Discover the Latest News and Initiatives for a Sustainable Future

BATTERIES: General Motors pledges $625 million to help fund the contested Thacker Pass lithium mine under development in Nevada in an effort to boost battery material’s domestic supplies. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

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ALSO:

• A California startup plans to build a $1 billion lithium-sulfur battery factory in northern Nevada, adding to the state’s “lithium loop.” (Reno Gazette Journal)
• A developer proposes a 400 MW battery energy storage system in California’s Bay Area. (PV Magazine)
• California’s battery energy storage capacity hits 13,391 MW, one quarter of the way to the state’s goal of 52 GW by 2045. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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OIL & GAS:

• Phillips 66 says “market dynamics” prompted plans to shutter its Los Angeles-area refinery that supplies 8% of the state’s gasoline next year and replace its output with biofuels from its San Francisco Bay-area complex. (Los Angeles Times)
• Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy looks to lure data centers to the state, saying their high electricity demand would strengthen the case for a proposed multi-billion dollar natural gas pipeline from the North Slope. (Northern Journal)

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BIOFUELS: The U.S. Energy Department tentatively awards a Montana biodiesel refinery $1.44 billion in loan guarantees to produce sustainable aviation fuels from leftover animal fats and greases. (Canary Media)

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UTILITIES: Xcel Energy submits its just transition plan to Colorado regulators proposing to replace closing coal plants and meet increasing demand with a mix of new wind, solar, geothermal and gas generators, battery storage and a nuclear reactor. (CPR)

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CLIMATE: Legal experts say a 2019 court ruling would probably shield California’s and Washington’s carbon markets from a potential Trump administration’s likely challenges. (E&E News)

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CARBON CAPTURE:

• Wyoming’s energy agency asks the governor to allocate $7.8 million in taxpayer funds to help a utility comply with a state law requiring it to study carbon capture technology for aging coal plants. (WyoFile)
• A Colorado startup begins developing a demonstration plant in New York designed to recycle discarded gypsum and pull carbon dioxide from the air. (Canary Media)

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WIND: A Bill Gates-backed startup says it has secured $14 million for a proposed wind facility in Wyoming that would use the firm’s horizontal-axis turbines. (Power)

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GRID: The Bonneville Power Administration proposes spending about $3 billion on 13 transmission and substation projects designed to bolster its grid to accommodate increasing renewables and growing power demand. (Idaho Capital Sun)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Pacific Gas & Electric launches a bidirectional electric vehicle charging program compensating customers for discharging EV batteries back to the grid during high demand. (PV Magazine)

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HYDROGEN: A southern California transit agency opens a liquid hydrogen-based fueling station for its bus fleet. (news release)

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COAL: Colorado officials launch an effort to extinguish underground coal seam fires in an abandoned mine near Boulder. (CBS News Colorado)

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COMMENTARY: A California energy executive calls on local governments to comply with a state law requiring instant residential solar permitting and to force homeowners associations to eliminate red tape for rooftop installations. (Fresno Bee)

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NUCLEAR: A Maryland-based company that makes small modular nuclear reactors announces a $500 million round of funding, led by Amazon as it looks for clean energy sources for its increasingly power-hungry data centers. (Washington Post)

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ALSO: The owners of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant order a $100 million transformer, a major step in its plan to restart operations. (Reuters)

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FOSSIL FUELS: A group of New York prosecutors argues they could press criminal charges against oil companies for their role in fueling hurricanes and other climate disasters. (The Guardian)

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BUILDINGS:

• In New York City, environmental advocates fear new rules allowing property owners to buy carbon offsets rather than reducing emissions will create loopholes that undermine the city’s building performance standards. (Gothamist)
• Pennsylvania developers unveil the state’s first apartment community built to the rigorous Phius ZERO standard, which calls for high energy efficiency, elimination of fossil fuel use, and net-zero emissions. (news release)

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HYDROGEN: A large hydrogen fuel production facility in upstate New York was expected to make the state an industry leader, but work on the project has halted and its future is uncertain. (Heatmap News)

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EMISSIONS:

• A demonstration plant in upstate New York will aim to remove carbon dioxide from the air and use it to recycle mining industry waste. (Canary Media)
• At least three Maine beermakers install carbon recapture equipment to address a shortage of carbon dioxide needed for the brewing process. (Portland Press-Herald, subscription)

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OFFSHORE WIND:

• New Jersey’s nascent offshore wind industry offers opportunities for small, local businesses, but educating the community about the benefits is vital, says a panel of industry experts. (New Jersey Business Magazine)
• The governor of Connecticut adopts a cautious stance toward offshore wind development, while Massachusetts’ governor moves forward aggressively. (CommonWealth Beacon)

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CLEAN ENERGY: Massachusetts awards $1.75 million in grants to help cities and towns fund energy efficiency projects, climate planning, and clean energy campaigns. (WWLP)

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GRID: Maine utilities make grid updates they say will make the power system more reliable as the number of serious storms increases. (News Center Maine)

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COMMENTARY: New York’s $5 billion state energy efficiency program needs to do a better job reaching low-income residents and communities of color, says an environmental justice advocate. (City Limits)

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