COAL: A coalition of local, regional and national organizations has released an economic plan to help struggling coal communities. (InsideClimate News)

ALSO:
• Coal communities are increasingly relying on federal health programs due to continuing layoffs and declining state revenues from coal and oil. (Energy News Network)
• Recent court filings reveal the parties involved in Blackjewel’s bankruptcy have yet to agree to a “consensual plan of liquidation.” (Casper Star-Tribune)
• The Supreme Court rejects a petition to review a dispute over a Navajo Nation coal mine and power plant in New Mexico. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)

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CALIFORNIA: California lawmakers pass a  bill that would initiate a government takeover of PG&E if the utility doesn’t meet certain bankruptcy deadlines or fails to perform required safety work. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)

PUBLIC LANDS:
• New polling shows significantly low support for oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge across the political spectrum. (Alaska Native News)
• The BLM is still set to hold a lease sale today for geothermal parcels in Washington. (Think GeoEnergy)

OIL & GAS: Alaska regulators approve the transfer of BP’s North Slope Alaska oil and gas leases to Hilcorp. (Anchorage Press)

TRANSPORTATION: Experts say California’s new zero-emissions truck requirement could be met with hydrogen fuel cells, but the technology still has obstacles to overcome. (E&E News, subscription required)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A California renewable hydrogen company announces plans to build and design a modular waste-to-hydrogen production facility in the state by the end of 2020. (Power Magazine)

***SPONSORED LINK: Applications are now open for the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship, a yearlong program for high-performing, high-potential military veterans in advanced energy, presented by the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org/fellowship.***

MICROGRIDS: A “revolutionary” new microgrid platform being tested in New Mexico has operated without interruption over the past six months. (Solar Builder)

COMMENTARY:
• A California editor says state regulators and lawmakers are putting a lot of effort into protecting PG&E rather than residents. (Manteca Bulletin)
• A trade association says it’s past time for Arizona regulators to raise the bar on the state’s renewable energy standard. (Arizona Capitol Times)
• The head of a national clean transportation nonprofit says California can boost its economy with investments and programs that stimulate continued decarbonization through clean, green transportation. (CalMatters)

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.).