RENEWABLE ENERGY: Amazon says it is now the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy through its investment in 26 new wind and solar utility projects with the capacity to produce 3.4 GWs of electricity. (Bloomberg)

ALSO: A coalition of business and technology leaders says renewable energy will be key to Colorado’s economic recovery and future competitiveness. (Denver Post)

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OVERSIGHT: Gov. Gavin Newsom names utility regulator Liane Randolph to chair the California Air Resources Board; Randolph will be the first Black person to hold the position. (Reuters)

UTILITIES:
• A Colorado utility says neighborhood-level energy production and storage, stepped-up energy efficiency, and a “smarter” grid are likely to be its final steps toward carbon-free power by 2030. (Energy News Network)
• A member owned, not-for-profit Colorado electric cooperative is testing the effectiveness of home battery packs in juggling peak power demand as part of its transition to clean energy. (Mountain Town News)
• Boulder, Colorado ends its contract with a consultant who had led the city’s effort to form a municipal utility. (Boulder Daily Camera)

CLIMATE:
• Wyoming towns are moving forward with their own plans to cut emissions while the state continues to support fossil fuel industries. (WyoFile)
• Boulder County, Colorado’s $493 million budget for 2021 includes funds for solar energy, electric vehicles, and active oil and gas air monitoring projects. (Prairie Mountain Media)

WIND: A Wyoming county saw its sales tax revenue increase 20% despite the pandemic, thanks in large part to construction of a new wind farm. (Wyoming Tribune Eagle)

BIOFUELS: A Utah methane-to-renewable natural gas project is now complete, and will be able to reduce annual emissions from participating farms by more than 100,000 metric tons at full capacity. (Reuters)

NUCLEAR: New Mexico’s Sandia National Laboratories is conducting a nuclear waste simulation so researchers can study the durability of storage containers. (KRQE)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A California company conducts a test flight of a hybrid-electric aircraft in Hawaii. (Honolulu Star Advertiser)
• A Colorado startup is working on new battery technology that it says will provide longer range and quicker charging than lithium ion cells. (Colorado Public Radio)

COMMENTARY:
• The outgoing chair of California’s Air Resources Board in an interview discusses how she would lead the EPA under the Biden-Harris administration, making climate change a top priority. (E&E News)
• A New Mexico mayor says Western Governors need to act fast to combat climate change. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• The Chair of the Utah Young Republicans says the party needs to address climate change to win future elections and appeal to a younger generation. (Utah Policy)

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.).