CLIMATE: Oregon’s carbon emissions reduction plans are beginning to come together, but conflicts persist amongst the 34-member advisory committee meant to have a program established and operating by next year. (The Oregonian)

PUBLIC LANDS: Four conservation groups file a lawsuit calling for a judge to void the Bureau of Land Management’s approval of a Nevada lithium mine, alleging that serious environmental impacts were ignored. (Associated Press)

HYDROPOWER:
• Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson hopes to use an upcoming federal infrastructure package to advance a plan to breach dams on the Snake River. (Spokesman-Review)
• Two Republicans from eastern Washington introduce a bill to advance hydropower technology; Rep. Simpson may sign on as a co-sponsor. (Lewiston Tribune)

OVERSIGHT: A court rules that Arizona regulators can access records of utilities and their parent companies, amid scrutiny over utility spending on elections. (Capitol Media Services)

NUCLEAR:
• Alaska’s first and only nuclear power plant is set to be decommissioned and dismantled nearly 50 years after being shut down. (KUAC)
• A bipartisan group of California lawmakers are considering possible future uses for the land the Diablo Canyon Power Plant sits on after its shutdown and decommissioning, including clean energy opportunities. (KSBY)

UTILITIES: California’s utilities regulator votes to eliminate a “high usage” charge for San Diego Gas & Electric customers still on a tiered-rate billing plan. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Salt Lake City’s school district receives $1.5 million in grants to purchase electric buses, which it will target for routes in areas with low air quality. (Deseret News)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A Washington state landfill is converting waste into pipeline-quality natural gas. (Seattle Times)

OIL & GAS:
• An environmental group is calling on the EPA to designate New Mexico’s Permian Basin counties as areas violating federal ozone limits, which would require the state to step in on emissions. (Albuquerque Journal)
• Economists say President Biden’s moratorium on federal oil and gas leases could result in drillers leaving New Mexico for Texas. (E&E News, subscription)
• Oregon State Rep. Karin Power introduces a bill that would ban the sale of petroleum diesel by “non-retail dealers” in some counties effective 2024 and statewide by 2028. (CDL Life)
• Kern County, California officials are set to hold a public hearing today on whether or not to implement a proposed new oil drilling permit system. (Bakersfield Californian)

PIPELINES: Montana Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines want Congress to reverse President Biden’s decision to rescind the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. (Montana Free Press)

COMMENTARY:
• A Colorado lawmaker says Republicans want to combat climate change, and it’s worth considering nuclear and hydropower energy in addition to solar and wind resources. (Denver Post)
• A California climate advocate says the state has considerable work to do in order to catch up with President Biden’s climate goals. (North Bay Business Journal)
• A New Mexico businessman says the state is still too economically dependent on oil and gas production and needs to focus more on solar and wind energy investments. (Albuquerque Journal)

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.).