SOLAR: New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham signs the Community Solar Act, allowing residents, small businesses and some public institutions to buy power from shared solar projects, with a requirement that 30% of output go to low-income customers or service organizations. (Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico Political Report)

ALSO:
• Burning Man organizers propose a 300 MWh solar project designed to be an interactive installation as well as a source of clean energy for a permanent, off-the-grid community in the Nevada desert. (Yanko Design)
• Two new solar energy cooperatives launch in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. (news release)

***SPONSORED LINK: What does the future hold as the U.S. accelerates its transition to clean energy? Join the Energy News Network on April 22 for a conversation about what’s next for coal country in Wyoming and Appalachia. Register today!***

CLEAN ENERGY: California plans to add 7.5 gigawatts of clean energy, including storage-backed solar, wind, and geothermal, to replace retiring nuclear and natural gas plants, but some question whether it’s enough. (Canary Media) 

OIL & GAS:
• Investigations find Texas and New Mexico regulators rarely inspected oil and gas wells in the Permian Basin, spurring the growth of the natural gas industry, while both states also face the prospect of spending $335 million to plug and reclaim 7,000 abandoned wells. (Grist/Texas Observer)
• U.S. Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) and Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas) tour northeastern Wyoming and meet with energy leaders to assess the local impact of President Biden’s moratorium on new federal oil and gas leases. (County 17)
• Hilcorp shuts down two offshore production platforms in Alaska’s Cook Inlet after a helicopter pilot spotted bubbling waters from a natural gas leak last week. (Anchorage Daily News)

COAL:
• Xcel Energy is set to discuss options for its coal-fired Hayden Generating Station in Colorado with stakeholders this week, including carbon-free redevelopment. (Steamboat Pilot & Today)
• A new analysis shows that more coal-fired power was retired under former President Trump than during President Obama’s second term, a sign of coal’s “structural decline” in the U.S, one expert says. (Gizmodo)

EFFICIENCY: A state appeals court says Southern California Edison shortchanged the city of Torrance by undercollecting a fee intended to fund local energy conservation programs, and more than 100 other cities and counties could face similar shortfalls. (Daily Breeze)

MICROGRIDS: PG&E will install a solar- and gas-powered microgrid in an area of remote central California devastated by a 2019 wildfire. (Your Central Valley)

TRANSMISSION:
• Colorado’s Senate is set to work today on a bipartisan bill that would establish a transmission authority, which Xcel Energy says would result in increased costs for customers if passed. (Daily Energy Insider)
• The Utah Legislature approves $500,000 in the state’s FY 2022 budget for electricity to be brought to a Navajo Nation community. (Navajo Times) 

COMMENTARY:
• A California public health advocate says the state needs to stop investing in high emissions diesel-fuel generators for backup power to reach 100% clean energy by 2035. (CalMatters)
• An Oregon clean energy advocate says low income communities of color need equal access to clean energy and clean energy jobs. (Portland Tribune)

Lisa Ellwood

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.).