Trump considers killing energy storage projects in the West

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Western Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

CLEAN ENERGY

• A leaked U.S. Energy Department ​“hit list” reveals the Trump administration is considering cancelling federally funded grid-scale energy storage projects in Alaska, Oregon, California and New Mexico. (HEATED)

• A California Energy Commission assessment finds the benefits of a contested wind project proposed for the northern part of the state do not outweigh its environmental impacts, clearing the way for regulators to reject it. (Redding Record Searchlight)

• A southern Colorado county seeks public input on a 90 MW solar-plus-storage project proposed for private land in the San Luis Valley. (Alamosa Citizen)

• A developer brings a 30 MW solar-plus-storage installation online in Hawaii. (news release)

• An Arizona city approves a proposed utility-scale solar installation after developers altered the project to address officials’ concerns. (Pinal Central)

• A northeast Colorado city brings a community solar array back online following an equipment-failure induced 18-month outage. (Coloradoan)

HYDROGEN

• U.S. Energy Department documents show the Trump administration is considering slashing funding for proposed regional hydrogen hubs in the Pacific Northwest and California. (Politico)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Colorado regulators approve a firm’s contested plan to drill 26 oil and gas wells next to a proposed housing development in the northeastern part of the state. (Colorado Sun)

GRID

• Idaho lawmakers advance legislation aimed at preventing data centers and other large power users from shifting their electricity costs onto other utility customers. (Spokesman-Review)

• Oregon advocates appeal Portland’s approval of a utility’s plan to remove trees near a transmission line in an urban forest to mitigate fire hazard. (KOIN)

UTILITIES

• A new lawsuit accuses Los Angeles’s municipal utility of covering up its power lines’ role in sparking the destructive Palisades fire in January. (Los Angeles Times)

• Colorado lawmakers consider a bill that would shield utilities from liability for sparking wildfires if they pay into a state home reinsurance fund. (Colorado Sun)

NUCLEAR

• California small modular nuclear reactor startup Oklo says it is on track to deploy its first commercial reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory by late 2027. (Utility Dive)

MINING

• The federal Bureau of Land Management speeds up its environmental review of a proposed lithium project in southeastern Oregon following President Trump’s executive order seeking to fast-track new mine permitting. (OPB)

• Arizona advocates push back against a proposed open pit copper mine in the southern part of the state, saying it would harm an unfragmented landscape. (Arizona Republic)

EFFICIENCY

• Washington state awards large building owners $55 million in grants to fund energy efficiency upgrades. (news release)