NUCLEAR:
• Indigenous and environmental advocates call for heightened regulation or closure of a Utah uranium mill that has accepted 700 million pounds of hazardous waste in the last three decades. (The Hill)
• U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming calls on the Biden administration to ban Russian uranium imports, which could boost the state’s beleaguered uranium mining industry. (Cowboy State Daily)

HYDROPOWER: Lake Powell sinks to a historic low, triggering concerns that it will drop below the minimum water level required for hydropower production earlier than previously predicted. (Associated Press)

OIL & GAS:
• California oil producers say they plan to wield the ban on Russian oil imports and high gasoline prices as weapons in their fight against state drilling restrictions. (Los Angeles Times)  
• A federal court rejects a Colorado oil and gas producing county’s bid to pause U.S. EPA requirements reducing ozone pollution. (news release)
• Colorado environmental justice advocates and politicians call on regulators to heighten scrutiny of a Denver-area refinery with a history of pollution violations. (Colorado Sun)

WIND: A developer proposes constructing a 280-turbine, 800 MW wind facility in southern Idaho. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

CLIMATE:
• Utah children sue Gov. Spencer Cox over fossil fuel-friendly policies they say are fueling climate change and harming air quality. (Deseret News)
• Colorado lawmakers replace a bill that would have banned gasoline-powered lawn equipment sales with one incentivizing electric equipment purchases. (Colorado Sun)

TRANSPORTATION:
• An Oregon county transit district receives $6.4 million in federal grants to buy five electric buses and roll out a trip-planning app. (Register-Guard)
• Colorado lawmakers advance a bill that would allow utilities to enter into contracts with communities or landowners to build hiking and biking trails in power-line corridors. (Colorado Public Radio) 

STORAGE: The U.S. Energy Department chooses three Oregon communities for a project that develops energy storage in underserved communities to improve grid resilience. (news release)

GRID: California lawmakers advance a bill that would provide technical assistance and grants to local governments to improve grid resilience. (Microgrid Knowledge)

UTILITIES: Pacific Gas & Electric launches a pilot program that automatically switches time-of-use rate customers’ water-heating to off-peak hours. (news release)

BIOFUEL: Washington state lawmakers pass a bill requiring landfill operators to capture methane and either flare it off or convert it to fuel. (Crosscut)

COMMENTARY: Southern California Gas Co.’s efforts to thwart home and business electrification policies have set the state’s climate fight back three years, an environmental advocate argues. (San Francisco Chronicle)

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Jonathan P. Thompson

Jonathan hails from southwestern Colorado and has been writing about the land, cultures, and communities of the Western United States for more than two decades. He compiles the Western Energy News digest. He is the author of three books, a contributing editor at High Country News, and the editor of the Land Desk, an e-newsletter that provides coverage and context on issues critical to the West.