Trump sues California over EV, emissions rules

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Western Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• The Trump administration files a lawsuit seeking to block California’s zero-emission vehicle and tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions rules, saying they are illegal and preempted by federal law. (Reuters)

UTILITIES

• A Nevada energy expert predicts Gov. Joe Lombardi (R) and state leaders will face intense backlash when NV Energy’s new peak demand charge takes effect next month, saying ​“people are going to go crazy when this happens.” (Nevada Current)

• NV Energy proposes delaying implementation of its peak demand charge until Oct. 1, after the highest summer temperatures have passed. (Nevada Current)

• New Mexico regulators begin investigating private equity firm Blackstone’s purchase of $400 million in stocks from the state’s largest utility’s parent company. (Source NM)

• S&P Global considers downgrading PacifiCorp’s credit rating to ​“junk” status after courts find the utility liable for billions of dollars of damage related to 2020 Oregon wildfires. (E&E News)

• Northern California residents push back on Pacific Gas & Electric’s vegetation management and wildfire mitigation program, saying cutting trees could lead to erosion and environmental harm. (Santa Cruz Local)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Data show solar installations in Nevada dropped off significantly last year after the Trump administration implemented policies favoring fossil fuels over clean energy. (Nevada Current)

• NV Energy says rapidly increasing data center-driven demand will likely keep the utility from hitting state-mandated renewable energy targets by 2030. (Nevada Independent)

• A western Colorado county upholds its approval of a 4.5 MW solar installation after it was challenged by a homeowner’s association. (Grand Junction Daily Sentinel)

• Arevon secures $920 million in funding for its 300 MW battery energy storage system under development in Poway, California. (IndexBox)

OIL & GAS

• The Trump administration proposes permitting petroleum development on Alaska’s North Slope to disturb, and in some cases kill, polar bears and Pacific walruses. (E&E News)

• Wyoming residents and advocates criticize the federal Bureau of Land Management for continuing to issue drilling permits after a court blocked a 5,000-well oil and gas project in the same area. (Cowboy State Daily)

• A New Mexico petroleum trade petitions New Mexico regulators for the third time to allow treated oil and gas wastewater to be reused for industrial and agricultural purposes. (news release)

• New Mexico economists say Iran conflict-related oil price increases could boost state oil and gas production tax revenues by millions of dollars this year. (Albuquerque Journal)

• Data show California regulators have approved 128 new drilling permits in Kern County since a new law exempting oil development from the state’s Environmental Quality Act went into effect in January. (news release)

CLIMATE

• California lawmakers and other politicians urge state regulators to hold off on tightening its carbon cap-and-trade rules, saying it could drive refineries out of business and spike gasoline prices. (E&E News)

DATA CENTERS

• Montana advocacy groups challenge state utility regulators’ protective order that shields NorthWestern Energy’s plans to provide electricity to data centers from public view. (news release)

NUCLEAR

• Energy Northwest predicts advanced nuclear reactors it proposes for Washington state would not start operating until the mid-2030s due to long licensing timelines. (Axios)

GRID

• Severe winds batter utility equipment in Washington state, leaving more than 21,000 customers without power. (MyNorthwest)