Utah lawmakers call for Rocky Mountain Power, PacifiCorp ​“divorce”

UTILITIES: Utah lawmakers call on Rocky Mountain Power to consider splitting from PacifiCorp after proposing a rate hike related to higher insurance premiums for its parent company, citing other states’ ​“poor regulatory decisions.” (Salt Lake Tribune)

WIND:

• A Washington county joins a lawsuit seeking to overturn Gov. Jay Inslee’s approval of the proposed Horse Heaven Hills wind and solar facility in the southern part of the state. (Tri-City Herald)
• A Wyoming wind power facility’s operator says transmission constraints have forced it to curtail generation for months, but expects to resume operations by the end of the year. (Cowboy State Daily)

SOLAR:

• A California company begins manufacturing solar modules in Indonesia, citing changing U.S. regulations. (Renewable Energy World)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management halts new mining claims on over 100,000 acres in Nevada for up to two years while the agency considers seven proposed solar installations. (news release)
• A California county votes to permit a proposed 2.5 MW solar installation on private land. (Solar Industry)

OIL & GAS: A New Mexico regulator worries the incoming Trump administration will kill the U.S. EPA’s efforts to reduce oil and gas-related air pollution in the Permian Basin and work to block state regulations. (Capital & Main)

COAL: Industry officials say market forces and low natural gas prices have driven a 25% decline in Wyoming coal mining jobs since 2017. (Cowboy State Daily)

TRANSPORTATION: An Arizona city looks to partner with universities, colleges and public school districts to help fund its fare-free public transit system. (Luminaria)

CRITICAL MATERIALS: Researchers find Powder River Basin coal ash contains highly extractable concentrations of rare earth elements, potentially reducing the need to mine the materials. (news release)

PUBLIC LAND: Advocates say the selection of U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, to lead the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee poses ​“a direct threat to America’s public lands.” (Axios)

MINING: Firms propose opening antimony mines in Alaska that would become the nation’s sole source of the material used in solar panels. (Northern Journal)

CARBON CAPTURE: U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, introduces legislation that would create a ​“technology neutral” tax credit for carbon dioxide removal projects. (Colorado Newsline)

NUCLEAR: Washington state prepares to defend its Hanford nuclear site cleanup plans from the incoming Trump administration, saying Project 2025 calls for expediting remediation by diminishing standards. (Cascade PBS)

GRID: Stakeholders urge federal regulators to exempt tribal energy projects from generator interconnection fees and deposits aimed at discouraging speculative development, saying they disproportionately harm tribes. (RTO Insider, subscription)