CALIFORNIA: Some California lawmakers are hesitant to accelerate its 100% carbon-free electricity mandate, despite the state’s grid operator dismissing political narratives that renewable energy is to blame for outages. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

ALSO: Scientists estimate that California’s wildfires this year through mid-September put about 90 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air. (Washington Post)

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OIL & GAS:
• Colorado regulators could approve proposed rules aiming to require emissions and air quality monitoring from the start of construction of a well site and over the first six months of production. (Denver Post)
• Former Democratic Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s conflicting rhetoric on fracking is criticized by environmentalists and the oil and gas industry. (Colorado Sun)

CLIMATE:
• Google could shift the global market for energy storage thanks to its commitment to power all its offices and data centers with only carbon-free electricity. (Quartz)
• Climate change is a serious concern for Arizona amidst record-breaking heatwaves, but it apparently isn’t a leading issue for the state’s voters this year. (InsideClimate News)

UTILITIES: California’s utility regulator is modifying its net metering rules to provide customer-generators with credit or compensation for electricity generated by their solar facilities. (PV Magazine)

BIOFUELS: Small Wyoming refineries struggling to meet the economic cost of implementing federal biofuel standards continue to be hurt by the lack of EPA “hardship relief.” (Casper Star-Tribune)

PUBLIC LANDS:
• Environmentalists want the Bureau of Land Management to suspend efforts to amend a New Mexico oil and gas development plan, citing concerns about Native American tribes and others who would be affected. (Associated Press)
• The Bureau of Land Management cancels next week’s planned sale of Wyoming oil and gas leases, citing sage grouse protections. (Reuters)

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PIPELINES:
• Spokane, Washington’s city council is set to consider a new franchise agreement for a petroleum pipeline next week that some members believe still falls short in protecting the city and its residents. (Spokesman-Review)
• Keystone XL pipeline proponents want a federal appeals court to reverse a judge’s order blocking the use of a key water permit. (E&E News, subscription)

COMMENTARY:
• A former Chair of California’s grid operator says planning for climate change  and more frequent and intense extreme weather events should be the state’s priority. (Daily Breeze)
• An energy journalist explains why Google’s pledge to power all its offices and data centers with only carbon-free electricity by 2030 is not just a public relations move. (InsideClimate News)

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.).