Tesla poised to build semi production plant in Nevada

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tesla is expected to announce today it plans to build a $3.5 billion electric semi truck manufacturing facility in northern Nevada. (InsideEVs)

WIND:
• The federal Bureau of Land Management proposes reducing the number of turbines at a proposed wind power facility in Idaho to mitigate impacts to the Minidoka National Historic Site. (Boise State Public Radio)
• A Washington state lawmaker proposes a bill that would limit wind turbine light-flashing at night. (NWNews)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Researchers at an Idaho repository of birds and bats killed by wind and solar facilities work to mitigate clean energy’s impacts on wildlife. (Undark)
• The world already has 95% of the technology it needs to acquire all of its energy from wind, solar and hydropower, a Stanford University professor says. (Guardian)

SOLAR:
• A New Mexico lawmaker introduces a bill that would require all new homes to include solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations. (KRQE)
• Federal Bureau of Land Management officials seek public comment on a proposal to expand the agency’s Western Solar Plan into Montana and other northwestern states. (Missoulian)

UTILITIES:
• California regulators consider requiring utilities to procure 4 GW of new capacity to ensure grid reliability as demand increases, the climate warms and fossil fuel plants retire. (Utility Dive)
• An insurance company joins a lawsuit alleging Xcel Energy’s equipment sparked the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado that destroyed 1,000 homes, but investigators have yet to determine the cause. (CBS Colorado)
• A southern California community choice energy program approves rates that are 3% lower than those offered by San Diego Gas & Electric. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• A southern California city’s officials say backing out of a 100% renewable energy plan with a community choice power authority will save it more than $200,000 annually. (ABC 4)

URANIUM: A mining company announces plans to construct a uranium, vanadium and cobalt processing facility in an undisclosed Utah location. (news release)

OIL & GAS:
• New Mexico conservationists sue the Biden administration over its 2021 approval of nearly 6,000 acres of oil and gas leases in the Permian Basin.
(The Paper)
• A majority-Latino community in California grapples with water shortages and contamination as nearby oil and gas facilities continue to guzzle water without restrictions. (Guardian)

CARBON CAPTURE: Pipeline operator KinderMorgan partners with a Southern Ute Indian Tribe-owned company to capture and pipe carbon from natural gas facilities in Colorado to the Permian Basin. (Carbon Herald)

BIOFUELS: A startup proposes constructing a facility to process canola oil into biodiesel for agricultural operations in Washington state. (Pullman Radio)

TRANSPORTATION: Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo proposes suspending the state’s gasoline tax for a year. (Associated Press)

COAL: Wyoming’s coal industry says rail service bottlenecks forced mines to curtail about 50 million tons of production last year, costing the state up to $100 million in severance tax revenue. (Cowboy State Daily)

COMMENTARY: A California editorial board says rising utility bills are a reminder that phasing out natural gas appliances will not only help the environment, but will also save consumers money. (Los Angeles Times)