Western governors look to tap geothermal

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Western Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

GEOTHERMAL

• Democratic and Republican governors from Mountain West states launch an initiative aimed at tapping an estimated 200 GW of geothermal energy in the region by streamlining permitting and sharing data between states. (Canary Media)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management plans to auction 68 geothermal energy leases across nearly 200,000 acres in southern New Mexico on June 16. (Silver City Daily Press)

CLEAN ENERGY

• DESRI breaks ground on the Foxtail Flats and Four Mile Mesa solar-plus-storage projects with a combined 270 MW capacity on Ute Mountain Ute Tribe land in northwestern New Mexico. (Tri-City Record)

• Nineteen Utah communities collaborate with Rocky Mountain Power on a program designed to develop enough clean energy to serve nearly 300,000 households and businesses. (NPR)

• California’s offshore wind industry urges state officials to counter the Trump administration’s hostility to clean energy with transmission and other infrastructure investments. (Politico)

• California’s Senate passes a bill that would establish rules for plug-in balcony solar and exempt the technology from utility fees or reviews. (PV Magazine)

• Pluma Construction and Forefront Power bring online a 5-MW community solar project near Las Vegas, New Mexico. (Las Vegas Optic)

HYDROPOWER

• The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation plans to use $52 million in federal funds to replace three aging hydropower turbines at Hoover Dam in Nevada as reservoir levels drop to record lows. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

GRID

• California’s grid operator’s board approves a plan calling for 38 new transmission projects designed to accommodate 45 GW of new solar capacity. (PV Tech)

UTILITIES

• New Mexico’s Public Regulation Commission recommends regulators approve a private equity firm’s proposed acquisition of NM Gas Company, despite advocates’ and Democratic lawmakers’ opposition. (Source NM)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The National Trust for Historic Preservation names the Greater Chaco region in northwestern New Mexico as one of the nation’s most endangered places after the Trump administration moves to rescind a Biden-era oil and gas leasing ban. (Source NM)

• An oil and gas wastewater line ruptures in the Permian Basin, sending a 70-foot high geyser of the substance onto surrounding properties. (Capital & Main)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management issues its final environmental review for proposed oil and gas leasing and drilling in south-central California. (news release)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management brings in over $4 billion from an oil and gas lease sale in the Permian Basin. (news release)

DATA CENTERS

• Boulder City, Nevada’s planning commission rejects the proposed Townsite Solar 2 data center following intense public opposition over energy usage. (KTNV)

• Advocates urge Colorado regulators to require Xcel Energy to strengthen its proposed data center tariff to better protect residential customers from rising costs associated with the facilities. (news release)

CRITICAL MATERIALS

• Energy Fuels proposes expanding its White Mesa uranium mill in southeastern Utah to process rare earth minerals, sparking residents’ concerns. (KSJD)

CARBON CAPTURE

• Richmond, California’s city council votes to oppose a proposed pipeline that would carry carbon dioxide captured from Bay Area refineries to underground storage in Solano County. (Richmondside)