UTILITIES: Pacific Gas & Electric officials say burying 10,000 miles of power lines to reduce wildfire hazard will cost $25 billion, but the utility is on track to spend far more on the project so far. (Sacramento Bee)

ALSO:
• Opponents of NorthWestern Energy’s 175 MW natural gas power plant proposed for the banks of Montana’s Yellowstone River hold a “people’s hearing” on the county courthouse lawn. (Billings Gazette)
• Irvine, California’s city council votes to acquire 100% of its power from renewable sources through a community choice energy aggregator. (Los Angeles Times)

SOLAR:
• Nevada energy industry officials criticize the Biden administration’s extension of Trump-era solar panel tariffs, saying domestic supplies are insufficient to equip current projects. (Nevada Current)
• Colorado consumer advocates criticize Xcel Energy for pausing a community solar program over concerns that higher-than-expected construction bids could drain the state’s renewable energy fund. (Colorado Sun)

TRANSPORTATION:
• California regulators sue Tesla, alleging the electric vehicle maker discriminates against Black employees at its San Francisco factory. (Associated Press)
• California, Arizona and Hawaii together receive $70 million for electric vehicle infrastructure from the first round of federal funding. (Press Democrat, Cronkite News, Pacific Inno) 
• Nevada lawmakers overcome Republican opposition to approve funding for 60 electric vehicle charging stations. (Nevada Appeal)
• A California startup plans to develop an “electric-truck-as-a-service” business for middle-range freight hauling. (Canary Media)
• Boulder, Colorado’s nonprofit recycling service unveils the nation’s first commercial-scale electric compost-collection truck. (Colorado Daily)

OIL & GAS: Federal officials seek public input on a plan to strengthen protections for the lesser prairie-chicken that could affect Permian Basin oil and gas development. (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)

COAL:
• Colorado officials say they will spend a bulk of an anticipated $150 million in federal funding for abandoned mine cleanup to mitigate dozens of underground coal seam fires, some blamed for igniting devastating wildfires. (Grand Junction Sentinel)
• Fewer than ten coal plants around the West continue to operate without a scheduled retirement date — half the number that did so two years ago. (Los Angeles Times)
• New Mexico lawmakers consider a bill that would expedite coal power plant carbon capture projects by giving developers access to land for sequestration. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

ELECTRIFICATION: A group of Colorado natural gas companies, utilities and real estate groups use questionable claims to campaign against “forced electrification.” (DeSmog)

CLIMATE: An Arizona pilot project uses a wastewater treatment plant’s carbon dioxide and methane emissions to grow algae biofuel. (FOX10)

COMMENTARY:
• A New Mexico oil company official says a hydrogen production hub could bring jobs, revenue and a “morale boost” to the natural gas-rich and economically depressed San Juan Basin. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• A California columnist says fallowing thirsty farm fields and blanketing them with solar panels would save water and help the state’s strained power grid. (Los Angeles Times)

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.