UTILITIES: Tri-State Generation and Transmission, which supplies wholesale power to rural Western utilities, agrees to enforceable, near-term emissions cuts three times larger than under a previous plan. (Denver Post)

ALSO:
• The judge overseeing Pacific Gas & Electric’s probation stemming from a 2010 San Francisco natural gas pipeline explosion calls the utility a “continuing menace” as the probation period ends. (Bloomberg)
• Montana officials approve a new route under the Yellowstone River for a pipeline to feed NorthwesternEnergy’s proposed natural gas plant in spite of neighbors’ opposition. (KTVH)

OIL & GAS:
• Colorado regulators say the risk of oil and gas wells ending up abandoned is heightened when operators transfer ownership of aging facilities. (Colorado Sun)
• Energy analysts estimate the cost of cleaning up the nation’s abandoned oil and gas wells could reach $19 billion, far more than Congress allocated to the task in last year’s infrastructure bill. (High Country News)
• A real estate developer plans to drill 26 oil and gas wells in Loveland, Colorado, subdivisions, sparking residents’ opposition. (Coloradan)
• The U.S. EPA fines a Hawaii oil refinery $176,899 for federal Clean Air Act violations. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)   
• A coalition of environmental and Indigenous groups urges the Biden administration to end oil and gas production on public land by 2035. (The Hill)
• Future growth of Permian Basin oil production could depend on operators building gas gathering and processing infrastructure that would allow them to comply with new limits on methane flaring. (S&P Global) 

COAL:
• A Colorado community grapples with a coal power plant’s and mine’s closure over the next decade that will eliminate nearly 300 jobs and wipe out the county’s property tax base. (Associated Press)
• Navajo Nation officials explore possible uses for a 78-mile rail line that carried coal to the now-shuttered Navajo Generating Station. (Navajo Times)

SOLAR:
• Carlsbad, California’s city council votes to oppose state regulators’ proposal to slash net metering payments for rooftop solar. (The Coast News)  
• An analysis of industry data finds seven of 10 states with the nation’s largest solar economies are in the West. (Stacker)

ELECTRIFICATION: Olympia, Washington, plans to electrify city-owned buildings and other city-funded construction. (Thurston Talk)

TRANSPORTATION: Utah lawmakers consider implementing a mileage-based tax on electric vehicle users to fund roads. (Fox13)

STORAGE: California researchers explore using second-life electric vehicle batteries for grid-scale energy storage. (news release) 

COMMENTARY: A California columnist says proposed lithium development at the Salton Sea could provide economic salvation for lakeside communities and resources to mitigate the lake’s problems. (Los Angeles Times)

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.