Idaho greenlights 300 MW solar-wind-storage project on state land

SOLAR: Idaho approves its first ever renewable energy lease on state land and expects the proposed 300 MW solar, wind and storage project to generate up to $2 million annually for the state. (Idaho Press)

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ALSO:

• A northern California county approves a proposed 25 MW floating solar array on a wastewater pond. (Press Democrat)
• Residential solar-plus-battery storage installations help some northern California residents weather planned wildfire hazard mitigation outages that left tens of thousands of customers without power last week. (CBS News, Associated Press)

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POLICY: Utah lawmakers and regulators look to shape energy policy around an “abundance mindset” that prioritizes increasing energy supplies rather than on developing clean resources or reducing emissions. (Utah News Dispatch)

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OIL & GAS:

• Colorado residents push back against a proposed 26-well oil and gas drilling project near a Denver-area community, citing the development’s potential interactions with legacy wells. (Capital & Main)
• A Colorado county and advocacy groups urge the U.S. Supreme Court to reject industry’s attempt to revive a proposed Utah oil-hauling rail line, saying it would “dramatically remake” federal environmental law. (Colorado Newsline)
• An Alaska agency considers loaning a petroleum company $50 million to finance five years of drilling in the Cook Inlet and on the Kenai Peninsula in an effort to address a looming natural gas shortage. (Northern Journal)
• Canada begins shipping oil to an Alaska refinery after the Trans Mountain pipeline’s completion opens up new export opportunities. (Bloomberg)

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TRIBAL NATIONS: Tribal leaders from Western states hold a summit focused on ways to profit from and participate in the predicted clean energy, carbon capture and critical material mining booms. (Inside Climate News)

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GEOTHERMAL: Nevada advocates push back on the federal Bureau of Land Management’s proposal to exempt geothermal exploration from environmental review, saying it will imperil the state’s scarce water resources. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

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CLIMATE: A poll finds voters are likely to shoot down a ballot initiative aimed at revoking Washington state’s landmark climate law and associated carbon cap-and-invest program. (King 5)

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COAL: A Wyoming lawmaker worries federal regulators will slash a Powder River Basin coal mine’s potential future production by half and imperil dozens of jobs. (Cowboy State Daily)

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TRANSPORTATION: Colorado advocates launch a campaign looking to restore passenger rail service to the state’s mountain communities. (Real Vail)

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POLITICS: Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy attends an oil industry executive’s fundraiser for Donald Trump, fueling speculation he could garner a position in the candidate’s administration if elected. (Northern Journal)

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