OIL & GAS: A new report details how New Mexico’s oil and gas industry spends millions to influence the state’s policy-making decisions. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

ALSO:
• Regulators and lawmakers support the idea of a new federal fund that could help plug New Mexico’s abandoned oil and gas wells on state and tribal land. (Albuquerque Journal)
• Sonar images of a Carlsbad, New Mexico brine well site in danger of collapse could provide critical information for remediation work. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• Wyoming petroleum refineries say meeting the federal government’s Renewable Fuel Standard can be tough, and a recent court ruling could make it harder. (Casper Star-Tribune)

***SPONSORED LINK: Applications are now open for the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship, a yearlong program for high-performing, high-potential military veterans in advanced energy, presented by the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Learn more at www.vetsenergyproject.org/fellowship.***

CALIFORNIA: PG&E announces it is relocating to Oakland after 115 years in San Francisco and selling its current office complex in a bid to save money on real estate costs. (San Francisco Chronicle)

MICROGRIDS: A developer says some proposals for storage on permanent microgrids were rejected by California utilities because the companies didn’t think they could be up and running by the upcoming fire season. (Microgrid Knowledge)

COAL:
• A judge clears the way for foreclosure on two large coal shovels at a company’s Powder River Basin mines. (Gillette News Record, subscription)
• A 70-year-old Colorado coal miner, currently laid off amid the coronavirus pandemic, explains why he can’t wait to get back to work. (Denver Post)

FOSSIL FUELS:
• Colorado Democrats want to remove a state tax exemption for energy companies and industrial manufacturing companies. (Denver Post)
• Utah cities are facing tough budget choices, particularly in the eastern part of the state which is struggling due to the decline of coal mining and volatile oil prices. (Salt Lake Tribune)

POLLUTION: California’s oil and freight industries are pushing back against state regulations that would limit diesel exhaust throughout the state. (InsideClimate News)

SOLAR: Los Lunas, New Mexico is the first city in the U.S. to use a compact solar power system that will put out six-times the power of normal solar panels. (KRQE)

WIND: Offshore Wind California coalition adds a new member supporting a goal of 10 GW of installed offshore wind capacity in California by 2040. (Offshore WIND)

BIOMASS: A California sociologist and biomass business owner says biomass projects prevent carbon emissions released in wildfires and help rebuild rural communities through job creation. (GreenBiz)

***SPONSORED LINK: Do you know someone who works hard to facilitate the transition to a clean energy economy? Nominate yourself or someone you know for Energy News Network’s 40 Under 40 today.***

TECHNOLOGY: A University of Arizona molecular sciences professor helps lead a team of scientists hoping to tap plants as a direct source of renewable electricity. (CTech)

COMMENTARY: A New Mexico builder says community solar can be an alternative to mandating rooftop panels. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

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.).