ELECTRIFICATION: A recently released draft California building code will encourage heat pumps and require homes to be ready for electric conversion, but does not ban new natural gas connections. (Bakersfield California)

POLLUTION: Air quality officials in southern California adopt new rules for warehouses and distribution centers that aim to reduce the impact of diesel pollution on neighboring communities. (Los Angeles Times)

SOLAR:
• New solar projects under development could push Hawaii’s Big Island past the state’s 100% renewable energy standard as early as 2023. (Honolulu Civil Beat)
• Colorado’s expansive Weld County, which stretches from suburban Denver to the Nebraska border, adopts new solar regulations that categorize projects by physical size rather than capacity. (Greeley Tribune)
• Long Beach, California, begins work on a project to install solar canopies on public parking lots. (Long Beach Post)

CLIMATE: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ public denouncements of a recently passed climate bill leave clean-energy advocates confused. (E&E News)

OVERSIGHT:
• Attorneys for former employees of Colorado’s Air Pollution Control Division ask the state Attorney General to expand a whistleblower investigation to include the handling of permits for three four-coal fired power plants. (Colorado Sun)
• An Arizona regulator is using debunked conspiracy theories to discourage utilities from requiring workers to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. (Arizona Republic, subscription)

UTILITIES: New Mexico regulatory staff call for a public hearing of a proposed merger between Avangrid and PNM Resources to determine whether it’s in the public interest. (E&E News, subscription)

OIL & GAS: The Navajo Nation has been developing its own rules to cut methane emissions from oil and gas operations, which tend to be higher as state rules do not apply on the nation’s land. (New Mexico Political Report)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• An industry report finds plug-in vehicles now account for 9% of new car sales in California. (Green Car Reports)
• A pilot program in Durango, Colorado, will provide 16 low-income workers with e-bikes and track their usage. (Green Car Congress)
• A small start-up aims to build an electric truck stop at a strategic California location near transportation hubs with more than 40 charging stations for heavy-duty trucks. (Saur Energy)
• A recently passed bill in Hawaii will require all state-owned vehicles to be zero-emissions by 2035. (Hawaii Tribune-Herald)

COMMENTARY:
• The author of a recent study on racial disparities in pollution impacts details the role of systemic racism in health outcomes. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Officials from three Colorado counties praise the state’s new transportation plan, saying electrification will be “fundamental to a 21st century transportation system.” (Colorado Sun)
• University of California researchers say the state’s high retail electricity prices are holding back climate progress. (CalMatters)

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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.