Posted inWestern Energy News
Los Angeles utility joins effort to bring power to Navajo homes
by Jonathan P. Thompson September 22, 2021 September 22, 2021
UTILITIES: Los Angeles Department of Water and Power joins an effort to bring electricity to some 15,000 Navajo Nation homes that lack power. (City News Service)
• NorthWest Energy withdraws its request for pre-approval of its payment plan for building a new natural gas power plant and will begin construction without securing a rate hike. (Helena Independent Record)
• A new energy co-op hopes to bring locally owned solar power to Molokai, Hawaii — home to some of the most expensive electricity in the nation. (Honolulu Civil Beat)
• Pacific Gas & Electric plans to install 600 distribution fault anticipators to alert grid operators to circuit anomalies before they can cause an outage or fire. (KXXV)
• A California solar industry group sues the state over a mandate that only certified electricians can install rooftop solar and storage installations. (New York Times)
• A Bay Area city invests $21 million in efficiency upgrades, including 10 new solar installations and 22 electric vehicle chargers, to meet its climate goals. (news release)
• A major renewable investment firm acquires and closes debt financing on a 300 MW solar plus 150 MW battery storage plant currently under construction in New Mexico. (Energy Storage News)
ELECTRIFICATION: A progressive Washington city's plans to phase out natural gas in buildings runs into opposition, providing a bellwether of the challenges facing the nationwide push to electrify buildings. (Grist)
• Ninety-four workers will lose their jobs when PacifiCorp's Bridger coal mine in Wyoming closes this November. (Wyoming Public Media)
• A California state senator introduces a bill to stop construction of a proposed rail line that some suspect would haul Powder River Basin coal to the state's northern coast for export. (Lake County News)
• Colorado regulators fine a Denver oil and gas company $2 million for a series of spills and leaks and lax cleanup efforts. (KDVR)
• Advocates say Los Angeles County's ban on new drilling and phaseout of existing wells is an environmental justice victory. (Bloomberg)
• A government report finds human-caused climate change has helped make this year's Western drought the most severe on record. (Reuters)
• California wildfires emitted twice as much carbon dioxide this summer than during the same period last year. (New York Times)
• The KNP Complex Fire in Sequoia National Park spares some of the park's largest trees, but continues to threaten 100-year-old cabins and other groves. (Los Angeles Times)
GRID: Oregon officials begin talks on whether and how utilities should participate in a regional transmission organization. (RTO Insider, subscription)
TRANSPORTATION: Nevada energy officials say the state's low electricity and high gas prices make transitioning to electric vehicles economically viable. (KNPR)
COMMENTARY: A California U.S. representative and a nonprofit leader call the fossil fuel industry "a poster child for corporate welfare" and say Congress needs to increase royalty rates. (Los Angeles Times)
Jonathan hails from southwestern Colorado and has been writing about the land, cultures, and communities of the Western United States for more than two decades. He compiles the Western Energy News digest. He is the author of three books, a contributing editor at High Country News, and the editor of the Land Desk, an e-newsletter that provides coverage and context on issues critical to the West.
More by Jonathan P. Thompson