OIL & GAS: Oregon regulators reject climate plans from all three of the state’s natural gas utilities, saying they are overly optimistic about the prospects for “renewable” gas and hydrogen. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

ALSO: New Mexico regulators reject a utility’s plan for a liquified natural gas storage facility, saying the benefits don’t justify the cost. (Source NM)

CARBON CAPTURE: A California company has raised $80 million for a proposed direct-air carbon capture facility in Wyoming. (Canary Media) 

WIND: 

  • A proposed marine sanctuary backed by tribal nations could complicate interconnection for offshore wind in California. (E&E News)
  • Oregon representatives urge the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to extend the comment period for proposed offshore wind projects. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

SOLAR: A cannabis company proposes a 102 MW solar project to help power its research facility in rural New Mexico. (Renewables Now)

ENERGY STORAGE: 

  • The Navajo Nation reiterates its opposition to a proposed pumped-hydro storage project in Arizona, which will likely derail the project. (E&E News, subscription)
  • An Arizona utility announces its new 1 GW-hour battery storage system is now online, mainly to provide power for a new Google data center. (KTAR)

CLIMATE: 

OVERSIGHT: 

  • The chair of Washington’s Utilities and Transportation Commission continues to resist calls to step down amid controversy over his use of a racial slur and accusations of bullying and harassment. (Washington State Standard)
  • California’s Energy Commission approves a process to consider “non-energy benefits” such as health and economic impacts in energy planning. (Inside Climate News)

UTILITIES: Hawaii lawmakers debate a bill that would allow the state’s largest utility to securitize a bond to help pay for wildfire costs. (KITV)

EFFICIENCY: A landmark federal courthouse in Salt Lake City is undergoing extensive energy efficiency upgrades, with an aim of eventually reaching net-zero status. (Salt Lake Tribune)

TRANSPORTATION: Utah data shows both electric and hybrid vehicles are becoming more popular, but those sales are dwarfed by a surge in pickups and SUVs. (Salt Lake Tribune, subscription)

COMMENTARY: 

  • Advocates recommend line-item vetos to a recently passed Washington clean energy bill, saying it favors investors over ratepayers. (Sightline Institute)
  • A columnist weighs the pros and cons of hydropower dams, which produce clean electricity but also have climate impacts of their own. (Los Angeles Times)

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Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy, and has led the project from its inception as Midwest Energy News in 2009. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he held a variety of editing, production, and leadership roles, and played a key role in the newspaper's transition to digital-first publishing. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon.