ALSO:

• Southern California Edison seeks regulators’ authorization to recover up to $2.7 billion in losses related to 2017 and 2018 wildfires from ratepayers. (Reuters)
• Portland, Oregon’s mayor urges regulators to reject a utility’s proposed rate hike, saying it would place an undue burden on the city’s most vulnerable residents. (KOIN) 
• Colorado utilities look to stave off an increasing number of power line-related bird electrocutions that spark wildfires. (Denver Post) 

SOLAR: 

• The U.S. Agriculture Department loans a Nevada electric cooperative $80.3 million to build a 37 MW solar-plus-storage installation. (Nevada Current)
• Observers say a growing number of Western water managers are considering covering irrigation canals with solar panels to generate power and reduce evaporation. (Water Education)
• Industry tentatively lauds the Biden administration’s finalization of its Western solar plan for federal lands, while advocates praise and criticize it. (news releases)

WIND: The Biden administration plans to auction offshore wind leases on nearly 200,000 acres on two sites along Oregon’s southern coast in October. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

POLITICS: Democratic and Republican contenders for Alaska’s congressional seat vie to be the most loyal to the oil and gas industry, with incumbent Rep. Mary Peltola opening a debate by shouting, “Willow!” (Alaska Public Media)

CLIMATE: Arizona launches a program aimed at assisting residents who are vulnerable to extreme heat by installing electric heat-pumps in low-income households. (KJZZ) 

STORAGE: Developers bring a 50 MW battery energy storage system online near Phoenix, Arizona. (news release)

GRID: California lawmakers pass legislation requiring utilities to study the feasibility of deploying grid-enhancing technologies such as advanced conductors. (Solar Power World)

OIL & GAS: 

• Democratic federal lawmakers ask a congressional watchdog to investigate oil and gas leasing and abandoned well cleanup on federal lands. (E&E News, subscription)
• ExxonMobil looks to sell its conventional oil and gas facilities in the Permian Basin for $1 billion to focus on its growing unconventional shale production. (Bloomberg)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: 

• The U.S. Transportation Department awards a northern California transit agency $14 million to install an undetermined number of level 2 electric vehicle chargers. (East Bay Times) 
• Washington’s trucking industry pushes back on a state program aimed at replacing diesel trucks with zero-emission vehicles, saying the timeline is unrealistic. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• A rural, oil and gas-producing region in Colorado seeks federal electric vehicle charging station funding, saying it is a form of economic development. (Glenwood Post-Independent)

COMMENTARY: A Montana columnist calls on the state’s largest utility to build trust by being more transparent and increasing public involvement in its planning processes. (Daily Montanan) 

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BATTERIES: The federal government is reportedly considering shoring up domestic projects that process critical minerals for clean energy applications as they face steep competition from cheaper Chinese materials. (Politico)

WIND:

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers say they’ve developed a wind turbine blade made from plant materials that can be recycled into new shapes or blades. (New York Times)
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics says wind energy is the country’s fastest growing field and projects 60% job growth over the next 10 years. (Axios)
• U.S. wind project investment jumped 63% in the first half of the year from pre-IRA rates, totaling $12 billion for new projects — including 1 GW-plus “megaprojects.” (Utility Dive)

GRID:

• Investment firm Morgan Stanley warns prices could surge even higher in PJM Interconnection’s next capacity auction, but another researcher says the analysis may be underestimating how much new capacity will come available. (Utility Dive)
• Dominion Energy officials say they’re receiving so many requests from Virginia data centers to hook up to the power grid that new applicants may have to wait as long as seven years. (Bloomberg)

POLITICS: In her first formal interview as the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris promises she won’t ban fracking if elected. (Axios)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Production is delayed until 2027 at an Indiana electric vehicle battery plant jointly run by GM and Samsung as EV sales slow and the companies finalize contract details. (Associated Press) 
• As demand for electric vehicles sags, Hyundai adjusts its planned EV factory in Georgia toward hybrids. (Atlanta Business Chronicle, subscription)
• General Motors will bring its electric commercial van startup BrightDrop under the Chevrolet brand in an effort to expand sales beyond delivery companies. (Detroit News, subscription)

SOLAR: Observers say a growing number of Western water managers are considering covering irrigation canals with solar panels to generate power and reduce evaporation. (Water Education)

EFFICIENCY: University of Maryland scientists are leading research into energy-efficient air conditioners. (Inside Climate News)

UTILITIES: Advocates push back on proposed California legislation aimed at reducing utility bills, saying it would gut low-income clean energy programs without significantly increasing affordability. (Canary Media)

ACTIVISM: Environmental and community activists oppose a federal loan for a project exploring whether plastic could be a viable replacement for coal as fuel for steelmaking. (Inside Climate News)

COMMENTARY: PJM’s latest capacity auction with sky-high prices should not be a cause for panic and shows that the grid operator’s market is catching up to the rest of the country in needing to manage supply changes, a former regulator writes. (Utility Dive)

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PIPELINES: A carbon pipeline development official tells Iowa landowners that its proposed project is less of a hazard than gas pipelines that already traverse the state. (KCCI)

RENEWABLES: U.S. renewable energy investment is up 63% from pre-Inflation Reduction Act levels, as developers target large wind projects while investment wanes in solar. (Utility Dive)

