OIL & GAS: Portland officials are expected to vote this month on a proposal to expand a major oil-by-rail export terminal, testing the city’s 2016 zoning ordinance banning new fossil fuel facilities. (Sierra)

PLUS: Nearly half of Colorado’s 52,000 wells produce little to no oil or gas, raising questions of who will pay to plug them. (Colorado Sun)

WIND: A think tank founded by former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger finds offshore wind could shore up the state’s grid and save billions of dollars, but a lack of transmission infrastructure could hinder development. (Canary Media)

SOLAR: Stanford University is set to become 100% solar powered by next summer. (Stanford Daily)

UTILITIES:
• Hearings on the merger of Public Service Company of New Mexico and Avangrid conclude with little indication of how regulators will vote. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• Pacific Gas & Electric’s plan to bury 10,000 miles of overhead power lines to reduce the risk of igniting wildfires has no timeline for completion and some say may not be worth the cost. (Grist)
• A recent study on what potential clean energy mandates will cost Arizona ratepayers has reignited debate over how regulators should curb carbon emissions from the state’s electricity sector. (E&E News, subscription)  

STORAGE: U.S. battery storage capacity grew by 35% in 2020, led by large gains in California. (Energy Information Administration)

COAL:
• Construction begins on a Wyoming facility intended to explore ways to make products such as asphalt and carbon fiber from coal. (Wyoming News Now)
• An administrative law judge upholds Colorado regulators’ water discharge permit requirements for a coal mine in the western part of the state. (Grand Junction Sentinel)

NUCLEAR: California researchers achieve a significant breakthrough by igniting a massive burst of fusion power, but the reaction consumed more energy than it produced. (New York Times)

CLIMATE:
• Several Nevada groups led by women of color band together to highlight climate change’s disproportionate effect on low-income and diverse communities. (Associated Press)
• A vote to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom next month could lead to big changes in the state’s strong climate policies. (E&E News)
• Northern California’s drought-fueled Caldor Fire burns more than 100,000 acres and destroys more than 300 structures, while the nearby Dixie Fire surpasses 700,000 acres. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Actress and activist Jane Fonda pays tuition for a group of Boise high school students to take university climate change classes. (Idaho Statesman)

COMMENTARY:
• A New Mexico labor union leader says a clean energy group’s attempts to block the Public Service Company of New Mexico and Avangrid merger is hampering the state’s energy transition. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• The manager of a New Mexico rural co-op rejects criticism of Tri-State and says the G&T-cooperative model is not broken. (Utility Dive)
• A Colorado bicycle advocate says in order to fight climate change, more bikes and buses, as well as systemic changes to the nation’s roads, are necessary. (Colorado Sun)  

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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.