World’s first hydrogen-powered ferry launches in the San Francisco Bay

HYDROGEN: A California transit agency launches the world’s first commercial all-hydrogen fuel cell ferry in the San Francisco Bay. (Canary Media)

CLEAN ENERGY: Rural Nevada counties call on state lawmakers to craft policies requiring federal agencies to coordinate clean energy development planning and decision-making with local governments, saying they are overwhelmed by the flood of new projects. (Nevada Current)

CLIMATE: Portland, Oregon’s city government diverts $7.6 million from its climate action fund to the general budget, marking the first time the money will be used outside its intended purpose. (OPB)

STORAGE:

• California advocates and industry continue to push back on a proposed state rule banning some solar contractors from installing residential and commercial battery storage systems, saying it would slow the clean energy transition. (Canary Media)
• Arizona Public Service signs on to acquire power from a 150 MW battery energy storage system under construction in Phoenix. (Energy Global)

OIL & GAS: 

• California lawmakers and advocates call on state regulators to force a newly merged oil and gas company to put up a financial bond large enough to cover the estimated $800 million required to plug and reclaim its 9,200 wells. (DeSmog)
• A report finds the Permian Basin’s oil and gas industry adds as much as $100 billion to New Mexico’s and Texas’ economies. (Odessa American)

UTILITIES: Idaho Power offers rebates to commercial and industrial customers for voluntarily reducing power use to ease grid strain during extreme high temperatures. (Boise State Public Radio)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Utah opens its first federal Infrastructure Law-funded electric vehicle charger near Arches National Park in the southeastern part of the state. (EC&M)
• Idaho’s transportation department launches a federally funded effort to build out its electric vehicle charging network. (Lewiston Tribune)

HYDROPOWER: Tribal nations and advocates call on a federal agency to cease hydropower production at eight dams in Oregon, saying they harm fish and are no longer financially viable. (KATU)

EMISSIONS: Washington state implements rules aimed at reducing landfill methane emissions by tightening monitoring requirements and lowering gas collection thresholds. (Seattle Times)

GRID: A fast-moving brush fire damages utility lines in Kauai, Hawaii, forcing evacuations and leaving more than 1,000 households without power. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

COMMENTARY:

• A Colorado columnist lauds a power wholesaler’s agreement to pay $70 million to help a town weather the scheduled retirement of a coal plant and mine, saying it shows the state is committed to a just transition. (Big Pivots)
• A journalist and an advocate argue that only phasing out fossil fuels will slash Permian Basin methane emissions, and that pollution-detecting satellites and inadequate regulations will fall short. (Scientific American)