OIL & GAS: A federal appeals court finds the federal Bureau of Land Management violated environmental law by failing to account for the cumulative impacts of approving nearly 200 drilling permits near Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. (Associated Press)
ALSO:
• Climate advocates urge the Biden administration to base federal methane emissions rules for oil and gas facilities on New Mexico’s regulations, which in essence are routine tire flaring and venting. (Albuquerque Journal)
• Permian Basin oil production reached a record 5.6 million barrels per day in January. (Axios)
• Oregon regulators say Amazon’s plan to power up to seven data centers with natural gas fuel cells would reduce its use of hydropower and increase the company’s carbon footprint. (Oregonians)
• Colorado’s oil and gas industry attempts to discredit a peer-reviewed study linking natural gas stoves to childhood asthma. (Denver Post)
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UTILITIES: Southern California residents criticize Sempra-owned utilities for issuing high natural gas bills while the corporation’s executives receive multi-million dollar pay raises. (Los Angeles Times)
ELECTRICATION: California officials worry that frequent power outages will deter residents from state electrification efforts, even though electric vehicles can provide backup power. (San Francisco Chronicle)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• New Mexico lawmakers consider a bill that would include an $80 electric vehicle registration fee to offset reduced gasoline tax revenues. (NM Political Report)
• A study finds California neighborhoods with higher electric vehicle adoption rates experience improved air quality and public health outcomes. (KTLA)
• A clean transportation nonprofit finds California led the nation in electric bus adoption last year by adding 735 zero-emission vehicles to its transit fleets. (Utility Dive)
• Hawaii Energy offers $592,000 in rebates for electric vehicle charging installation projects. (Pacific Inno)
SOLAR: California conservationists say a proposed 300 MW solar project in the Mojave Desert would threaten herds of desert bighorn sheep. (Los Angeles Times)
WIND:
• Washington state lawmakers advance a bill that would require blinking red lights on wind turbines to shut off when no airplanes are nearby. (Tri-City Herald)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management schedules a series of public hearings on the proposed 400-turbine Lava Ridge wind project in southern Idaho. (Idaho Mountain Express)
GRIDS:
• The Western Energy Balance Market yields $1 billion in annual benefits for the first time since its 2014 launch. (T&D World)
• Climate advocates say the California transmission organization’s extended day-ahead market approval will integrate the Western grid and ensure reliability, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower power costs. (news release)
COALS: New Mexico lawmakers advance a bill that would require state regulators to oversee the retired San Juan coal plant’s remediation and reclamation. (NM Political Report)
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CARBON CAPTURE:
• A California company says it has successfully pulled carbon dioxide from the air and stored it in concrete for the first time. (E&E News, subscription)
• The US Energy Department awards the University of Wyoming $10.5 million to develop a commercial carbon dioxide storage facility in eastern Oregon. (news release)
COMMENTARY: A New Mexico economist urges state lawmakers to spend an oil and gas tax generated budget surplus on developing non-fossil fuel sectors of the economy. (Albuquerque Journal)
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