Trump ​“blockade” stymies dozens of wind, solar projects

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CLEAN ENERGY

• Industry observers say the Trump administration’s clean energy ​“blockade” on federal land is stalling dozens of proposed wind and solar projects as electricity demand soars. (New York Times)
• Oregon lawmakers consider legislation that would fast-track renewable energy project siting and permitting to help developers begin construction before federal tax credits expire on July 4. (OPB)
• Focus Clean Energy removes the hydrogen-production aspect of its proposed Pronghorn H2 Clean Energy Project in Wyoming and shrinks the solar and wind facilities after a court nixed the developer’s state land leases. (Douglas Budget)
• A California cold storage facility expects a planned 3.3 MW rooftop solar array to offset about 83% of its electricity use. (news release)

GRID

• NV Energy says it will resume construction of its Greenlink West transmission line in Nevada after resolving U.S. Defense Department concerns over potential impacts to military airspace. (E&E News)

UTILITIES

• Colorado regulators greenlight Xcel Energy’s proposed bids for a 200 MW gas plant, 600 MW of wind power, and 300 MW of battery storage in an effort to start construction before federal clean-energy tax credits expire. (Colorado Sun)
• PacifiCorp asks an Oregon appeals court to reverse legal rulings that exposed the Berkshire Hathaway–owned utility to $52 billion of potential liabilities related to the 2020 Labor Day wildfires. (Reuters)
• New Mexico residents urge regulators to block private equity firm Blackstone’s bid to acquire PNM, the state’s largest utility. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• A Nevada judge rejects NV Energy’s bid to consolidate two legal challenges to its planned rate structures that allegedly discriminate against rooftop solar users. (Nevada Current)

CLIMATE

• New Mexico climate advocates call on state lawmakers to pass the Clear Horizons Act, which would codify greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets set by executive order in 2019. (Source NM)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Data show California regulators have begun issuing significantly more drilling permits since a new law streamlining oil and gas permitting went into effect at the beginning of the year. (Politico)
• Wyoming’s Energy Authority proposes awarding $11.7 million in grants to support coal-plant carbon capture and sequestration, extract rare earth elements from coal seams, and produce petroleum from an untapped shale formation. (WyoFile)
• Phillips 66 plans to lay off 277 employees this year from its idled Los Angeles petroleum refinery. (E&E News)
• New Mexico data show oil and gas operators reported 38,153 spills last year that released more than 9 million gallons of wastewater and 9.2 billion cubic feet of methane and associated gases. (news release)

CLIMATE

• A California firm proposes capturing carbon dioxide from Bay Area polluters and storing it in saline aquifers beneath wetlands in the Sacramento River delta. (Grist)
• California regulators propose reducing the number of pollution permits issued under the state’s carbon cap-and-trade program in an effort to meet increasingly ambitious climate goals. (E&E News)
• A California lawmaker introduces legislation that would allow the state to sue oil companies for insurance losses stemming from fires, floods, and other climate-related disasters. (Sacramento Bee)

TRANSPORTATION

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) agrees to a $590 million state loan to Bay Area transit operators to offset budget shortfalls linked to pandemic-related ridership declines. (E&E News)

NUCLEAR

• The U.S. Energy Department prepares to send spent nuclear reactor fuel by rail from Dominion’s North Anna plant in Virginia to the Idaho National Laboratory in 2027. (E&E News)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• What’s driving up Maine’s energy bills? Natural gas. — Sarah Shemkus
• Chart: Surprise — batteries got cheaper again last year — Dan McCarthy
• In U-turn, Trump approves low-income energy-assistance funds — Alison F. Takemura
• Are faked public comments about to tank an Ohio solar farm? — Kathiann M. Kowalski
• Massachusetts scrutinizes pipeline-safety program as gas bills spike — Sarah Shemkus
• Missouri Senate considers bills to halt solar development on farmland — Rudi Keller