Washington greenlights contested wind facility

WIND: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee greenlights the proposed Horse Heaven Hills wind facility in the southern part of the state and urges regulators to streamline turbine permitting, saying it is essential to meeting ​“urgent clean energy needs.” (Seattle Times)

UTILITIES:

• New Mexico regulators prepare to consider the state’s largest utility’s proposed rate hike, which centers around the aging Four Corners coal plant’s accelerated retirement, refinancing and maintenance costs. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• Oregon wineries file a lawsuit seeking to hold PacifiCorp liable for smoke damage resulting from 2020 wildfires allegedly sparked by the utility’s equipment. (KOIN)
• Pacific Gas & Electric warns northern California customers of potential public safety power outages this week as high winds and dry conditions elevate wildfire risk. (Fresno Bee)

GRID:

• Oregon officials say electrical equipment supply constraints have lengthened developments’ grid interconnection times, delaying and otherwise hampering affordable housing projects. (OPB)
• The Bonneville Power Administration continues to favor SPP’s day-ahead power market even though analyses predict greater benefits from the California grid operator’s plan. (RTO Insider, subscription)

CLEAN ENERGY:

• An analysis finds 66% of new U.S. clean energy capacity has been built in Republican-dominated regions since early 2023, including the 910 MW of solar-plus-storage added in Pinal County, Arizona. (Cleanview)
• Washington state and the Cowlitz Tribe agree to continue working together to expand the tribal nation’s clean energy portfolio. (Chronicle)

CLIMATE:

• A California startup builds a direct air carbon capture module manufacturing facility in Arizona, joining several climate technology firms operating in the state. (Arizona Daily Star)
• Oregon agrees to limit logging on an 83,000-acre state forest for 40 years and improve management to bolster its carbon capture and sequestration potential in exchange for greenhouse gas credits. (Oregon Capital Chronicle) 
• Advocates criticize U.S. Senate candidates in Arizona for focusing on drought and immigration while largely ignoring climate change, an underlying cause of both phenomena. (Inside Climate News)

OIL & GAS: A judge orders a New Mexico oil and gas operator to pay the Navajo Nation, Jicarilla Apache Tribe and federal government more than $3.55 million in lost royalties after she submitted fraudulent drilling production records. (news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The Denver Police Department adds 27 electric bicycles to its patrol fleet. (KDVR)

POLITICS: Colorado advocates say Chevron’s support for an election-reform ballot measure is aimed at increasing corporate influence in politics and electing candidates weak on environmental policy. (CPR)

COMMENTARY:

• A Colorado energy journalist predicts a second Trump administration would not significantly stifle the state’s energy transition, saying the ​“train has already left the station.” (Big Pivots)
• A California researcher urges state regulators to incorporate new satellite-monitored methane emissions data into future decision making related to the low carbon fuel standard. (CEPP’s Substack)