Western advocates line up to support Harris

POLITICS: Western environmental advocates support Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, pointing to her consistent record of pro-climate and pro-environmental policies, past prosecution of oil and gas companies and a successful challenge to drilling off California’s coast. (High Country News, Los Angeles Times, Heated)

CLIMATE:

• Washington Gov. Jay Inslee steps up a campaign defending the state’s landmark climate law against a ballot measure aimed at repealing it as his final term nears its end. (Associated Press)
• Oregon officials plan to use $200 million in federal climate funding to reduce emissions from the building, transportation and waste and materials management sectors. (OPB)
• A California company says it has developed the nation’s first commercially available carbon-neutral cement. (E&E News, subscription)

UTILITIES: A northeastern Colorado utility plans to cut out coal and add wind, solar and 200 MW of natural gas generation over the next several years even though advocates called on it to abandon all fossil fuels. (Coloradoan)

WIND: Washington state energy siting officials reconsider a proposed wind power facility after Gov. Jay Inslee rejected their recommendation to slash the development by half. (Center Square)

SOLAR:

• A developer breaks ground on a 200 MW solar project and a stand-alone 113.5 MW battery energy storage system in central and southern California. (Solar Power World)
• A developer asks an Arizona city to annex Phoenix-area land to clear the way for its proposed 2,200-acre solar-plus-storage installation. (Arizona Republic)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The U.S. EPA awards southern California regulators $500 million to fund programs aimed at electrifying cargo hauling trucks, vehicles and locomotives in the Los Angeles area. (Los Angeles Times)
• Hawaiian Electric releases an updated transportation electrification plan to accommodate a growing number of electric vehicles. (Maui Now)

OVERSIGHT: Advocates slam energy permitting legislation pushed by U.S. Sen John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, saying it is a ​“giveaway to the fossil fuel industry.” (Common Dreams)

OIL & GAS: 

• Hawaii advocates push back on Gov. Josh Green’s proposal to import liquefied natural gas for electricity generation, saying it would clash with the state’s goal of cutting carbon emissions. (E&E News, subscription)
• A study finds oil and gas development in Wyoming contributes to declining pronghorn reproduction rates. (Inside Climate News)
• A court allows the federal Bureau of Land Management to go ahead with a 120,000 acre oil and gas lease sale in Wyoming, but orders the agency to redo an environmental assessment prior to approving drilling on the parcels. (Inside Climate News)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on a proposal to lease 1,261 acres in the Permian Basin for oil and gas drilling. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)