OIL & GAS: Even as New Mexico oil and gas production and revenues reach record levels, the industry’s employment numbers remain depressed, with no uptick in sight. (Los Alamos Daily Post, Capital & Main)

ALSO:
• New Mexico regulators finalize a rule allowing them to impose fines for spills. (NM Political Report)
• A Los Angeles County judge orders the California Independent Petroleum Association to pay environmental groups’ legal fees incurred defending against the Association’s retaliatory lawsuit. (news release) 

COAL:
• Wyoming lawmakers consider a new approach to coal mine reclamation bonding that has support from industry and environmentalists. (WyoFile)  
• The developers of a proposed coal export terminal in Oakland say they are willing not to ship coal, but only if the city drops lawsuits, guarantees construction financing and lowers the rent on the property. (KPIX)
• Wyoming state and local officials work to transform the Powder River Basin into “Carbon Valley” to find new ways to use coal. (Gillette News Record)

CLIMATE:
• Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte pulls out of a multi-state coalition dedicated to fighting climate change. (Montana Public Radio)
• California researchers propose fighting climate change by treating carbon emissions like financial debt. (news release)

GRID:
• California grid operators issue a statewide conservation alert for today to reduce grid stress as temperatures climb into the triple digits. (KTLA)
• Customers of Idaho’s largest utility collectively consumed record levels of power during the late June heat wave. (Big Country News)

EQUITY: A California congresswoman sponsors a bill funding tree planting in low-income neighborhoods to mitigate the effects of climate change and reduce energy costs. (KCRA)

WIND: A wind facility proposed for Wyoming received county approval, but now faces a more rigorous state permitting process. (Casper Star-Tribune)

SOLAR:
• A Montana county zoning board is expected to rule next week on a controversial proposed solar installation that would power a cryptocurrency mining center. (KXLF)
• The largest solar installation in the United States, currently under construction on farmland in California’s Central Valley, could help solve the state’s power and water issues, without environmental opposition. (Los Angeles Times)
• A Portland land trust teams up with non-profits to install rooftop solar on affordable housing at no cost to residents. (Solar Power World)

MICROGRIDS: A county airport in California installs a 100% renewable-energy microgrid, the first to participate in the state’s wholesale electricity market. (news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Federal law puts Colorado’s highway rest areas off-limits to electric vehicle chargers, but the transportation bill making its way through Congress could change that. (Colorado Public Radio)

BIOFUELS: A California-based company completes construction on the world’s first commercial-scale facility, located in Nevada, to convert household waste into aviation fuel, diesel and gasoline. (news release) 

COMMENTARY: An Arizona community leader urges Arizona Public Service to bury a proposed power line so as not to mar Sedona’s iconic views. (Arizona Republic)

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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.