CLIMATE: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signs an ambitious climate bill requiring utilities to cut emissions to zero by 2040, prohibiting the construction of new fossil-fueled power plants and allocating $50 million to community energy projects. (OPB)

ALSO:
• Eagle, Colorado’s town council adopts a goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. (Vail Daily)
• New Mexico marijuana growers say the state’s climate lends itself to outdoor cultivation, which has a smaller carbon footprint than energy-intensive indoor grows. (NM Political Report)

GRID:
• With triple digit temperatures expected today, California’s grid operator issues a statewide conservation alert to reduce strain on the power system. (KGTV)
• The Southwest Power Pool, a regional transmission organization, takes steps to expand into the Western grid. (S&P Global)

WIND:
• Colorado-based oil giant Anschutz Corporation is building a 732-mile direct current transmission line to carry power from its proposed Wyoming wind facility to California power users. (Guardian)
• Wyoming regulators approve a Houston company’s proposal to build a 540 MW wind facility in the southern part of the state. (Cheyenne Post)

UTILITIES:
• San Francisco steps up efforts to take over Pacific Gas & Electric’s power lines within the city by asking state regulators to determine a fair value for the equipment. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Two central California community choice energy firms enter a deal to purchase 779 megawatts of wind and solar power and 119 megawatts of battery storage. (Monterey County Weekly) 

STORAGE: The hopeful developer of three pumped hydro storage dams on the Little Colorado River near Grand Canyon National Park withdraws two of the proposals, citing opposition from the Navajo Nation and environmentalists. (news release)

HYDROPOWER: Oregon regulators approve the transfer of four Klamath River Dams advancing the process to remove the facilities. (Herald and News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A California-based electric vehicle manufacturer plans to triple the size of its Arizona factory. (Silicon Valley Business Journal)

NUCLEAR: A Washington startup took a step toward reaching its goal of creating the world’s first commercial fusion power facility when it broke ground Tuesday on a facility to test the technology. (Seattle Times)

OIL & GAS:
• Los Angeles County Supervisors urge state regulators to block the proposed expansion of Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, which leaked 97,000 metric tons of methane in 2015. (Daily News)
• Interior Secretary Deb Haaland told a Senate committee Tuesday that her department’s review of the federal oil and gas leasing program will be released “very soon.” (Reuters)

COMMENTARY: Two California university professors say the innovations needed to stop global warming will start locally and spread to the globe with the right incentives. (East Bay Times)

Avatar photo

Jonathan P. Thompson

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.