The U.S. Navy and state of California have agreed to collaborate on ways to advance renewable energy at naval installations in the state. Last Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and EnvironmentDennis McGinn and California Energy Commission (CEC) Chair Robert Weisenmiller met at Stanford University‘s Hoover Institution to sign an agreement continuing collaboration between the two organizations, including the sharing of information and technical data on energy projects and initiatives. The Navy is transforming how it uses energy to increase its capabilities and flexibility, and the CEC is leading the state’s response to climate change.

Wyoming has kicked off an effort to facilitate research on advancing carbon utilization and capture technologies as part of a state-sponsored Integrated Test Center (ITC) at the Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s coal-fired Dry Fork Station near Gillette. The Wyoming ITC, with support from Gov. Matt Mead, has issued a request for proposals to identify candidates and select initial users of free test bays with flue gas slipstream from Basin’s coal-fired generation plant provided in a competitive environment. This is a place for developers of advanced post-combustion carbon dioxide capture technologies to test equipment and processes in a real world setting. To obtain and submit lease applications for space at the ITC, visit www.wyomingitc.org.

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker has written to Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell nominating the Beaufort and Chukchi seas and Cook Inlet for inclusion in the 2017-2022 proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease sale program. The state asked that a minimum of one lease sale in each location be included in the five-year program. The state of Alaska receives significant financial and economic benefits from leasing in the OCS of Alaska, in terms of new employment opportunities and revenue from bonuses, rents and royalties, and it is working with the North Slope Borough to ensure their mutual interests in responsible development are protected, the governor’s office said. Walker and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott recently met with North Slope Borough Mayor Harry Brower and Arctic Slope Regional Corp. CEO Rex Rock to discuss appropriate safeguards and benefits from development in the Arctic. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources and the North Slope Borough continue to work through a formal memorandum of understanding to collaborate on resource development in the Arctic. If Jewell accepts the state’s nominations, the state will use the federal leasing process to facilitate private-sector investment and participation in the lease sales.