HYDROPOWER: A proposal to breach four hydroelectric dams in northern California and southern Oregon clears a major hurdle as it secures approval from federal regulators. (Mercury News)

CLEAN ENERGY: Despite ample sunshine and wind, renewable energy struggles to compete with oil and gas in southeastern New Mexico. (Searchlight New Mexico)

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SOLAR: Montana residents speak out against a proposed 1,600-acre solar farm that would power cryptocurrency mining. (Montana Standard)

WIND: A coalition of Nevada lawmakers, tribes, and environmental groups pushes for a national monument designation to halt a proposed wind farm. (Nevada Current)

GRID:
• Climate change and extreme heat stress electricity grids across the West, with thousands losing power in northern Colorado and voluntary conservation measures staving off outages in most of California. (Canary Media, CBSN Denver, San Francisco Chronicle)
• California continued to export power to neighboring states during last summer’s heat wave even as residents experienced rolling blackouts. (KQED)
• The leaders of a bid to oust California Gov. Gavin Newsom attempt to weaponize the state’s power grid challenges. (KABC)

OIL & GAS: Cryptocurrency miners install facilities at Montana oil and gas wells to generate electricity from waste methane. (Montana Free Press)

ELECTRIFICATION: A Colorado ski company opens a 43-unit workforce housing complex, the first all-electric building of its size in the state. (InHabitat)

EQUITY: The City of Los Angeles partners with nonprofit groups to deploy rooftop solar in low-income neighborhoods and subsidize electric car purchases for low-income residents. (Reuters)

UTILITIES:
• Federal regulators rule Tri-State Generation and Transmission’s exit fees are unjust as Colorado and New Mexico rural cooperatives consider leaving the provider. (Utility Dive)
• Montana-based NorthWestern Energy joins the Western Energy Imbalance Market. (Reuters)
• A new lawsuit seeks to overturn a recently approved City of San Diego franchise deal with San Diego Gas & Electric. (La Jolla Light)

COAL:
• The owners of a large coal plant in Oahu want to switch to burning wood pellets instead of closing next year as planned. (Honolulu Civil Beat)
• The Biden administration drops its appeal of a court ruling requiring it to analyze the potential climate impacts of a proposed coal mine in Utah. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)

TRANSPORTATION: San Diego-area governments explore ways to collect a proposed road fee to replace a gas tax and fund transportation projects. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

NUCLEAR: A nuclear power plant in Washington resumes operation after a planned outage a day before extreme heat kicked in. (Union-Bulletin)

COMMENTARY:
• A Nevada environmental advocate says the state must protect biodiversity while pursuing its renewable energy goals. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• A New Mexican journalist urges Congress to pass legislation employing the state’s oil and gas workers to clean up abandoned wells. (Albuquerque Journal)
• Two California community organizers say a proposed energy resilience bill would ward off power outages and save lives. (Stockton Record)
• A California editorial board supports new emissions rules for San Francisco Bay Area refineries. (Mercury News)

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.