Utility faces $1 billion lawsuit over Oregon wildfires

UTILITIES: A pair of lawsuits filed yesterday seek more than $1 billion in damages from PacificCorp, alleging utility negligence was responsible for destructive wildfires in Oregon last year. (Statesman Journal)

ALSO:
• Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association is accused of ​“stonewalling” co-ops wanting to leave by refusing to calculate exit fees. (Colorado Sun)
• A California city votes to stay in a regional community choice program that has lost members. (Los Angeles Times)

NATURAL GAS:
• Colorado’s attorney general wants FERC to investigate reports that market traders made a $210 million windfall profit from increased natural gas prices during last month’s cold snap. (Colorado Sun)
• Colorado Springs approves a rate increase for its municipal utility ratepayers aiming to cover increased costs from buying high-priced gas to meet demand during last month’s extreme winter weather. (KRDO)

PUBLIC LANDS: Alaska U.S. Rep. Don Young introduces legislation that would require congressional approval to stop oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (news release)

EQUITY: A California environmental equity advocate says Gov. Newsom and state agencies need to take action on the oil and gas industry as promised, citing a county’s recent approval of 40,500 new oil and gas wells. (Grist)

COAL: Workers at a New Mexico coal mine facing layoffs are increasingly pessimistic about the possibility of a carbon capture project at the San Juan Generating Station. (Farmington Daily Times)

HYDROPOWER: A Celilo Wy’am Native American advocate says an Columbia River dam has adversely impacted the way of life for the area’s Indigenous people. (Natural Resources Defense Council)

OIL & GAS:
• A new report finds that Colorado faces more than $8 billion in costs to clean up roughly 60,000 unplugged oil wells. (High Country News)
• Carlsbad, New Mexico approves a change to a city ordinance requiring petroleum companies to get permission before drilling near the city’s water well fields. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• A Colorado county is revising its oil and gas regulations over the next several months. (Reporter Herald)

STORAGE:
• Groups opposing a contentious 100-MW solar and storage project approved by a Northern California county are planning a lawsuit. (Construction Review Online, Livermore Independent)
• PG&E says the 1,400MW of battery storage being deployed in its service area by 2023 will help the utility meet California’s renewable energy goals ​“while ensuring grid reliability.” (Energy Storage News)

TRANSPORTATION: Amazon says Washington’s proposed low-carbon fuel standard bill would be ​“a cost-effective strategy” to reduce emissions. (GeekWire)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A California startup says it will start producing a new compact electric pickup in 2023. (Reuters)

COMMENTARY:
• Idaho U.S. Representative Mike Simpson says a state lawmaker’s criticism of his plan to breach Snake River dams is ​“emotional” and misunderstands the details. (Idaho County Free Press)
• A Washington state climate advocate supports the state’s Clean Cars 2030 bill, and says electric vehicles can make the grid more resilient if managed strategically. (Energy News Network)