ELECTRIFICATION: San Francisco officials announce legislation that would ban natural gas hookups in new buildings after this year. (S&P Global) 

ALSO: Arizona’s largest utility faces hard decisions about how quickly and deeply to reduce its reliance on natural gas in achieving its goal of zero-carbon by 2050. (Greentech Media)

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CLIMATE: Congress’ first-ever committee focused on climate change issues a 538-page action plan citing an “existential threat” and focused on California as a model for states to follow. (Los Angeles Times)

TRANSMISSION: Energy experts say building new transmission capacity can help the economy recover while advancing clean energy. (Los Angeles Times)

CALIFORNIA:
• A PG&E lawsuit claims 22 employees who testified in a criminal case are “low- and mid-level” and should be concealed, but a reporter finds at least 16 hold management positions. (ABC 10)
• An investigation finds that PG&E hired a contractor with a history of running an illegal dump to clean up after 2018’s deadly and destructive Camp Fire. (Bay City News Foundation)

OIL & GAS:
• A new report indicates the Permian Basin has reclaimed its status as the top destination for fracking crews in the United States. (Houston Chronicle)
• U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small says water treatment projects aiming to reuse oil and gas waste will help New Mexico with protecting groundwater and addressing contamination. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

PUBLIC LANDS: President Trump’s nominee for director of the Bureau of Land Management, William Perry Pendley, faces opposition after previous statements disparaging social justice issues were uncovered. (E&E News, subscription)

UTILITIES:
• Montana regulators are critical of NorthWestern Energy’s proposed power plan, saying the analytical model used gave short shrift to renewable energy sources and failed to provide thorough study of key options. (Montana Free Press)
• Colorado’s Delta-Montrose Electric Association is now officially independent of Tri-State Generation and Transmission. (Mountain Town News)

BIOMASS: An exploration of California biomass suggests that now could be the time for proponents to make a case for being included in stimulus packages for post-coronavirus economic recovery. (OilPrice)

***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.***

SOLAR: California regulators are considering awarding a $1 million grant to a company that builds self-contained and automated solar power systems. (Sacramento Business Journal)

COMMENTARY:
• A New Mexico energy policy advocate says the state needs to continue developing its oil and gas resources while building up renewables. (Las Cruces Sun News)
• Several Sierra Club representatives are concerned that Missoula, Montana’s draft agreement with NorthWestern Energy could be bad for the city and for the climate. (Missoulian)

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.).