Trump funding freeze imperils Los Angeles port’s clean truck push

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

TRANSPORTATION

• The Trump administration’s funding freeze throws into doubt $1.1 billion in federal grants aimed at replacing diesel trucks with electric and hydrogen-fueled ones at the Port of Los Angeles. (E&E News)

• Colorado’s largest public transit agency’s ridership remained stagnant last year even after efforts to increase user numbers. (Denver Post)

GRID

• Bonneville Power Administration votes to join the SPP’s day-ahead regional power market rather than CAISO’s, setting the stage for two entangled Western markets separated by complex seams. (Utility Dive)

• New Mexico lawmakers advance legislation that would require utilities to develop plans to upgrade their power grids to meet growing demand. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

• Democratic U.S. lawmakers say the Trump administration’s staff cuts at Bonneville Power Administration and the Western Area Power Administration threaten the region’s grid reliability. (The Hill)

• An unusually severe winter storm batters utility equipment in Arizona, leaving thousands of customers without power. (Arizona Republic)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Montana business officials worry the Trump administration’s on-again off-again tariffs will raise costs for regional petroleum refineries that primarily process Canadian crude. (KULR)

• Petroleum Industry Officials say it is unlikely the Trump administration’s orders opening up Alaska lands to oil and gas development will lead to a drilling surge, citing high costs and regulatory uncertainty. (Oil Price)

SOLAR

• A southwestern Colorado town’s residents debate a proposed 125 MW solar-plus-storage array on private land, with opponents citing concerns about light and noise pollution. (Cortez Journal)

• A developer nears completion of a 13 MW solar array expected to offset about 20% of a California glass factory’s electricity demand. (news release)

NUCLEAR

• Energy experts say Utah lawmakers’ bid to develop new nuclear reactors in an effort to double state power production could cost up to $40 billion. (Utah News Dispatch)

• An in-situ recovery uranium mine in Wyoming produces its first batch of yellowcake uranium. (Cowboy State Daily)

STORAGE

• The U.S. EPA warns of possible additional flare ups at the Moss Landing battery energy storage system in central California during cleanup following a January fire at the facility. (East Bay Times)

COMMENTARY

• A Wyoming county commissioner urges state leaders to enact strong methane emissions regulations on oil and gas facilities, saying it would mitigate climate change and increase tax revenue. (WyoFile)

• A Washington state columnist ponders the possibility of developing high speed rail in the Pacific Northwest. (Seattle Times)