ELECTION 2020: Boulder, Colorado voters have approved a new franchise agreement with Xcel Energy, putting a decade-long effort to more quickly expand clean energy by forming a local utility on hold. (Daily Camera, news release)

ALSO:
• Two Republicans continue to hold narrow leads in the race for Arizona’s Corporation Commission, potentially putting a recently passed 100% carbon-free energy target in jeopardy. (Arizona Republic)
• Five California locales pass utility measures, with two cities passing measures that will increase utility taxes for some ratepayers to raise funds to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for disasters. (KQED)
• Election outcomes in four Western states could affect energy policy for years to come. (E&E News)

***SPONSORED LINK: The New England Energy Summit, Nov. 16, 23 and 30 will bring together industry leaders, end users and policymakers to address emerging issues and engage in impactful discussion. Featuring keynote speakers Ernest J. Moniz and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. Register at newenglandenergysummit.com .***

UTILITIES: A Colorado electricity provider isn’t walking away from its battle to leave Tri-State Generation and Transmission, despite state regulators dismissing a complaint. (Brighton Standard Blade)

CALIFORNIA:
• California is seeing a boom in community choice programs due to ratepayers’ concerns about investor-owned utility wildfires, climate change, and planned blackouts. (The Verge)
• Two Northern California community choice aggregators are looking for battery storage options that will help them secure 500 MW of long-term storage. (North Bay Business Journal)

NUCLEAR: Eight of 36 public utilities originally committed to a small modular reactor planned for Idaho have backed out; a project spokesperson says it is still going forward. (Science Magazine)

OIL & GAS:
• New Mexico regulators will hold a public hearing to finalize the state’s new oil and gas methane emissions rules on January 4. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• Environmentalists are left reeling from a regulatory decision permitting a controversial 415 MW, natural gas-fired power plant to begin construction in Oregon. (InsideClimate News)
• The Bureau of Land Management announces a New Mexico oil and gas lease sale for January 2021 despite environmental concerns. (news release, Carlsbad Current-Argus)

CARBON: The University of Wyoming begins Phase 3 of its carbon capture, utilization, and storage project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. (University of Wyoming News)

EFFICIENCY: An energy company is awarded a $4 million contract to convert an Oregon city’s street lights to LED technology to help reduce carbon emissions and save taxpayers money in energy costs. (ITS International)

COMMENTARY:
• The Rocky Mountain Institute advocates for building electrification, saying  renewable natural gas is not feasible or cost-effective for decarbonizing the buildings sector. (GreenBiz)
• A California official and Southern California Edison executive discuss how California can solve its interconnected climate crisis problems. (GreenBiz)

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.).