OIL & GAS: The U.S. Senate reverses a Trump-era rollback of oil and gas methane emission regulations in a 52-42 vote lead sponsor New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich calls a “down payment on the fight against the climate crisis.” (Inside Climate News)

OFFSHORE WIND: Oregon’s House unanimously passes a bill that would create a task force to look into developing 3 GW of offshore wind development by 2030. (Portland Business Journal)

CLIMATE:
• New research finds that a California program allowing forest owners to sell carbon credits isn’t achieving genuine climate benefits, allowing polluters to discharge more CO2 equal to the annual emissions of 8.5 million cars at the extreme end. (ProPublica)
• Three proposed bills making their way through California’s legislatures are testing the state’s commitment to combating climate change, due to disagreements about the best approach. (San Diego Voice)
• Colorado Gov. Jared Polis threatens to veto a bill that would give the state’s Air Quality Control Commission power to enforce greenhouse gas caps. (Colorado Sun) 

COAL:
• A proposed Colorado bill would provide $15 million in assistance to help communities and workers transition from coal. (Steamboat Pilot & Today)
• Montana’s senate abandons a plan to bill state utility regulators for an investigation into their decision that NorthWestern Energy ratepayers shouldn’t cover costs resulting from a Colstrip Power Plant malfunction in 2018. (Billings Gazette)

PUBLIC LANDS: Utah Sen. Mike Lee says President Biden’s moratorium on new federal oil and gas leasing on public lands is a “crippling blow” to Utahns financially reliant on the industry. (Salt Lake Tribune) 

EQUITY: A Colorado county official says all segments of society are vital to urban sustainability efforts. (BizWest, subscription)

RENEWABLE ENERGY:
• Experts say funding for clean-energy startups and innovators is falling short of what is needed for Colorado cities to tackle climate change. (BizWest, subscription)
• All energy purchased by the University of Arizona will be from renewable sources as of May 1, cutting nearly a third of the university’s greenhouse gases. (Arizona Public Media)

TRANSMISSION:
• A new report lists New Mexico and Arizona among states with transmission projects that could begin construction, with certain policy reforms. (New Mexico Political Report, Arizona Big Media)
• A $3.25 billion Western Area Power Administration Transmission Infrastructure Program fund is accepting applications for transmission projects that will boost renewable energy in the West. (The Hill)

UTILITIES: The Energy Trust of Oregon and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are among those supporting a nonprofit research organization’s climate efficiency initiative for utilities. (ACEEE)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A new report indicates electric and hybrid vehicle sales in Colorado increased 42% in Q1 2021 over the same period last year. (BizWest/Prairie Mountain Media) 

SOLAR: A Northern California utility company partners with a nonprofit to train 100 people for solar industry careers, with hands-on training in solar and battery storage installation. (KCRA)

Lisa Ellwood

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.).