Trump plans 5.5 million-acre oil and gas lease sale in Alaska

CLEAN ENERGY

• Wyoming ranchers call on state lawmakers to respect private property rights by allowing them to lease their land to wind developers. (Cowboy State Daily)

• Wyoming’s land board votes to begin the process of revoking two contested wind leases after a judge overturned one of the leases on procedural grounds. (WyoFile)

• A college in Colorado says its advanced geothermal heating and cooling system has saved it more than $15 million on energy costs since its 2008 installation. (Inside Climate News)

GRID

• A study finds the Western power grid needs more than 12,600 miles of high-voltage transmission additions or upgrades by 2035 to meet forecasted electricity demand. (Public Power)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The Trump administration plans a March oil and gas lease auction for 600 parcels covering about 5.5 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. (news release, E&E News)

• Colorado joins Arizona, New Mexico, and 13 other states suing the Trump administration over its ​“energy emergency” executive order, saying it is unnecessary and favors fossil fuels over wind and solar. (KUNC)

• California residents and advocates call for a ban on the use of hydrofluoric acid at a Torrance petroleum refinery, saying a spill could cause a mass casualty disaster. (Los Angeles Times)

• A New Mexico legislative committee tables a bill that would allow oil and gas wastewater to be used for dust control, manufacturing, and energy production, after advocates opposed it based on potential health and environmental impacts. (Santa Fe New Mexican, Source NM)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• California advocates and industry accuse state regulators of destabilizing the heavy-duty electric truck market by subsidizing Tesla Semis to the tune of $165 million, saying the model is unproven and isn’t ready for mass production. (Los Angeles Times)

CLIMATE

• Democratic Oregon lawmakers introduce legislation that would require major fossil fuel firms and other large greenhouse gas polluters to pay for damage from climate change-exacerbated disasters. (OPB)

• Nevada environmental regulators predict the state’s carbon emissions will remain the same over the next five years and fail to hit lawmakers’ reduction targets. (Nevada Independent)

• California regulators seek public input on a proposed rule that would require dairies and livestock operators to reduce methane emissions. (Inside Climate News)

HYDROPOWER

• Northwest advocates, tribal nations, and state governments revive their legal challenge aimed at altering Columbia Basin hydropower dam operations to help imperiled fish after the Trump administration pulls out of a Biden-era truce. (Associated Press)

DATA CENTERS

• Southern California residents push back on a proposed $15 billion suite of data centers in the Imperial Valley, saying they would strain water and power supplies and change the agricultural area’s landscape. (Planetizen)

• A Los Angeles-area city considers banning new data center development following widespread opposition to a proposed facility that would draw 50 MW from the grid and include 14 backup diesel generators. (Streetsblog LA)

TRANSITION

• A Colorado lawmaker introduces legislation that would require certain employers to give hiring preference to job-seeking coal industry workers. (Aspen Times)

MINING

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service again seeks public input on proposed federal protections for the imperiled tui chub, a fish that lives only in a Nevada valley near the proposed Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine. (E&E News)