NUCLEAR: A Michigan electric cooperative says a contract to buy electricity from a reopened nuclear plant will help get it to 100% carbon-free power by 2030, as opponents seek to block the reopening plan. (Crain’s, subscription)

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ALSO: 

• A Pennsylvania lawmaker proposes a revolving loan fund to encourage new power plants in PJM territory, modeled after a Texas program. (Utility Dive)
• Maine regulators explore ways to make time-of-use rates more widely available. (Sun Journal)
• A New Hampshire company is planning to build a 100 MW battery storage project in western New York. (Buffalo News)
• Opponents of a proposed Maryland transmission line confront participants at a data center conference at a community college in Frederick. (Maryland Matters)

EFFICIENCY: 

• New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia are among cities that will receive federal funds to adopt and implement “innovative” building codes to improve energy efficiency. (Utility Dive)
• University of Maryland scientists are leading research into energy-efficient air conditioners. (Inside Climate News)

OVERSIGHT: 

• Consumer advocates in New York struggle for resources as Gov. Kathy Hochul has twice vetoed bills that would reimburse their work on behalf of ratepayers. (New York Focus)
• The Philadelphia Gas Commission approves new rules restricting public participation in the city’s gas utility budgeting, which climate activists say will shut them out of the process. (WHYY)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Vermont utility is asking the public for input on where to locate EV chargers funded by a $4.8 million federal grant. (VT Digger)

COAL: Maryland officials grant a draft permit to a CSX coal export terminal, requiring the company to monitor and limit pollutants in water discharge. (Capital Gazette)

WIND: 

• A Massachusetts port opens a new deep-water berth for vessels serving offshore wind construction. (Marine Link)
• Ørsted announces plans to double the size of its headquarters in downtown Providence. (Rhode Island Current)

SOLAR: 

• A developer withdraws its proposal for a 1.6 MW solar array on vacant farmland in Connecticut, but could reapply in the future. (CT Insider)
• A Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources official commemorates the completion of a solar array at a state park, part of the agency’s plan to offset 100% of its electricity use with renewables by 2030. (The Progress)

POLITICS: The developer of a Maryland power line gave $10,000 to sponsor an event for state officials at the Democratic National Convention, but says the sponsorship was meant to “build visibility” and not advance any particular project. (Fox 45)

COMMENTARY: A Maine environmental advocate says Iberdrola’s proposed takeover of Central Maine Power’s parent company could affect the state’s climate goals. (Portland Press Herald)

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CLEAN ENERGY: 

• Texas leads the U.S. in adding power plant capacity so far in 2024, with most of that coming from solar power, then battery, wind and natural gas. (Inside Climate News)
• Kentucky receives $60 million in federal funding for clean energy projects in rural communities, including three 3 MW hydroelectric plants and a 5 MW solar farm. (WDRB)

COAL: 

• A sudden collapse of a fiberglass component disables two of the four turbines at South Carolina’s largest coal-fired power plant, knocking out one of them for eight days and the other indefinitely. (Post and Courier)
• A Virginia bank reaches a settlement with investors in an international lender to dismiss a lawsuit involving West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s financially strapped coal companies. (WV Metro News)
• Federal officials indict a retired union official for allegedly using explosives to damage a gas pipeline in Alabama during a labor dispute with Warrior Met Coal. (WABM)

WIND: North Carolina’s second onshore wind farm begins operations as the sector struggles under a 2018 moratorium on wind permits. (Daily Tar Heel)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: 

• Electric vehicle maker Canoo offers to relocate 137 out of 194 workers from California to Texas or Oklahoma, with plans to lay off the rest. (Houston Chronicle)
• As demand for electric vehicles sags, Hyundai adjusts its planned EV factory in Georgia toward hybrids. (Atlanta Business Chronicle, subscription)
• North Carolina receives $1 million in federal funding to install 20 electric vehicle chargers at 10 community colleges and to add workforce training for the EV industry. (Greater Fayetteville Business Journal)

GRID: 

• Dominion Energy officials say they’re receiving so many requests from Virginia data centers to hook up to the power grid that new applicants may have to wait as long as seven years. (Bloomberg)
• A Texas lawmaker calls for schools to push back their start dates until after Labor Day to relieve pressure on the state power grid. (KDFW)

PIPELINES: The Mountain Valley Pipeline identifies a manufacturer’s defect in an elbow joint as the cause of a May rupture that occurred during water pressure testing. (Roanoke Times)

GEOTHERMAL: Two of the most promising companies in the emerging geothermal energy industry are based in Houston, largely because the technology builds on hydraulic fracturing techniques. (Texas Monthly)

BIOMASS: Environmentalists blast Georgia Power’s plan to add 80 megawatts of generation from biomass facilities, which regulators are considering ahead of a mid-September vote. (Georgia Recorder)

STORAGE: 

• San Antonio, Texas’ municipal utility partners with a company to develop 350 MW of battery storage at two sites. (PV Magazine)
• Georgia Power plans to add 500 MW of battery storage through four projects, including two at solar plants, one at a retired coal plant and at another battery site. (Capitol Beat News Service)

FINANCE: A progressive business group sues Texas over a 2021 law that blocks state investments in companies that have reduced or cut ties with the oil and gas sector and that state officials say are antagonistic to fossil fuels. (Texas Tribune)

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