COAL: Colorado is looking for ways to help towns cope with a coal-free future, but possible state aid and help from foundations and other sources is complicated by the coronavirus pandemic. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:
• Peabody announces it is writing down the value of a Wyoming mine by $1.42 billion due to anticipated continued low demand for Powder River Basin coal. (Gillette News Record)
• Demolition starts on the oldest units of Montana’s Colstrip coal-fired power plant as part of its partial closure. (Billings Gazette)

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CLIMATE: A lawsuit alleging Oregon Gov. Kate Brown exceeded her authority with an executive order to reduce carbon emissions could face preliminary difficulties. (Capital Press)

OIL & GAS:
• A California bill that would require oil and gas buffer zones near schools, playgrounds, homes, and health care facilities fails to advance. (Bloomberg, subscription)
• New Mexico is set to hold a virtual public hearing today on draft rules to reduce methane and other pollutants statewide. (Santa Fe New Mexican, subscription)
• A joint venture is increasing the Permian Basin’s capacity for managing produced water between two New Mexico counties. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• FERC plans to decide on Marathon Petroleum Corp’s plan to convert an Alaska  natural gas export plant by the end of this year. (Reuters)
• Oil production on Alaska’s North Slope last month was reportedly the strongest in years with an average of 477,896 barrels per day. (Alaska Journal of Commerce)

NUCLEAR: A Utah city considers backing away from its contract with an increasingly expensive small modular nuclear reactor project, as a taxpayers group urges other cities to do the same. (Cache Valley Daily, Power Magazine)

UTILITIES:
• Environmental justice advocates cite PG&E as an example of utilities prioritizing profit over dealing with climate change and considering customer needs. (New Republic)
• Community advocates say they’ve been left out of the discussion as San Diego considers a new multi-year utility franchise agreement. (KPBS)

SOLAR: A California city reports positive results from a pilot project for an app that helps speed permitting for solar projects. (PV Magazine)

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TRANSPORTATION: A Las Vegas bikeshare program is adding e-bikes amid soaring demand during the pandemic. (KTNV)

MICROGRIDS: Students at a New Mexico community college get training in technical jobs thanks to the campus microgrid. (Microgrid Knowledge)

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.).