Rocky Mountain Power cancels early retirement for Utah coal plants

COAL: Rocky Mountain Power cancels plans to close two Utah coal plants by 2032 and replace them with nuclear reactors after a court blocks a federal ozone-pollution rule in the state. (Salt Lake Tribune)

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ALSO: Federal regulators block a Montana law that would have allowed coal mines to violate water quality standards for a limited time after finding it didn’t meet minimum requirements. (Daily Montanan)

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OIL & GAS: Advocates say a California city’s primary news source refuses to report on a Chevron petroleum refinery’s pollution and accidents because the oil company owns the outlet. (Floodlight)

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SOLAR:

• California advocates say the state’s new interconnection rules will allow mid-sized solar-plus-battery systems to modulate power output to benefit the grid. (Canary Media)
• The April 8 eclipse is expected to diminish solar energy output in California even though the sun will not appear to be fully blocked there, though its predictability means utilities can plan to avoid power shortages. (Business Insider)

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WIND: Oregon’s commercial fishing industry calls on Gov. Tina Kotek to urge the Biden administration to postpone a planned offshore wind lease auction until the state finalizes its roadmap for the development. (Oregonian)

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EFFICIENCY: The U.S. Energy Department awards a Colorado company $22 million to implement an aluminum milling process that requires less heating and cooling. (Colorado Sun)

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TRANSPORTATION: New Mexico seeks $577 million in federal grants to help establish hydrogen fueling and electric vehicle charging centers for long-haul freight trucks along Interstate 40, and to fund a clean truck incentive program. (news release)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A court rejects Tesla’s bid to dismiss a federal lawsuit accusing the company of widespread racism at its factory in California. (East Bay Times)

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NUCLEAR: Washington state researchers work to develop new nuclear reactor cooling methods that will remain effective as the climate warms. (news release)

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MINING: Southern Nevada residents and advocates push back on a proposed lithium extraction project in the Amargosa Valley, saying it could affect drinking water wells and endangered species’ habitats. (Nevada Current)

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GEOTHERMAL: Colorado begins offering investment and production tax credits for researching, developing and producing geothermal energy. (news release)

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GRID: Washington state researchers develop grid resilience-quantifying software aimed at determining how likely an extreme weather event is to cause a power outage. (news release)

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CLIMATE: Oregon regulators begin revamping the state’s climate program that was invalidated by a federal court last year, with the goal of establishing new greenhouse gas reduction rules by the end of the year. (OPB)

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COMMENTARY: A California university professor urges the Biden administration to revise its proposed Western Solar Plan to better align with conservation goals. (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)

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