Trump signs ​“drill, Alaska, drill” orders on first day

OIL & GAS: President Donald Trump issues executive orders aimed at spurring more oil & gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and revoking policies that ​“burden the development of domestic energy resources.” (The Hill)

CLEAN ENERGY:

• Colorado trade and labor groups form a climate jobs coalition aimed at expediting clean energy projects and ensuring they employ union members. (Aspen Public Radio)
• Washington state lawmakers introduce legislation aimed at limiting the governor’s authority to approve wind and solar projects opposed by local governments. (News Tribune)

SOLAR:

• Analysts say a 1,200 MW solar-plus-storage installation under development in Oregon illustrates a trend toward larger clean energy projects. (Canary Media)
• The Biden administration awards the Navajo Nation-owned utility $100 million to develop solar and battery energy storage installations to electrify off-grid homes. (KJZZ)
• New Mexico lawmakers propose $60 million in state funding to help rural and tribal governments establish solar-plus-storage powered emergency community centers. (Source NM)
• Solar installation firm Sunrun lays off 100 Colorado employees and says it will not take on any new jobs in the state, citing diminishing sales. (Denver Post, subscription)
• The U.S. Agriculture Department awards a Wyoming firm $23.5 million to fund a solar-plus-storage installation. (Oil City News)

BATTERIES:

• A fire at the Moss Landing energy storage facility in California forces evacuations, harms air quality and raises safety concerns about grid-scale battery systems. (Associated Press, Canary Media)
• California officials warn Los Angeles-area firefighters of ​“distinct risks” posed by electric vehicle and home energy storage battery systems exposed to heat. (Washington Post)

UTILITIES: Southern California Edison says it may preemptively shut off power to nearly 150,000 customers this week as wildfire weather returns. (Sacramento Bee)

GRID: The Navajo Nation’s utility sends workers to southern California to help repair wildfire-damaged infrastructure. (Arizona Republic)

TRANSPORTATION: California lawmakers introduce legislation that would permanently exempt eligible public transit projects from state environmental reviews. (Mercury News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The Trump administration indicates it will attempt to block California’s ban on gasoline-powered automobile sales starting in 2035, but conservation groups and the state have vowed to sue to uphold the law. (Los Angeles Times)
• Colorado officials bring online the state’s first electric vehicle fast-charging site funded by the federal infrastructure law. (Summit Daily)

NUCLEAR: Local governments in northwestern Colorado consider opening the door to establishing a national spent nuclear fuel depository in the region. (Colorado Sun)

COAL:

• A Utah agency considers funneling taxpayer money to a newly reopened coal mine even though the state’s governor has said he wants to invest in clean energy. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, a Wyoming Republican, joins other federal lawmakers in relaunching the congressional coal caucus aimed at revoking regulations and spurring mining. (E&E News, subscription)