HYDROPOWER: Federal regulators issue a draft environmental impact statement saying there are significant benefits to demolishing four hydropower dams on northern California’s Klamath River. (Associated Press)

OIL & GAS:
• The operator of an offshore southern California crude oil pipeline that ruptured in October sues two shipping companies for allegedly damaging the line with their anchors. (Los Angeles Times)
• A Portland, Oregon, oil terminal operator appeals regulators’ denial of a permit the company needs to continue operating. (OPB)
• Advocates criticize a California water board for hiring a Chevron-connected firm to study the potential health effects of irrigating crops with oilfield wastewater. (Inside Climate News)
• ExxonMobil decides to embark on a $400 million carbon capture and storage facility expansion at its LaBarge, Wyoming, natural gas facility. (news release)

SOLAR: A Colorado electric cooperative abandons a planned rate increase for part-time residents who used less electricity because it also would have raised costs for rooftop solar users. (Colorado Sun)

ELECTRIFICATION:
• Some Colorado residents who lost homes in December’s Marshall Fire say the city’s net-zero building codes requiring electrification and efficiency measures in new construction make rebuilding cost-prohibitive. (Denver Channel)
• Washington state regulators consider requiring electric space and water heat pumps in new commercial buildings. (Washington News Service)

GRID: Neighbors of a proposed Xcel Energy transmission project say a 10-mile setback from the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site will push the line onto their property. (Kiowa County Press)

CLIMATE: The U.S. Department of Energy recognizes an Oregon brewery for its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% within ten years. (KTVZ)

COAL: Arizona regulators seek public input on Cholla coal power plant’s proposed air quality permit renewal. (news release)

UTILITIES:
• California regulators consider ways to curb utility bill increases, including using state funds to pay for grid upgrades. (San Diego Union-Tribune)  
• An environmental group says Public Service Company of New Mexico is timing its coal power plant abandonment this year to overcharge customers, but utility officials say it is a misunderstanding. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• Pacific Gas & Electric seeks a $10.5 billion rate increase to bury 3,600 miles of power lines to reduce fire hazard. (East Bay Times) 

BIOFUELS: Environmentalists say a California program allowing polluters to purchase carbon credits from dairies that convert manure to methane fuel delays the transition to electric vehicles. (Desert Sun, subscription) 

TRANSPORTATION:
• Colorado lawmakers reject a bill that aimed to reduce traffic by incentivizing employers to provide alternate transportation options to workers. (Denver Channel
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom commemorates the state’s 1 millionth electric vehicle purchase. (Bay Area News Group) 

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.