GRID: In a briefing to state legislators, California’s grid operator says recent policy changes and new storage resources will make the state less vulnerable to blackouts this year, but warns extreme heat will continue to pose challenges. (Associated Press)

ALSO: The North American Reliability Corporation echoes warnings that California’s grid is vulnerable to extreme heat this summer, saying as much as 11 GW of energy imports could be needed to meet afternoon demand. (Utility Dive)

TRANSPORTATION: While Colorado’s transportation agency suggests it can widen roads and reduce driving at the same time, research suggests otherwise. (Colorado Public Radio)

OIL & GAS:
• California’s oil industry spent $4.3 million on lobbying in the first quarter of 2021, targeting drilling restrictions and expanded pollution reporting requirements. (Capital and Main)
• Neighbors are fighting a natural gas plant on the Texas-New Mexico border near El Paso, arguing it will worsen the region’s already poor air quality. (New Mexico in Depth)
• Attorneys general from Utah, Wyoming and Montana are among a group of 19 Republicans citing the Colonial Pipeline attack in a call to revive the Keystone XL pipeline. (Fox News)

PUBLIC LANDS: The Bureau of Land Management is surveying staff about the Trump administration’s decision to move its office to Colorado, which prompted 87% of affected staff to leave the agency. (E&E News, subscription)

CLIMATE: Officials in Flagstaff, Arizona, are studying the possibility of using local carbon dioxide removal projects to meet city emissions goals. (Arizona Daily Sun)

HYDROGEN: Bloom Energy and the Idaho National Laboratory enter an agreement to test using excess nuclear power to produce hydrogen. (S&P Global)

GEOTHERMAL: Google launches an initiative to tap geothermal energy in Nevada to power its data centers. (CNET)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• California electric vehicle startup Canoo is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission over a recent merger, the company’s CEO said Monday. (The Verge)
• The California Energy Commission is seeking proposals for $17.5 million in funding to expand electric vehicle charging in rural counties. (NGT News)

COMMENTARY:
• Sustainability advocates in Tucson, Arizona say programs to help local businesses cut emissions could be scaled up to help meet state climate goals. (Arizona Capitol Times)
• A California architect says an all-electric building code would benefit the state’s economy while cutting emissions and improving safety. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.