EQUITY: Advocates warn a California utility’s renewable natural gas push will further entrench industrial feedlots that are a major source of pollution in rural communities. (Discover)
OIL & GAS:
• New Mexico leaders are divided over President Biden’s infrastructure package prioritizing transitioning to clean energy, particularly its impact on the state’s oil and gas production. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• A Central California county continues to pursue fossil fuel development despite the state’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within a decade. (Washington Post)
• A hearing is set this week for a proposed California bill aiming to institute 2,500-foot setbacks for new and repermitted wells and ban fracking. (Grist)
• Oil production activity in Colorado, Wyoming, and parts of New Mexico rose in the last quarter, marking the first year-on-year increase since 2019 according to a new report. (Reuters)
***SPONSORED LINK: What does the future hold as the U.S. accelerates its transition to clean energy? Join the Energy News Network on April 22 for a conversation about what’s next for coal country in Wyoming and Appalachia. Register today!***
CLIMATE: Washington’s state Senate last week approved bills to set a price on carbon emissions and establish a low-carbon fuel standard, with both facing strong opposition from Republicans. (Seattle Times)
UTILITIES: A majority of the latest criminal charges filed against PG&E for 2019’s Kincade Fire are for emitting smoke and ash, endangering public health as well as property. (San Francisco Chronicle)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Ride-hailing companies in California could be required to make their fleets electric by 2030 under a proposal to be decided by the state’s Air Resources Board next month. (Gizmodo)
• A Colorado mayor negotiates an agreement with Rivian to install four proprietary fast chargers and four slower chargers open to the general public in their city. (Colorado Public Radio)
• Colorado auto dealers are skeptical that consumer demand will be strong enough for the state to meet its electric vehicle targets. (Colorado Sun)
PUBLIC LANDS:
• Emails obtained by a watchdog group reveal state superintendents from Alaska, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming may have helped with attacking President Biden’s moratorium on new federal oil and gas leases. (Gizmodo)
• Native American tribes are hoping for a systemic change to federal land use policy to decrease adverse impacts from oil and gas projects. (CleanTechnica)
SOLAR: A California church says it is saving $10,000 annually in energy costs thanks to its rooftop solar installation. (KOVR)
COMMENTARY:
• California U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier advocates for renewables, saying the Bay Area and the nation must prepare for the transition to clean energy. (Mercury News)
• A New Mexico editorial board says state regulators must consider if a merger of the state’s largest power utility with Avangrid is in the best interest of the public. (Albuquerque Journal)
• A California editorial board says state lawmakers should reject a proposed bill aiming to ban fracking by 2027. (Redlands Daily Facts)
• A Montana editorial board says the state’s House should vote to kill a bill aiming to save the Colstrip Power Plant, citing the costs to be passed on to ratepayers. (Billings Gazette)
• Two Bay Area editorial boards say utility ratepayers need other alternatives to PG&E for safe, reliable power. (Mercury News)