COAL: New Mexico’s retired coal-fired Escalante Generating Station is to be redeveloped into a zero-emission, hydrogen-fired power facility under a new partnership between two energy companies. (news release, Renewables Now)

ALSO:
• The sponsor of a newly-passed Wyoming law creating a fund to sue states over clean energy policies says it was inspired by Colorado laws aiming to establish renewable energy targets and reduce emissions. (Denver Post)
• The sponsor of a proposed Montana bill aiming to save the Colstrip Power Plant and shield NorthWestern Energy from financial losses says state regulatory analysts lowered their estimates of the impact of the bill on customers. (Billings Gazette)

FOSSIL FUELS: Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signs three energy-related bills into law, including one requiring utilities to prove coal and natural gas plant retirements would not lead to added costs to customers or less reliable electrical service. (Wyoming Tribune Eagle)

OIL & GAS:
• An exploration of the difficulty of tracking carbon emissions looks at the impact of BP’s departure from Alaska’s North Slope and Hilcorp taking over their assets. (Bloomberg)
• A new national study finds that New Mexico oil and gas jobs are still lucrative despite the coronavirus pandemic. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

MICROGRIDS: A California state representative introduces legislation that would create a 30% tax credit for a qualifying microgrid through 2025. (Solar Power World)

PIPELINES: Montana’s Attorney General sets out his legal case against President Biden’s cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline during a House subcommittee hearing. (KTVQ)

PUBLIC LANDS:
• A New Mexico Sandia Pueblo member and environmental advocate says “meaningful tribal consultation hasn’t been fulfilled, nor has it been respected” regarding federal oil and gas leasing on culturally significant areas near Chaco Culture National Historical Park. (Albuquerque Journal)
• A group of Democratic federal lawmakers support a proposal from Native American tribes to expand the Bears Ears National Monument. (E&E News, subscription)

UTILITIES:
• An Alaska power utility faces opposition over a request for more time to implement major grid reform legislation. (Alaska Journal of Commerce)
• PG&E could face another reprimand from California regulators today for not doing enough to mitigate wildfire risks in its service area. (Associated Press)
• A Colorado school district grapples with an unexpected energy bill three-quarters of its annual budget due to February’s extreme weather, one of many customers disadvantaged by purchasing their gas from distributors. (Colorado Sun)

CLIMATE: A University of Utah study finds that past Indigenous cultural burning reduced the risk of large-scale wildfire activity in the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, under conditions remarkably similar to the present. (news release)

EFFICIENCY:
• Construction begins on California’s first net-zero carbon emissions mental health campus. (San Mateo Daily Journal)
• Santa Fe, Mexico’s city council approves a plan to convert more than 2,000 streetlights to energy efficient LED bulbs. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

TRANSPORTATION: Hawaii’s Department of Transportation takes delivery of a Tesla as a first step toward electrifying its light duty fleet of roughly 300 passenger vehicles. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

COMMENTARY:
• A California editorial board says the state’s Democratic lawmakers need to “do more than talk about the climate crisis” regarding proposed offshore wind legislation. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• An Oregon plumbers and pipefitters’ union advocates for a sustainable energy storage project, saying it gives the opportunity to “prioritize the interests of working people.” (Portland Business Journal)

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.).