Tribal nations sue feds to stop work on SunZia line in Arizona

TRANSMISSION: Indigenous tribal nations and advocates file a federal lawsuit seeking to block a southern Arizona section of the SunZia transmission project, saying it imperils cultural resources. (Associated Press)

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ALSO: U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, a California Democrat, says the relatively burdensome federal permitting process for new transmission lines is holding back the clean energy transition. (news release)

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OIL & GAS:

• New Mexico advocates push back on a state plan to spend $500 million to purchase and treat oil and gas wastewater for industrial reuse, saying it is a giveaway to the petroleum industry. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• Colorado advocates criticize a federal Bureau of Land Management resource plan for the eastern part of the state, saying it leaves too much acreage open to oil and gas development. (Colorado Sun)

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UTILITIES:

• Montana advocates accuse NorthWestern Energy of failing to shield ratepayers from high power import costs during extreme cold and of using the event to boost a coal plant that was offline during the freeze. (Billings Gazette)
• Victims of a 2020 wildfire in Oregon and California file a lawsuit accusing Bonneville Power Administration of failing to properly maintain utility lines prior to the blaze. (OPB)  

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ELECTRIFICATION: Washington state lawmakers revive an effort to ban large utilities from connecting natural gas lines to new residential or commercial buildings, with some exceptions. (KIRO)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Colorado city uses a state grant to purchase a second electric fire engine. (Daily Camera)

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CLEAN ENERGY: Republican Utah lawmakers push back on federal moves to replace fossil fuel power plants with clean energy, saying it could harm reliability and increase electricity rates. (Utah News Dispatch)

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COAL: A Wyoming county rezones portions of a Powder River Basin coal mine to facilitate repurposing infrastructure for other uses after the operation closes. (WyoFile)

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CLIMATE: Hawaii Gov. Josh Green revives a proposal to enact a $25 climate impact fee on visiting tourists, estimating it would generate more than $68 million annually. (Honolulu Civil Beat)

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WIND: California agencies publish a draft offshore wind strategic plan identifying suitable development sites and potential impacts. (Riviera)

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BATTERIES: An energy storage firm plans to launch programs incentivizing residential solar-plus-battery system deployment in Los Angeles County. (PV Magazine)

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Editor’s note: Menlo Park, California, has stopped enforcing its ban on natural gas hookups in new buildings. Friday’s digest mistakenly said Palo Alto was halting enforcement of the rules.

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