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)

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.).