TRANSPORTATION: The Biden administration seeks to pause litigation on whether California can set its own vehicle emissions standards; and a group representing major automakers including Toyota and Hyundai has withdrawn from the challenge. (The Hill)

ALSO:
• Boulder, Colorado is off track in meeting its targets to reduce transportation emissions, largely because of budget shortfalls. (Daily Camera)
• “We’re flooded with cars”: Colorado advocates say the state needs to encourage alternatives to driving in order to meet climate targets. (Colorado Sun)

COAL: Tri-State Generation tells local Wyoming officials the utility’s report indicating a coal-fired power plant is scheduled for “retirement” was not a good or accurate choice of words. (Guernsey Gazette)

HYDROPOWER: Wyoming lawmakers advance legislation aiming to boost hydropower and geothermal projects. (Oil City News)

OIL & GAS:
• A New Mexico lawmaker says the state is not likely to feel the effect of President Biden’s moratorium on new federal oil and gas leases in the upcoming fiscal year. (New Mexico Political Report) 
• Other New Mexico legislators say the state should get federal funding to counteract the moratorium, and an energy analyst says petroleum producers could still be compelled to relocate to places less economical than the Permian Basin. (Albuquerque Journal, Carlsbad Current-Argus)

PIPELINES: Montana’s congressional delegation says the Keystone XL pipeline is “a powerful economic driver” for the state, and wants President Biden to resurrect it. (Billings Gazette)

SOLAR:
• Newly-introduced legislation in Wyoming would impose a $1 tax on each megawatt hour of electricity produced from larger solar energy facilities. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Washington state’s solar industry is being adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and phaseout of a federal tax credit. (Daily Herald)

UTILITIES: Arizona regulators unanimously approve a proposal by the state’s largest power utility whereby aggregators of distributed energy management devices would be compensated for the resources they provide to the grid. (Daily Energy Insider)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A new report from ACEEE ranks state efforts to electrify transportation, with California topping the list. (news release)
• Portland General Electric launches a program giving rebates to residential ratepayers to install an electric vehicle charger at home. (news release)
• The Arizona startup behind a planned plug-in battery electric pickup truck is set to develop battery pack and cell production lines. (Electrive)
• A Southern California city is to deploy two electric vehicle charging stations in its downtown area as part of a pilot program. (Your Valley/Daily Independent)
• A Utah national park is set to replace its fleet of shuttle buses with new battery-electric transit buses thanks to a federal grant. (Gephardt Daily) 

COMMENTARY:
• The Los Angeles Times says the Biden administration needs to withdraw the Trump administration’s plan that targeted the state’s deserts for renewable energy development. 
• Two New Mexico lawmakers advocate for the state’s Clean Fuel Standard Act aimed at reducing emissions and diversifying the economy. (Albuquerque Journal)
• A Colorado editorial board says the federal extension of renewable energy tax credits was the right thing to do, but should be for more than two years. (BizWest)
• An energy consultant says a Washington bill to encourage small modular reactors will be key to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. (Forbes)

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.).