Threats over utility bills lock down New Mexico city offices

UTILITIES: A New Mexico city locks down its offices in response to threats against staff after customers of the municipal natural gas utility received ​“shockingly” high bills. (Albuquerque Journal)

ALSO:
• Colorado regulators find high natural gas prices and colder weather are causing utility bills to spike by as much as 100%. (Colorado Sun)
• A California city considers ways to mitigate a four-fold increase in utility bills caused by skyrocketing natural gas prices. (Signal Tribune)
• An Arizona city’s voters will decide whether a utility can raise rates to underground a planned power line through a residential area. (Arizona Daily Star)

ELECTRIFICATION:
• A Montana city urges lawmakers to reject a proposal that would bar local governments from requiring new subdivisions be solar- and electric vehicle-ready. (Missoula Current)
• Boulder, Colorado, considers banning natural gas hookups on all new construction after a study finds gas stoves can lead to higher rates of childhood asthma. (KUNC)
• Portland, Oregon, considers requiring new multi-family housing complexes to be wired for electric vehicle charging stations. (Oregonian)

COAL:
• The U.S. EPA denies requests from six power plants, including the Coronado facility in Arizona, seeking to keep dumping coal ash into unlined ponds. (Energy News Network)
• Colorado allocates $9.2 million to support economic and workforce development in communities affected by coal plant or mine closures. (Craig Press)

NUCLEAR: A former U.S. Energy Department official says TerraPower’s sodium nuclear reactor planned for Wyoming has a high potential for explosions and weapons material proliferation. (Cowboy State Daily)

OIL & GAS: A Republican U.S. lawmaker from Washington state introduces a bill that would require the government to increase oil and gas drilling on federal lands prior to tapping the petroleum reserves. (Roll Call)

SOLAR:
• Neighbors of a proposed 96 MW solar-plus-storage project near Santa Fe, New Mexico, worry the lithium-ion batteries could ignite or explode. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• A California industrial campus where Chevron is a tenant begins installing a 25 MW solar array expected to offset 90% of its energy use. (PV Magazine)

BATTERIES: A company making battery storage systems for the marine industry opens a manufacturing facility in Bellingham, Washington. (Marine Link)

LITHIUM: A climate think tank finds the U.S. could cut lithium demand 90% by expanding public transportation, shrinking electric vehicle batteries and stepping up recycling. (Grist)

CLIMATE: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis urges lawmakers to strip interim greenhouse gas emissions targets from a proposed climate bill to allow the administration more time to adjust its emissions-cutting roadmap. (Colorado Newsline)

BIOFUELS: California environmentalists warn state officials that a plan to convert Bay Area oil refineries to produce biofuels from grease and seed oils could increase greenhouse gas emissions. (Capital & Main)

GEOTHERMAL: The federal Bureau of Land Management leases two parcels in Utah for geothermal development, generating nearly $200,000 revenue. (news release)