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NUCLEAR: A peer reviewed study finds small modular nuclear reactors like those set to be built in Idaho produce up to 5.5 times the spent fuel per energy unit compared with conventional reactors. (Reuters)
ALSO: Federal regulators delay issuing a license to a proposed nuclear waste storage site in southern New Mexico, saying the developer provided inadequate information. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
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CLEAN ENERGY: The Biden administration says it will cut renewable energy lease rates and fees and streamline permitting for development on public lands. (Reuters)
GRID: Colorado regulators and utilities explore ways to avoid power outages as climate change-exacerbated drought and heat strain the grid. (Fort Morgan Times)
COAL: Wyoming tries to save its coal industry by promoting carbon capture, but utilities and environmentalists say retrofitting old plants with the equipment is too costly and ineffective. (Inside Climate News)
OIL & GAS: • A Colorado county calls on regulators to hold an energy company accountable for alleged air pollution violations resulting from an oil storage facility fire last month. (Coloradoan) • Unionized workers at a Chevron petroleum refinery in California vote to ratify a contract and end a two-month-long strike. (KQED) • California regulators say they do not know how much methane has been emitted from 14 leaky oil and gas wells near a residential neighborhood because concentrations exceed their monitors’ range. (Desert Sun, Bakersfield Californian) • Engineers find U.S. Navy fuel storage tanks in Hawaii suspected of contaminating drinking water must be repaired before they can be drained safely. (Associated Press) • New Mexico advocates say they were blindsided by a county statute allowing development in a previously undeveloped basin where an established oil and gas company is considering drilling. (Albuquerque Journal)
TRANSPORTATION: • An electric vehicle subscription company operating in California plans to expand to Colorado later this year. (Colorado Sun) • New Mexico transportation officials say they will prioritize urban areas and interstates for electric vehicle charging station installations. (Carlsbad Current-Argus) • A California congressman introduces a bill that would suspend the federal gasoline tax and offset lost revenue with a tax on oil company profits. (CBS Los Angeles) • A California community energy firm says it will spend up to $1 million to help five local school districts purchase electric buses. (news release) • The nation’s first electric fire truck goes into service in California. (Hot Cars)
SOLAR: A renewable energy developer brings a 73 MW solar project online in Tulare County, California. (Solar Industry)
GEOTHERMAL: Wyoming releases an interactive geothermal map to guide energy development. (Cheyenne Post)
COMMENTARY: A Hawaii editorial board urges the governor to veto a bill that would require one-third of the state’s renewable energy to come from firm sources rather than intermittent solar and wind. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser, subscription)
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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.
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