OIL & GAS: A federal court sets aside an environmental analysis for oil and gas leasing on public land in Wyoming, saying the Trump administration failed to account for climate impacts as required by law. (Casper Star-Tribune)

ALSO:
• The Bureau of Land Management pushes ahead with plans for an oil and gas lease sale in Wyoming that includes 244,000 acres of sage grouse habitat. (E&E News, subscription)
• Alaska officials say the state has lost more than 3,000 oil and gas jobs this year due to the economic downturn. (Associated Press)

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EQUITY: Portland officials open applications for the first $8.6 million in grants from a climate fund led by communities of color that was established by a ballot measure in 2018. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

OVERSIGHT:
• Incoming Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte names leaders of coal and oil industry groups, but no environmental advocates, to an advisory council to review environmental appointees. (Helena Independent Record)
• New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland, a contender to lead the Interior Department in the Biden administration, says the government should prioritize renewable energy on public land. (Reuters)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tesla will be added to the S&P 500 stock index in December, alongside mainstay automakers Ford and GM. (CNN)

GRID:
• California regulators will vote this week on opening a process to examine demand response and supply issues to prevent a repeat of this summer’s power outages. (Utility Dive)
• Tri-State Generation & Transmission’s CEO says the company’s participation in a western grid study will be “essential” to achieving its members’ clean energy goals. (Utility Dive)

SOLAR:
• Wyoming lawmakers say they were caught off guard by a new bill that would change the way solar customers are compensated. (WyoFile)
• A Colorado city identifies eight viable locations on public property to develop solar energy. (Longmont Times-Call)
• A rural Oregon county is using solar-powered trailers to help fill gaps in high-speed internet service. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

NUCLEAR: A watchdog group says NuScale’s efforts to cut costs on its proposed small-scale reactors raise questions that should be reviewed by federal regulators. (Northern Rockies News Service)

GEOTHERMAL: The operator of a California geothermal power plant agrees to pay $2 million for fire protection violations. (Press Democrat)

EFFICIENCY: A Portland suburb considers requiring home listings to include an energy efficiency score. (Hillsboro News Times)

COMMENTARY:
• A Montana advocate says the state’s Republican leaders need to recognize the growing public demand for expanding clean energy. (Montana Standard)
• A columnist says President-elect Biden’s clean energy plan offers a lifeline to Wyoming as the state needs to “divorce itself from fossil fuels.” (WyoFile)

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Ken Paulman

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.