UTILITIES: A class-action lawsuit is filed against PacifiCorp and its Pacific Power subsidiary, alleging negligence for downed power lines that sparked catastrophic Oregon wildfires. (The Oregonian)

COAL:
• Critics question the ethics of Wyoming sending taxpayer funds to a dark-money organization that promotes the coal industry. (WyoFile)
• Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette says the Colstrip power plant in Montana is a “very important facility to us” ahead of a visit to the facility today. (KTVQ)
• Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon praises a new executive order from President Trump aiming to invoke the 1950 Defense Production Act to boost mining. (Oil City News, The Hill)
• A federal judge allows Wyoming to intervene in a lawsuit seeking to annul a Bureau of Land Management coal extraction plan. (Reuters)

ELECTRIFICATION: Sacramento’s municipal utility is making building electrification a key part of its energy-efficiency efforts. (Greentech Media)

PIPELINES: FERC gives a Canadian oil company permission to seize Oregon land it needs for a pipeline from American owners. (ProPublica)

NUCLEAR: A New Mexico nuclear waste facility is taking shipments from California again after suspending them for 10 years. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

PUBLIC LANDS:
• A bankrupt Wyoming natural gas firm managed to secure a 96% discount on royalties for its Bureau of Land Management leases despite owing the federal government almost $4 million in unpaid natural gas royalties. (Wyoming News Exchange)
• The Bureau of Land Management approves a renewable company’s plan to repower a 300 MW California wind farm. (ReNews)

SOLAR:
• Utah regulators are set to consider reducing the solar export credit for Rocky Mountain Power rooftop solar ratepayers by 84%. (Utility Dive)
• California’s solar energy output dropped considerably in August and September  due to severe wildfire smoke. (Greentech Media)

OIL & GAS: Alaska gubernatorial officials want the state’s supreme court to clarify if a recent decision invalidating a plan to sell bonds to pay oil tax credits impacts those sold for local governments statewide. (Anchorage Daily News)

COMMENTARY:
• A Rocky Mountain Institute analyst says that California should have enough electricity to power the full electrification of vehicles in the state. (Los Angeles Times)
• A former California utility regulator who has worked as consultant for the gas industry says the state should use more natural gas to improve grid reliability. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Executives from two Colorado cooperatives say they sought federal oversight of Tri-State generation to ensure they have a voice in the supplier’s decisions. (Colorado Politics)

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.).