PUBLIC LANDS: Deb Haaland’s nomination to lead the Interior Department goes to the full Senate after a committee vote yesterday. (Politico)

ALSO:
• Haaland gained the support of a second Republican, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who says she struggled over balancing a “historic nomination” with her concerns about the oil and gas industry. (Washington Post)
• Republicans questioning Haaland during confirmation hearings last week were relying on data from widely criticized industry reports. (The Guardian)
• U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar and U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema introduce bipartisan legislation that would allow an Arizona county to purchase additional federal land for solar development. (Parker Pioneer)
• A new University of Wyoming report outlines “significant potential impacts” on the state’s economy if there were a permanent ban on federal oil and gas leases. (Casper Star-Tribune)

EQUITY: Around 15,000 of the residents on the Navajo Nation reservation continue to live without access to electricity, despite the tribe being a significant energy exporter. (Grist)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Wyoming lawmakers reject a pair of bills that would have increased taxes on wind and solar energy. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• A bipartisan federal bill co-sponsored by Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines would bring clean energy manufacturing and recycling businesses to former fossil fuel sites and help workers transition to clean energy employment. (Politico)
• A New Mexico Senate bill advances that would create a task force focused on transitioning the state’s economy away from fossil fuels. (Albuquerque Journal)

BUILDINGS:
• The nonprofit responsible for developing model building energy codes used by cities and states nationwide finalizes a controversial plan to strip voting rights from thousands of public sector members — a move clean energy advocates fear will slow progress on energy efficiency. (Energy News Network)
• The natural gas industry is aggressively fighting city efforts to limit gas hookups in new construction, while turning to landfill gas and other “renewable” sources to limit their emissions. (Inside Climate News / Seattle Times)
• A Colorado county that is a popular skiing destination is helping builders meet aggressive new efficiency standards. (Summit Daily)

COAL: A Colorado ski resort operator says its project to convert coal plant waste methane to electricity is a financial success, and could provide a model to mitigate emissions from closed mines around the country. (Aspen Times)

SOLAR: A New Mexico Senate bill that would allow communities to subscribe to local solar programs advances to the House. (New Mexico Political Report)

BIOMASS: A planned carbon capture plant in California will convert agricultural biomass to electricity, with nearly all of the carbon stored underground. (Reuters)

COMMENTARY:
• A Wyoming advocate calls on lawmakers to reckon with the ongoing decline in fossil fuel usage and potential problems with carbon capture and storage technology in resolving the state’s budget crisis. (WyoFile)
• A former Arizona lawmaker and lifelong Republican says a diverse energy portfolio that includes renewable energy, especially solar, would be good for the state’s economy and energy future. (Arizona Mirror)
• A California-based environmentalist says the state needs a source of clean electricity that is readily available for as long as it is needed, whenever it is needed to ensure grid reliability. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Lisa Ellwood

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.).