Trump unfreezes Montana biofuels refinery loan

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CLEAN ENERGY

• The Trump administration releases a $782 million Biden-era loan to a firm looking to expand a Montana biofuels refinery, even as funds for other energy projects remain frozen. (Washington Post)

• The Trump administration refreezes $156 million in federal funds allocated to Nevada’s community solar program just days after it had released the money. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

• Colorado’s governor and U.S. senators call on the Trump administration to unfreeze more than $570 million in federal clean energy funds due to the state or provide a legal basis for withholding the money. (Pinal Central)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Washington state plans to move forward with electric vehicle charging infrastructure projects even though federal funding is in doubt. (Spokesman-Review)

• California regulators fine Tesla $13,500 for violating state workplace heat protection rules at its Fremont electric vehicle manufacturing plant. (Los Angeles Times)

FOSSIL FUELS

• NorthWestern Energy plans to use the Colstrip coal plant to supply as much as 400 MW of power to two data centers under development in Butte, Montana. (Missoulian)

• A California official lays out the state decarbonization coalition’s plan to wean the state off natural gas for heating and cooking by ​“pruning” the fuel’s distribution networks. (Quitting Carbon)

• A Colorado nonprofit launches to help a city weather the scheduled Comanche coal plant retirement. (Pueblo Chieftain)

UTILITIES

• California attorneys accuse Southern California Edison of altering key evidence relating to the deadly Los Angeles-area Eaton Fire by re-energizing transmission lines that were under investigation. (Los Angeles Times)

• Hawaiian Electric lauds the state Supreme Court’s ruling finalizing a $4 billion settlement related to the 2023 Maui wildfires and blocking insurers from suing the utility separately. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

STORAGE

An energy storage startup says it is seeking new locations for a battery manufacturing facility after canceling plans to build a $1 billion plant in Arizona. (Canary Media)

GRID

A solar and battery firm expands support for Xcel Energy’s virtual power plant program in Colorado as the utility seeks regulator permission to grow the program’s capacity from 10 GW to 125 GW. (Utility Dive)

CLIMATE:

• Colorado’s Supreme Court begins hearing a county’s lawsuit seeking to hold oil and gas companies accountable for climate change-related disasters. (CPR)

• An advocacy group’s report finds Arizona residents are struggling to pay utility bills as climate change drives more extreme heat. (KJZZ)

NUCLEAR

Utah advocates urge lawmakers to reject bills aimed at encouraging nuclear reactor development and expanding the state’s radioactive waste storage capacity. (Fox 13)

POLITICS:

Former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland launches her run for New Mexico governor in advance of the 2026 election. (Source NM)