OFFSHORE WIND: The developers of three proposed offshore wind projects in federal waters off Oahu, Hawaii, hope for success under the Biden administration but face opposition from shoreline communities and fishing groups. (E&E News)

ALSO: California may miss out on the nation’s first wave of offshore wind development because the state’s steep ocean shelf makes anchoring turbines impractical, an industry expert says. (Capital Public Radio)

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COAL:
• A community college looks to play a key role in a Colorado coal town’s economic transition, as a looming coal plant closure is expected to eliminate 600 jobs by the end of the decade. (Colorado Public Radio)
• Montana’s state senate advances a bill that makes NorthWestern Energy ratepayers liable for debt related to the utility’s troubled Colstrip Power Plant. (Billings Gazette)
• A federal court rules a group of Montana ranchers and landowners can pursue claims that the U.S. Department of Energy is shutting them out of its decision-making process on coal-related issues. (Courthouse News)

NATURAL GAS: Nevada utilities and businesses oppose legislation aimed at eliminating the use of natural gas by 2050, citing concerns about ratepayers who might not be able to afford the transition. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A proposed lithium mine in rural northern Nevada is creating unlikely alliances, as climate advocates tout the need for electric vehicle materials and ranchers talk about concerns for the once-dismissed sage grouse. (Deseret News)
• An Idaho House committee introduces a bill to increase the state’s registration fee for electric vehicles from $140 to $300. (Associated Press)

RENEWABLES: Two Los Angeles city council members introduce a motion for the city to reach 100% renewable energy by 2035, a decade earlier than its current goal. (MyNewsLA)

SOLAR:
• A proposed 3 MW solar project in Colorado would produce enough energy to power an estimated 400 to 500 homes. (Grand Junction Daily Sentinel)
• Holy Cross Energy and Colorado Mountain College partner with a clean energy company on a solar and battery energy storage project. (Vail Daily)
• The Navajo Nation finalizes a lease agreement for a 200 MW solar generation plant in New Mexico. (news release)

OIL & GAS:
• Tribal leaders tell Interior Secretary Deb Haaland that the Bureau of Land Management hasn’t done enough to protect New Mexico’s Chaco Culture National Historical Park from oil and gas development. (Associated Press)
• Public safety concerns continue to be raised about a Southern California Gas storage field in west Los Angeles. (Los Angeles Times)

CLIMATE: A new study finds that prolonged droughts and erratic rainstorms are worsening due to climate change, particularly in the western U.S. (Albuquerque Journal)

COMMENTARY:
• An editorial board advocates for rooftop solar, saying it would be unwise for California regulators to undermine “one of the state’s most successful green power revolutions.” (Los Angeles Times)
• A California environmental justice advocate urges state lawmakers to get behind a climate resilience bill that would help communities of color. (CalMatters)
• Two Arizona advocates say a bill that would strip Arizona regulators of their authority to set clean energy requirements undermines public health as well as clean energy. (Arizona Capitol Times)

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.).