OIL & GAS: The Bureau of Land Management’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil and gas lease sale only attracted three bidders, none of which were major oil companies. (Alaska Public Media)

ALSO:
• Leaders of several tribal nations object to a Bureau of Land Management decision to allow the drilling of 5,000 oil and gas wells in the southern region of Wyoming’s Powder River Basin over the next decade. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• A hydrocarbon exploration company reaches a settlement with a New Mexico couple over a burst pipeline that drenched the family’s yard, pets and livestock with produced water. (New Mexico Political Report)

CLIMATE:
• A new poll indicates 47% of Washington voters are in favor of a plan to enact a statewide cap-and-trade program designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions. (Crosscut)
• Denver climate activists file two ballot measures reworking a zero-waste proposal and carbon tax initiative originally opposed by Xcel Energy and some city officials. (Colorado Newswire)

UTILITIES: A Bay area public power agency commits to providing 100% clean energy to its ratepayers by 2030, 15 years ahead of California’s deadline. (Pleasanton Weekly)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A new EPA report reveals that Tesla sold 39.8 million megagrams in regulatory credits to meet current fuel efficiency compliance requirements, the most of any automaker through model year 2019. (Reuters)
• A Phoenix-based commercial “self-driving” taxi service says it will now refer to its driving technology as “fully autonomous,” because “precision in language matters and could save lives.” (Digital Trends)

HYDROPOWER: Central Alaska utilities say the state’s recent purchase of a Kenai Peninsula power line will enable more reliable transmission of cheap hydropower to the area. (KUAC)

NATURAL GAS: Washington could become the first state to implement statewide restrictions on natural gas infrastructure in new construction, while simultaneously tackling retrofits in existing buildings. (S&P Global)

PIPELINES: A major pipeline delivering natural gas from the Texas side of the Permian Basin to the Gulf Coast went into service on January 1. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

SOLAR: A new paper by Oregon State University researchers indicates using land for solar power and agriculture could lead to an annual reduction of 330,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. (PV Magazine)

WIND: A renewable energy company announces a 1050 MW, 377-turbine order for a New Mexico wind farm that will power the equivalent of more than 590,000 homes. (Renewable Energy Magazine)

COAL: University of Wyoming researchers find alternative uses for Powder River Basin coal with the aid of a microwave oven. (SciTechDaily)

COMMENTARY: California state Sen. Scott Weiner in an interview says clean energy policy and a push to move “away from oil” will be priorities for his office this year. (SF Weekly)

Lisa is a Lenape and Nanticoke Native American freelance journalist, editor and writer currently based in the U.K. She has more than two decades’ experience working in corporate communications and print and digital media. She compiles the Western Energy News daily email digest. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Temple University; her specializations include data journalism and visualization. She is a member of the Native American Journalists Association, Investigative Reporters & Editors, Society of Professional Journalists, and the National Union of Journalists (U.K.).