COAL: A federal judge in Montana rebuffs the Biden administration’s attempt to delay lawsuits from states, environmental groups, and tribes challenging the federal coal leasing program. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR: Hearings are set to begin in a lawsuit aimed at stopping Southern California Edison from dismantling the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station due to safety concerns. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

UTILITIES: A loophole in a recently approved San Diego Gas & Electric franchise agreement with the City of San Diego could leave ratepayers with a $20 million bill. (Times of San Diego)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Utah lawmakers consider expanding a voluntary pilot program that levies a fee on electric and hybrid vehicles. (Deseret News)
• Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti signs a budget for the next fiscal year that includes $30 million to expand solar energy and the city’s EV charging infrastructure. (CBSLA)
• An electric boat company looks to expand its charging infrastructure at Lake Tahoe. (Sierra Nevada Ally)

TRANSPORTATION: San Diego officials consider a proposal to eliminate parking requirements for businesses near mass transit lines. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

STORAGE: A company has aggregated residential smart thermostats, battery storage, and other distributed sources to create a 288-megawatt virtual power plant to supply the California grid this summer. (Energy Storage News)

HYDROGEN: A college in a New Mexico natural gas producing region develops an education and training program for the hydrogen industry. (Durango Herald)

GRID: Ample hydropower should keep the lights on in the Pacific Northwest this summer, but power prices are expected to increase due to demand on the rest of the Western Grid. (Spokesman-Review)

POLLUTION:
• Stricter ozone rules are on their way to Colorado’s Front Range, which has some of the worst ozone levels in the nation. (Colorado Sun)
• An underground barrier intended to prevent migration of petrochemicals from a Colorado refinery appears to be failing and is creating oil slicks in a nearby stream. (Denver Post) 

HYDROPOWER: Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska switches from diesel-powered generators to hydropower to run its headquarters complex. (National Parks Traveler)

COMMENTARY:
• A Utah editorial board says only the state’s fossil fuel-dominated politics stand in the way of it becoming the “Saudi Arabia of sustainable energy.” (Salt Lake Tribune)
• A renewable energy and consumer rights advocate argues the merger between Avangrid and Public Service Company of New Mexico “unjustly benefits shareholders” at the expense of ratepayers and the environment. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• A Colorado columnist says the state’s governor is strong on climate goals, but weak when it comes to enforcing them. (Colorado Sun) 

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.