OVERSIGHT: Legal experts say a recent Arizona Supreme Court ruling involving a water utility could allow state lawmakers to overrule regulators on renewable energy standards. (Arizona Mirror)

ALSO: A new report finds that California’s regulatory agency made “highly questionable” decisions on high-level hiring based on personal relationships. (Sacramento Bee)

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COAL: A company developing a coal export terminal in Oakland, California pushes to delay bankruptcy proceedings in the hope of getting a bailout from the Utah legislature. (Salt Lake Tribune)

PUBLIC LANDS:
• The Senate’s Democratic caucus signs a letter asking President Trump to nominate a “new, qualified candidate” to head the Bureau of Land Management. (The Hill)
• The BLM continues to be silent on its National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska oil and gas lease sale, but cancels a planned sale for Southeast Utah. (E&E News, subscription, Associated Press)

RENEWABLE ENERGY:
• Some Native American communities are turning to renewables in a bid to combat long-time unequal access to utilities. (The Guardian)
• A California senate committee approves a measure that would establish a commission to expand the state’s emerging lithium recovery industry. (Desert Review)

SOLAR:
• Local officials in Pueblo, Colorado have reached agreement on a proposed 200 MW solar project, which is pending approval from state regulators. (Fox21News)
• A social media campaign opposing a proposed Nevada solar generating plant is gaining traction. (MV Progress)

OIL & GAS: Wyoming regulators announce they will update rules to make it easier for producers to manage wastewater. (Casper Star-Tribune)

UTILITIES: A Boulder, Colorado official says the city’s agreement with Xcel Energy was partially driven by budget pressures triggered by an upcoming tax deadline and the coronavirus pandemic. (Utility Dive)

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POLITICS: As a California U.S. Senator, Kamala Harris has long championed climate and justice causes, which advocates say will help mobilize environmentalists to support the Biden campaign. (InsideClimate News)

COMMENTARY:
• A New Mexico lawmaker says American Wind Week is the perfect time for the state to increase its investments in wind energy and redouble its renewable energy efforts. (Albuquerque Journal)
• Two sustainability experts explore how cities can overcome clean energy transition challenges and drive faster progress on renewables and carbon-free goals. (GreenBiz)

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.).