COAL: The EPA grants Wyoming the authority to regulate carbon dioxide injection wells intended for long-term storage. (E&E News, subscription)

ALSO:
• A Wyoming Mining Association official says carbon capture technologies are critical for the long-term viability of the state’s coal resource. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• A Utah company’s illegal $500 sale of coal mining waste to pave a parking lot has sparked a regulatory dispute that puts the state at odds with federal mine cleanup rules. (Salt Lake Tribune)

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CALIFORNIA:
• California’s power crisis worsens as PG&E de-energizes power lines in 22 Northern California counties due to dangerous weather and the threat of wildfire. (Bloomberg Green, KXTV)
• PG&E is to begin cutting down more than 200 trees in a Northern California county this week for safety reasons, but some residents say the utility is going about it the wrong way. (KCRA)

FOSSIL FUELS: Utah lawmakers have taken steps to help fossil fuel operations weather the coronavirus pandemic, but it remains to be seen how much good it will do. (E&E News, subscription)

GRID: Opinions differ over whether California should join other Western states in forming an “enhanced” regional power grid. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

HYDROGEN: California regulators approve $39.1 million in funding for 123 hydrogen refueling stations throughout the state. (CBS News 8)

OIL & GAS:
• Colorado oil industry advocates say “we would be in court the next day” if an incoming Biden administration tried to reverse President Trump’s efforts to expand oil production on federal land. (Denver Post)
• Analysts say an 80% increase in federal permitting in the largest Permian Basin oilfield over the last three months is a hedge against a win by presidential candidate Joe Biden. (Reuters)
• A major Permian Basin oil and gas company withdraws its permit application to construct and operate a natural gas facility in southeastern New Mexico. (Associated Press)
• Two New Mexico state agencies partner in mapping the Delaware Basin’s aquifer systems to help better inform oil and gas regulations and operations permitting in the area. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• New Mexico legislators and regulators are urged to curb oil field wastewater by an environmental group. (E&E News, subscription)

RENEWABLE ENERGY: The new owners of Wyoming land formerly held by two major oil and gas companies plan to expand renewable energy development in addition to existing drilling and mining activity. (Casper Star-Tribune)

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POLITICS: A new survey of Western conservatives finds that energy issues would help 80% of respondents determine how they vote on a candidate. (Colorado Politics)

COMMENTARY:
• A conservative energy advocate cites Arizona and California power companies as examples of how utilities can perpetuate a monopoly through unethical, if not illegal actions. (InsideSources)
• A California think tank official explains why a regional electric grid coordinating power with neighboring states and modernized planning would help the state prevent power outages. (Cal Matters)
• An advocate criticizes a New Mexico editorial board to task for scapegoating renewables just because the state’s largest power utility asked ratepayers to conserve energy for a few hours during a Western heat wave. (Albuquerque Journal)

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.).