PUBLIC LANDS: Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer says Interior Secretary nominee Deb Haaland’s nomination process will begin this week, with holds from Wyoming and Montana senators expected to cause delays. (The Hill, Bozeman Daily Chronicle)

ALSO:
• Western tribal nation leaders see Deb Haaland’s nomination as Interior Secretary as a good opportunity to pursue wind and solar energy production, aiming to diversify their economies beyond fossil fuels. (KRWG)
• The Interior Department is set to launch a review of the federal oil and gas leasing program on March 25, and wants public input. (Albuquerque Journal)
• Nevada U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen co-authors a bill that would increase the minimum bid price per acre for federal lease auctions and raise the royalty rate companies have to pay. (Reuters)

CLIMATE: Youth climate activists in Oregon are seeking to amend their lawsuit against the U.S. government after a setback in federal court. (Oregonian) 

TRANSPORTATION:
• A New Mexico bill aiming to reduce transportation emissions clears a state Senate committee on a 6-4 vote. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• Washington’s state senate is set to consider a bill aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuel. (Seattle Times)

COAL:
• A Montana lawmaker proposes a bill that would allow a county to negotiate a payment agreement with the Navajo Transitional Energy Co, which owes more than $8 million in delinquent county taxes. (Helena Independent Record)
• Critics of proposed Wyoming bills aimed at keeping the state’s coal-operated power plants running say utility ratepayers will end up paying the price through increased electricity rates and costs. (Casper Star-Tribune)

OIL & GAS:
• A New Mexico senator urges Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to learn about the state’s oil and gas industry and support workers who would be laid off as the U.S. shifts to renewables. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• A new data analysis finds that oil spills decreased in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming in 2020 compared to 2019. (Center Square)

UTILITIES:
• PG&E says a transmission structure fire was responsible for more than 29,000 of the utility’s ratepayers losing power last weekend in a Northern California county. (Union Democrat)
• California regulators proposed demand-side strategies, including an emergency load reduction program, to boost the grid’s reliability. (Utility Dive)

PIPELINES: More than 90 Montana state lawmakers call for a reversal of President Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline in a letter to President Biden and the state’s congressional delegation. (news release)

COMMENTARY:
• An earth and environmental scientist says the Pacific Northwest is less than ideal for wind farms, as wind in the region doesn’t produce much energy. (Forbes)
• A think tank official says a small set of climate policies would help Nevada decrease emissions and boost its economy. (Forbes)

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.).