CLIMATE: Researchers say California must aggressively accelerate its efforts to combat climate change, and call on the state to reduce pollution nearly 80% by 2030. (Los Angeles Times)

PUBLIC LANDS: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland refrains from committing to a course of action on issues of significant interest to Western states during her first congressional hearing as the department’s leader. (Missoula Current)

UTILITIES:
• NorthWestern Energy announces plans to build a 175 MW natural gas power plant and 50 MW of energy storage in Montana to offset lost capacity from the Colstrip coal plant. (Billings Gazette)
• California regulators propose that utilities show improvements in evaluating and reporting public impacts of power shutoffs when deciding whether to switch off, before allowing them to collect revenue for unsold electricity during future outages from ratepayers. (Bloomberg)
• New Mexico regulators are considering a gas company’s request to spread ratepayer costs from February’s extreme storms over 30 months. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

COAL: A Colorado entrepreneur’s plan to capture methane from retired coal mines is limited by the lack of a profitable market for the gas. (Colorado Public Radio)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Alaska Airlines announces a plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2040. (Seattle Times)
• Oregon legislators are considering a bill that would require owners of new, fuel-efficient cars and trucks pay a fee for every mile driven starting July 2026 to fund roads. (The Oregonian, subscription)
• An Idaho bill that would have increased electric vehicle registration fees from $140 to $300 per year appears unlikely to advance during the current legislative session. (Idaho Press)
• Two Los Angeles County officials introduce a measure aiming to create a “Zero Emission Infrastructure Plan” that would triple the number of electric vehicle charging stations countywide. (Daily News)
• New data indicates Tesla electric vehicle registrations decreased 54% in California during the first quarter of 2021 compared to last year. (Reuters)

OIL & GAS:
• New data indicates Permian Basin oil and gas production is now close to pre-pandemic levels. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• A Colorado county tables an oil and gas drilling application to learn more about new regulations allowing officials and the public to have more input into the decision-making process. (Steamboat Pilot & Today)

BIOMASS: Hawaii’s Supreme Court is to hear arguments tomorrow in an appeal aiming to force state utility regulators to vacate their decision nullifying an amended power-purchase agreement for a biomass power plant. (Hawaii Tribune)

SOLAR: Construction is complete on a 1.2 MW solar array set to power a Central California county’s municipal buildings. (Solar Power World)

COMMENT:
• The 2016 Republican nominee for governor of Washington says two proposed climate bills currently being considered by state lawmakers will not do much to reduce emissions. (Crosscut)
• A union leader says California should use its surplus funds to invest in non-motorized transportation. (CalMatters)

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.).