Wyoming, Montana accuse investment firms of colluding to crush coal

COAL: Wyoming and Montana join a lawsuit accusing three investment firms of following a “climate activist agenda” by colluding to acquire large stakes in publicly held coal companies and forcing the firms to slash Powder River Basin mine production. (Cowboy State Daily)  

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OIL & GAS: Petroleum firms appeal a court order barring the federal Bureau of Land Management from issuing drilling permits for a Wyoming oil and gas project. (E&E News, subscription)

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SOLAR:

• A New Mexico county is set to consider a contested proposed 96 MW solar-plus-storage development on private land near Santa Fe. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• Oregon’s largest utility agrees to purchase power from a 120 MW solar installation under construction in the northeastern part of the state. (news release)
• A firm proposing to establish a solar cell manufacturing facility in New Mexico says it will now lease a module-production site while it evaluates its long-term objectives. (KOB)

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BIOFUELS: Advocates push back on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to expand ethanol-blending in gasoline, saying it is unlikely to lower fuel prices and could have environmental impacts in corn-growing regions. (Inside Climate News)

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UTILITIES:

• Colorado advocates, residents and regulators debate Xcel Energy’s proposed time-of-use rate changes. (CPR)
• Arizona utility Salt River Project proposes a 2.4% rate increase to support grid upgrades. (news release)

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CLIMATE: Portland, Oregon, officials launch an online climate dashboard allowing residents to track local greenhouse gas emissions and local progress toward decarbonization targets. (OPB)  

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OVERSIGHT: California Gov. Gavin Newsom asks state lawmakers to allocate $25 million to fund litigation defending state climate, environmental and other progressive policies from the incoming Trump administration’s expected challenges. (Los Angeles Times)

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MINING: A southeastern Utah copper mine lays off more than 55% of its workforce as it moves forward on a “significant restructuring effort.” (San Juan Record News)

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PUBLIC LANDS: Wyoming advocates worry the incoming Republican-dominated Congress will overturn the Biden administration’s plan to tighten oil and gas drilling rules on 3.6 million acres of public land in the southwestern part of the state. (WyoFile)

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COMMENTARY:

• An Alaska editorial board urges officials to abandon a proposed natural gas pipeline and export terminal, saying it is financially infeasible and is taking resources away from other projects and services. (Anchorage Daily News)
• A Western journalist says the incoming Trump administration’s pro-drilling agenda will harm the environment while doing little to bolster oil and gas production — which reached record levels under Biden. (Land Desk)

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