CLIMATE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a $15 billion spending package to fight climate change, wildfire, and drought and includes $3.9 billion for electric vehicle investment and infrastructure. (Los Angeles Times)

ALSO:
• A utility’s report finds California cannot meet its goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40% from 1990 levels by 2030 without strong incentives to deploy more electric vehicles. (E&E News, subscription)
• A newly ignited wildfire in drought-parched northern California had burned 5,000 acres and destroyed 25 homes as of Thursday night. (CBS13)

HYDROGEN: The Anschutz Corporation — developer of a massive wind farm in southern Wyoming — makes the first substantial private investment in the University of Wyoming’s Hydrogen Research Center. (Wyoming Public Radio)

ELECTRIFICATION: A King County, Washington, leader proposes an ordinance banning natural gas hookups in all new commercial buildings and some multi-family residential buildings. (South Seattle Emerald)

SOLAR:
• Oregon regulators approve community solar program changes intended to increase residential and low-income enrollment. (KTVZ)
• A New Mexico university and utility plan to bring online a 10,000 panel solar plus storage installation to provide power to the campus and serve as an educational tool. (Las Cruces Sun-News)

WIND: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill directing state energy officials to create a plan for offshore wind development in federal waters. (San Luis Obispo Tribune)  

GEOTHERMAL: Development of a “super hot rock” volcano in Oregon could generate electricity at less than half the cost of typical geothermal power, according to a new analysis. (Renewables Now)

TRANSPORTATION:
• A northern California transit agency plans to build a 1.5 MW solar plus 1 MW storage microgrid to charge its electric buses. (Microgrid Knowledge)
• Eight Western cities land in StorageCafé’s top ten best metros for electric cars, with San Jose, California, ranked first. (New York Times)

POLLUTION: The World Health Organization’s new air pollution guidelines indicate a need for steep cuts to ozone and particulate emissions in Colorado’s urbanized Front Range. (Colorado Sun) 

COMMENTARY:
• A Wyoming candidate for the U.S. Senate says installing utility-scale solar installations on remediated coal mines would replace jobs lost in the fossil fuel industry. (WyoFile)
• A New Mexico children’s advocate urges Congress and the Biden administration to reform the federal oil and gas leasing system and put “our communities before oil and gas CEOs.” (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• An Oregon dam advocate urges Northwestern state leaders not to follow California’s lead on energy policy and to keep hydroelectric dams in place. (Idaho Statesman)
• An Arizona advocate says further transitioning to clean energy will add to the state’s existing 60,000 jobs in the sector. (Arizona Capitol Times)

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.