2,900 MW of new capacity to meet a projected doubling of energy demand over the next 10 years. (news release)

CLEAN ENERGY

• An industry-commissioned study finds utility-scale solar projects have taken up less than 1% of Colorado’s farmland. (Colorado Sun)

• NextEra Energy proposes the 600 MW Spud Valley solar-plus-storage project on water-constrained farmland in the San Luis Valley in Colorado, but says it’ll need additional transmission to build out to the full capacity. (Alamosa Citizen)

• California joins 17 other states in an amicus brief challenging the Trump administration’s tax credit eligibility limits for wind and solar projects, saying they are arbitrary, will slow clean energy development, and exacerbate climate change. (news release)

DATA CENTERS

• Utah residents and advocates push back on proposed data centers’ plans to power the facilities with natural gas generators, other fossil fuels, or nuclear reactors. (Grist)

• Montana advocates call on state utility regulators to order NorthWestern Energy to disclose more information on its plans to provide power to as many as 11 proposed data centers. (Daily Montanan)

• Denver’s city council considers a moratorium on new data centers, citing concerns over the facilities’ energy and water use and disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged communities. (Colorado Sun)

OVERSIGHT

• The U.S. EPA grants Wyoming oversight of most federal environmental requirements for coal ash dumps. (E&E News)

• The U.S. Interior Department finalizes National Environmental Policy Act reforms, which it says will streamline reviews of major projects on federal lands and ​“unleash American energy.” (news release)

OIL & GAS

• Colorado regulators propose fining Chevron subsidiary Noble Energy $1.53 million for an oil and gas well blowout that sprayed crude oil, natural gas, and hydraulic fracturing fluid on nearby homes and a school. (Denver Post)

• Utah lawmakers and the oil and gas industry commit to growing refined petroleum product production in the state by 23,500 barrels per day over the next five years, a 13% increase, as part of an effort to lower fuel prices. (Deseret News)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on four proposed oil and gas leases on 10,211 acres near the Nevada-Utah border just outside Great Basin National Park. (KLAS)

GRID

• An Environmental Defense Fund analysis finds Arizona utilities could save ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars by joining the California grid operator’s Western extended day-ahead power market. (news release)

GEOTHERMAL

• Bloomberg’s Mayors Challenge awards Boise, Idaho, $1 million to expand its direct-use geothermal system to a planned affordable multifamily housing development. (news release)