OIL & GAS: A federal judge blocks construction permits for Alaska’s Willow oil project, citing the Trump administration’s failure to account for impacts to wildlife and climate change when approving the project that also had Biden administration support. (New York Times)

ALSO:
• U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan today will visit an oil rig-studded Los Angeles suburb activists say is a “profound example of how a community is disproportionately impacted by pollution from fossil fuel.” (E&E News)
• During her 2020 campaign, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., failed to disclose her husband’s earnings from working for an oil and gas firm, and has since defended the industry while in Congress. (Associated Press)  
• New Mexico environmental groups express disappointment about the Biden administration’s planned resumption of oil and gas leasing. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

UTILITIES: A federal judge orders a Pacific Gas & Electric lineworker to appear in court as part of the investigation into the utility’s role in recent fires as California regulators say they will step up oversight of the utility. (San Francisco Chronicle)

COAL:
• After failing to attract investors, the developers of a proposed carbon capture project at a soon-to-retire New Mexico coal-fired power plant lobbied for more federal and state subsidies, according to internal documents obtained by environmental groups. (Energy & Policy Institute)
• Navajo Nation officials recently visited Wyoming coal mines purchased by a tribally owned company in 2019, but received little information about the mines’ finances. (Navajo Times)

SOLAR:
• San Diego County supervisors vote to approve a controversial solar installation near a small town after developers pledge $4 million to the community, but opponents say they will continue to try to block the project. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• The California National Guard considers installing a 99-acre solar array at its Los Alamitos base. (Los Angeles Times)

HYDROPOWER: Reduced California hydropower due to drought causes electricity costs to soar, benefitting fossil fuel power producers. (E&E News, subscription)

GRID: Efforts to integrate the fractured Western Grid in order to share power across the region are progressing slowly, despite hurdles. (Investigate West)

CLIMATE:
• California’s Caldor Fire exhibits “unprecedented fire behavior” due to extremely dry vegetation as it doubles in size and forces the evacuation of thousands of residents. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Portland, Oregon, officials hope to resurrect a carbon tax on local industries to fund decarbonization efforts even though the city’s clean energy fund is flush with cash. (Willamette Week)
• Maui County, Hawaii, officials propose requiring new homes larger than 5,000 square feet to be net zero energy. (Maui News)

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.