Energy

Coal from Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming could go to revived coal plants and be exported through a new port in California.

In a test at the Idaho National Lab last week, workers were able to turn the reactor on and safely control a nuclear fission reaction, though it hasn't produced electricity yet.

It was initially proposed as a full-scale nuclear power plant, but now will focus on small modular reactors. In other news, wildlife officials safely removed a bear from a Park City neighborhood.

Utilities across the West are launching a new regional energy market designed to help them buy and share power a full day before it's needed, which could lower costs and improve reliability.

The toxic byproduct left after coal is burned for electricity is often stored in ponds or landfills near power plants. Currently, those sites have to monitor for if nearby groundwater is contaminated.

Carbon storage wells act like giant straws, injecting carbon dioxide deep underground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. The Rocky Mountain region has become a hub for these projects.

The funds, part of the Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program, were earmarked to help people pay air conditioning this summer, which is anticipated to have extreme heat.

About 1,500 data centers are in various stages of planning or development nationwide. Instead of staying in the existing hubs, many are being built in rural areas that don't already have data centers.

Advocates of methane, also known as natural gas, say it's more reliable at night or when there's no wind. A new report, however, argues gas-fired power plants pose significant risks for consumers.

Other states in the Mountain West are seeing an even bigger boom of wind and solar, made possible because of how cheap these renewable sources have become over the last decade.