SOLAR: The Biden administration advances the proposed 5,350 MW Esmeralda 7 solar-plus-storage complex near Tonopah, Nevada, which would be one of the world’s largest such facilities. (news release; E&E News, subscription)

ALSO:

UTILITIES: An analysis finds Nevada’s largest utility isn’t taking full advantage of virtual power plants to reduce the need for natural gas generation. (RTO Insider, subscription)

TRANSITION: Arizona utilities award economic development grants to four communities affected by coal mining and power production. (news release)

TRANSPORTATION: A western Colorado county considers reducing its airport’s carbon footprint by constructing a sustainable aviation fuels production facility. (Aspen Times)

BIOFUELS: Advocates push back on proposals to manufacture wood pellets in the Northwest and export them for power generation, saying they don’t substantially reduce carbon emissions. (Volts)

HYDROGEN: Oregon researchers say they have developed a material that can efficiently split water into hydrogen fuel. (news release)

COAL: Arch Resources continues to shrink its operational footprint in the Powder River Basin with the ultimate goal of closing all of its coal mines in the region. (Cowboy State Daily)

NUCLEAR: California lawmakers call on the federal government to remove spent reactor fuel from the shuttered San Onofre nuclear plant near San Diego, saying it is unsafe to keep it onsite. (KPBS)

MINING: 

  • California lawmakers and advocates call on the Biden administration to ban deep sea mining, including for battery materials such as boron and nickel. (Los Angeles Times)
  • Lithium companies stake hundreds of claims near a wildlife refuge in Nevada as the federal Bureau of Land Management considers withdrawing the area from mining. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

OIL & GAS: 

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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.