DOE puts up $92.9 million to uplift transmission-affected communities

TRANSMISSION: The U.S. Energy Department awards eight projects in six Western states $92.9 million to fund initiatives aimed at “uplifting communities impacted by transmission development.” (news release, RTO Insider, subscription)

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ALSO: Western state utility regulators support a new federal rule giving states a larger role in transmission planning, saying it will lower energy costs. (Utility Dive)

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OIL & GAS:

• A Colorado county and state regulators propose suspending an oil and gas company’s fines for repeated violations on the condition that it close and reclaim all of its wells in the county. (Fort Collins Coloradoan)
• Permian Basin oil and gas companies deploy self-driving trucks to haul hydraulic fracturing sand to drilling sites. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

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UTILITIES:

• A Montana utility begins performance testing on a controversial new natural gas plant along the Yellowstone River amid pending legal challenges. (Missoulian)
• Xcel Energy estimates it will need to nearly double its generating capacity in the Permian Basin to meet increasing electricity demand from the oil and gas industry. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• Idaho Power offers commercial and industrial customers rebates for reducing power use as record-high temperatures drive up electricity demand. (Boise State Public Radio)

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POLLUTION: Satellites detect high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide pollutants around e-commerce distribution hubs and warehouses in southern California. (New York Times)

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ELECTRIFICATION: Washington state officials certify a November ballot initiative seeking to overturn rules aimed at phasing out natural gas and encouraging electrification in buildings. (Washington State Standard)

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SOLAR:

• A developer partners with ranchers to graze some 5,000 sheep amid solar installations in Oregon and Washington state. (Solar Industry)
• A Colorado university signs a virtual net-metering agreement for an off-site solar installation under development. (Solar Power World)
• A California community choice aggregator has five solar installations totaling more than 7 MW under development in the Bay Area. (Patch)

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BATTERIES: A developer brings a 147 MW battery energy storage system online at a solar facility in southern California. (Solar Quarter)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A southern California police department adds a Tesla Cybertruck to its fleet as a community outreach tool, not a patrol car. (Los Angeles Times)

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HYDROGEN: A California company’s hydrogen-electric aircraft successfully completes a 523-mile flight. (Mercury News)

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COAL: The Colstrip coal plant in Montana urges a federal appeals court to block the U.S. EPA’s new emissions standards, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision overturning the Chevron deference. (Montana Free Press)

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CLIMATE:

• An Arizona poll finds 60-70% of Latino voters in the state are concerned about climate change and support clean energy requirements for utilities. (Arizona Republic)
• Montana plans to use a $50 million Biden administration climate grant on programs aimed at reducing agriculture and forestry industry greenhouse gas emissions. (Montana Free Press)
• A report finds an increasing number of Oregon residents suffer from climate change-related health issues, but state investments are helping to mitigate the effects. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

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