CLIMATE: Critics say California’s utility regulators are set to allow the state’s transition to cleaner energy sources move at a slower pace than the previous decade. (Los Angeles Times)
STORAGE: Nevada sets an energy storage target, aiming for 1,000 megawatts by 2030. (Energy Storage News)
TRANSPORTATION: There are lessons to be learned from a Southern California public transit agency’s rollout of a fleet of battery-electric buses. (Greentech Media)
COAL:
• A Washington state court upholds regulators’ rejection of permits for a proposed coal export terminal. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Wyoming miners continue to wait for a judge to approve their lawsuit settlement with Blackjewel. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Wyoming communities are struggling with the reduction in corporate giving and other forms of charitable support from coal companies. (WyoFile)
• Wyoming’s legislature focused on initiatives that will have a significant impact on energy production, notably on coal, before adjourning for the year. (WyoFile)
FOSSIL FUELS:
• A policy research organization explores how market volatility is impacting the fossil fuel industry in the Northwest. (Sightline)
• The possibility of recession combined with low oil prices threatens Wyoming’s already-depressed key industries — oil, gas, and coal. (Casper Star-Tribune)
NATURAL GAS:
• A Colorado natural gas producer wins an appeal over a class action settlement concerning royalty agreements. (Bloomberg Environment, subscription)
• Consumer and green groups say a San Diego Gas & Electric natural gas pipeline project should be halted until an environmental review is completed. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
NUCLEAR: A Silicon Valley company has submitted a proposal for a micro-sized advanced nuclear reactor for federal review. (Utility Dive)
OIL & GAS:
• A federal judge tossed a Colorado activist group’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a state law forcing property owners to allow the development of their oil and gas. (E&E News, subscription)
• ConocoPhillips is cancelling employee flights to Alaska’s North Slope for the next two weeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Anchorage Daily News)
• Colorado’s top oil-producing county expects a $50M hit to its 2021 budget due to COVID-19 and the ongoing drop in oil prices. (Denver Post)
• Residents in Western states raise concerns over the threat to public health and water from oil spills and gas leaks. (news release)
UTILITIES: Xcel Energy says it has “robust staffing” to handle possible power outages in Colorado from storms despite ongoing COVID-19 concerns. (Greeley Tribune)
COMMENTARY: A Wyoming columnist is critical of state lawmakers continuing to prop up fossil fuels while another says a legislative select committee helped restore integrity to the state’s mineral tax system. (WyoFile)