Trump moves to open California, Alaska coasts to offshore drilling

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FOSSIL FUELS

• The Trump administration plans to auction offshore oil and gas leases off California’s and Alaska’s coasts, drawing rebukes from Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Associated Press)

• The U.S. Congress passes legislation invalidating the federal Bureau of Land Management’s resource management plan for northeast Wyoming and revoking a Biden-era coal leasing ban in the Powder River Basin. (WyoFile)

• New Mexico advocates call on state regulators to address air quality and safety issues at HF Sinclair’s Navajo petroleum refinery in the Permian Basin following an October explosion and fires. (Source NM)

• Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declares an emergency after BP again shut down its leaking Olympic Pipeline that delivers jet fuel to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. (OPB)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on four proposed oil and gas leases covering 10,211 acres in Nevada. (news release)

• An above-ground storage tank in southern California spills about 420 gallons of oil into a remote creek. (Los Angeles Times)

• A federal report reveals details about a September gas pipeline explosion in Wyoming that damaged a freight train. (Cowboy State Daily)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek issues an executive order directing state agencies to accelerate clean energy permitting and grid interconnections to help meet state climate goals. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

• Southern California Edison signs on to acquire power from the 150 MW Aratina 2 solar-plus-storage project under development in Kern County. (Renewables Now)

• The Pleasant Valley Solar 2 project in Idaho donates $375,000 to workforce training programs at College of Western Idaho and Boise State University. (news release)

CLIMATE

• A Colorado report finds implementing the state’s climate action plans will require thousands of new skilled workers, from electricians to wind turbine technicians. (CPR)

EMISSIONS

• California regulators vote to adopt stricter rules aimed at reducing landfill methane emissions and preventing underground fires at the facilities. (Los Angeles Times)

UTILITIES

• PacifiCorp agrees to pay $150 million to 1,434 plaintiffs to settle a lawsuit accusing the utility of sparking the 2020 Labor Day wildfires in Oregon. (Reuters)

• Montana regulators tentatively approve NorthWestern Energy’s proposed rate hike designed to recover $246 million in costs for its new natural gas plant near Laurel. (Montana Free Press)

DATA CENTERS

• Arizona advocates call on state utility regulators to reject a proposed Tucson-area data center’s agreement with the local utility, citing its potential to lead to higher electricity rates. (ABC 15)

• Pacific Gas & Electric says two projects designed to produce 1,600 MW of electricity for South Bay Area data centers could be online next year. (Government Technology)

GRID

• The North American Electric Reliability Corp. says data center-driven electricity demand increases the risk of power shortages in eastern Rocky Mountain states and the Pacific Northwest this winter. (E&E News)

NUCLEAR

• Energy producing Campbell County, Wyoming’s commissioners pass a resolution opposing nuclear waste storage, but say they otherwise support the industry. (WyoFile)

• Idaho officials say they plan to announce members of the state’s new Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force in coming weeks. (Idaho Capital Sun)

• Anfield Energy proposes restarting its long-idled JD-8 uranium mine in western Colorado, citing rising domestic demand and favorable commodity prices. (Reuters)

STORAGE

• Santa Cruz County, California’s supervisors delay consideration of proposed grid-scale battery energy storage system regulations to make more changes. (Santa Cruz Sentinel)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Electrify your home with our handy roundup before tax credits expire — Alison F. Takemura

• Chart: EVs are ascendant — and gas cars are past their prime — Dan McCarthy

• Brookfield inks hydro contract with Microsoft in latest Big Tech deal — Alexander C. Kaufman

• Sortera raises $45M for recycling tech as US demands low-carbon aluminum — Maria Gallucci

• Trump cites​‘emergency’ to keep Michigan coal plant online into winter — Jeff St. John