CLIMATE: A new report says Nevada will be unable to reach its 2050 emissions target without more ambitious policies. (Nevada Independent)

COAL: Arizona’s largest electric utility offers a $144 million plan to help three coal country and Native American communities impacted by the closures of the company’s remaining coal-fired power plants. (Arizona Republic)

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UTILITIES:
• PG&E is facing increased legal pressure as California officials investigate whether the utility is responsible for starting the deadly and destructive Zogg Fire. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• California’s consumer watchdog says utility Southern California Gas should pay $255 million in fines for blocking energy efficiency rules and local electrification efforts. (Los Angeles Times)

BIOMASS: Wildfire cleanup and mitigation efforts have led to a surplus in wood waste that could be a boon for a Northern California biomass plant. (Chico Enterprise-Record)

OIL & GAS:
• New Mexico Republicans are “concerned” about the impact of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s environmentally-focused administration on the state’s oil and gas industry after Democrats keep their majority in the state House and Senate. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• Recent data shows Wyoming’s new regulation aiming to reduce the volume of drilling applications and level the playing field for oil and gas operators appears to be working. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• A growing need for water handling and recycling is fueling an increase in produced water projects in the Permian Basin. (Carlsbad Current-Argus) 

OVERSIGHT: An environmental advocate says New Mexico’s constitutional amendment changing the structure of the state’s utilities regulator is about preferring a professional body instead of a political one. (Farmington Daily Times)

RENEWABLE ENERGY: New Mexico utility officials say their studies of California’s grid problems show that careful planning is critical to provide needed back-up power needed through storage technologies and alternative generation in the transition to renewable energy. (Albuquerque Journal)

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WIND: Opinions are divided over Wyoming’s decision to deny a lease on state land for a portion of a proposed 500 MW wind farm that would have generated $480,000 a year in revenue for the state. (Laramie Boomerang)

COMMENTARY:
• A former California CFO and clean energy advocate in an interview says President-elect Joe Biden will lead on electrification globally, including electric vehicles and sustainability. (Tech Crunch)
• Two environmental advocates say it’s time for the governors of Colorado and New Mexico to take action on transitioning from fossil fuels. (The Hill)
• A California journalist explains how settler colonialism has been a driving force behind the extreme conditions sparking the state’s wildfires. (Daily Californian)

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.).