CLIMATE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweets “If you don’t believe in climate change, come to California,” referencing the nearly 600 fires the state is battling. (KPIX)
ALSO:
• President Trump approves a wildfire declaration for California as the state battles two of the largest fires in its history. (The Hill)
• Arizona regulators hold an emergency meeting as Western utilities urge customers to moderate electricity use amid the region’s heat wave. (Fox 10, Associated Press)
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STORAGE:
• California’s grid operator says every bit of energy storage helps during heat waves when the demand for air conditioning leads to rolling blackouts. (Grist)
• Sunrun’s CEO announces a program to provide free energy storage systems to low-income residents in California’s fire-prone areas, saying “storage is critical to energy equity.” (PV Magazine)
COAL: While Wyoming has abundant renewable energy resources, a cultural shift away from coal is easier said than done. (Christian Science Monitor)
FOSSIL FUELS: A new analysis indicates 118,000 coal, oil, and gas jobs were lost since March, surpassing clean energy layoffs. (E&E News, subscription)
POLLUTION: Colorado residents press the state to take further measures to address climate change as the state’s air quality board advances a plan to reduce haze. (Denver Post)
OIL & GAS:
• Colorado regulators begin a week of hearings on the historic changes to state energy rules. (E&E News, subscription)
• A New Mexico oil and gas advocate says Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s support for banning fracking would be “devastating” for the state. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• New Mexico’s oil and gas industry downturn is one of the factors driving congressional election battles in the state. (New York Times)
• Permian Basin oil and gas drillers put 10 rigs to work last week, the biggest jump in activity since the market price crash this past spring. (Houston Chronicle)
NUCLEAR: National opposition against a proposed New Mexico nuclear waste facility continues to grow, with calls for the project’s licensing process to be suspended during the pandemic. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
PUBLIC LANDS:
• Montana Gov. Steve Bullock wants a federal judge to remove William Perry Pendley as acting head of the Bureau of Land Management. (Associated Press)
• Environmental groups say upcoming Bureau of Land Management lease sales amount to a last-minute land rush for the oil and gas industry before the November election. (Bloomberg Law)
COMMENTARY:
• A New Mexico county official says the state should make wind energy a priority, as implementing clean renewable energy policy will safeguard its economic future. (Eastern New Mexico News)
• A California assemblymember explains why restoring clean energy jobs and investing in additional clean energy initiatives are necessary for California’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. (CalMatters)
• A political scientist advocates for California to take control of PG&E, saying its for-profit model does not encourage safety or low prices. (Daily Californian)