Trump threatens to pull California high-speed rail funding

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 threatens to revoke about $4 billion in funding for California’s high-speed rail project, saying there is no ​“viable path” to complete the railway on time or on budget. (Guardian)

FOSSIL FUELS

• New Mexico’s Court of Appeals dismisses advocates’ lawsuit accusing state regulators of violating state law by failing to limit oil and gas drilling, saying the case is outside the judiciary’s domain. (Source NM)

• The Trump administration considers overturning a Biden-era ban on new oil and gas leases around Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northern New Mexico. (news release)

• Investigators blame a February fire at the Martinez petroleum refinery in the California Bay on scant supervision, inexperienced workers, and faulty regulations. (San Francisco Chronicle)

• The U.S. Interior Department awards Wyoming, the Navajo Nation, and other tribes and states $119 million for abandoned coal mine cleanup. (news release)

GRID

• California experts urge lawmakers to reject a proposed $100 million funding cut for the state’s Demand Side Grid Support virtual power plant program, saying it would kill the successful initiative. (Canary Media)

UTILITIES

• Colorado electrical cooperative United Power’s CEO says proposed tax credit rollbacks in the Trump administration’s megabill would lead to increased utility costs and diminished grid reliability. (CPR)

ELECTRIFICATION

• SoCalGas and other California utilities wage a campaign aimed at blocking a proposed phaseout of gas-fired water heaters and furnaces in the southern part of the state. (Floodlight)

CLEAN ENERGY

• U.S. EPA administrator Lee Zeldin suggests some frozen federal funding for Alaska clean energy projects could be restored if the state addresses ​“fixable issues.” (Anchorage Daily News)

• The Solar Energy Industries Association finds the Trump administration’s proposed clean energy tax credit rollbacks could eliminate 330,000 industry jobs by 2028, including 2,700 in Utah. (Deseret News)

• Hawaii developers and advocates say the state’s community solar program is too complex and cumbersome, leading to low enrollment numbers. (Honolulu Civil Beat)

• California’s Supreme Court justices indicate sympathy for advocates’ lawsuit seeking to reverse cuts to net-metering compensation for rooftop solar. (San Francisco Chronicle)

STORAGE

• California firm Energy Vault prepares to begin operations at a lithium-ion battery and hydrogen fuel cell energy storage system designed to provide backup power to a wildfire-prone Napa Valley community. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR

• Western Colorado advocates push back against renewed regional interest in nuclear power and uranium mining, saying the technology’s fuel-cycle is ​“filthy.” (Sopris Sun)

COMMENTARY

• Sen. John Curtis, a Utah Republican, urges his colleagues to evaluate each clean energy tax credit on its merits and avoid pulling ​“the rug out from under American innovators” by slashing any of them prematurely. (Deseret News)

• A Colorado advocate says proposed state building codes requiring new construction to be efficient and accommodate solar and electric vehicle chargers will add to upfront costs but pay off through reduced utility bills. (Glenwood Post-Independent)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Massachusetts-based Boston Metals prepares to commercialize its cleaner steelmaking process, which uses electricity to remove impurities from iron ore without producing carbon emissions, Sarah Shemkus reports.

• A Chicago initiative aims to illuminate dark streets with energy-efficient LED lights, while also providing residents a path to weatherization upgrades, Audrey Henderson reports.