UTILITIES: A California county prosecutor says Pacific Gas & Electric is “criminally liable” for its role in igniting the Zogg Fire last year that killed four people and burned 200 homes, but has not yet filed charges against the utility. (Los Angeles Times)

 ALSO:
• PG&E warns regulators it is likely to face financial losses as a result of the Dixie Fire, which was likely sparked by the utility’s equipment and has burned more than 220,000 acres. (East Bay Times)
• Public Service Company of New Mexico and Avangrid pledge to spend an additional $22.5 million on rate relief and economic development to gain support for their proposed merger, bringing the total to $115 million. (Albuquerque Journal)
• Hawaii regulators see early signs of success in their move from a cost-of-service model to one with performance-based incentives meant to accelerate the shift to renewable energy and distributed resources. (Utility Dive)

GRID: Portland residents shattered electricity demand records during the June heatwave, an indication that consumption peaks are shifting from winter to summer. (Oregonian)

STORAGE:
• An Idaho-based company plans to open a 1 million square footlithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in Buckeye, Arizona that is slated to employ 3,000 people. (Arizona Republic)
• Two U.S. House members, a Utah Republican and a California Democrat, form a Congressional energy storage caucus to advance energy storage through legislation. (news release)  

SOLAR: San Francisco Bay Area residents oppose a planned solar project over its impacts on open space, agriculture and wildlife habitat, even though the Sierra Club supports the proposal. (Bloomberg)

OIL & GAS:
• A lack of federal funding complicates efforts to plug thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells leaking methane and toxic chemicals across the West, many of which are in unmapped locations. (Associated Press)  
• A Colorado county delays a vote on new, more stringent oil and gas regulations for the second time due to a flurry of public comments. (Reporter Herald)

HYDROPOWER: Environmental groups are pushing back against a provision in the U.S. Senate’s infrastructure bill that would increase how much money the Bonneville Power Administration can borrow from the federal government, saying it would let the utility off the hook for a failed salmon recovery program. (E&E News)

CLEAN ENERGY: At least seven solar, wind, battery and pumped hydro storage projects are proposed for Central Washington, but some face public opposition. (Yakima Herald)

WIND: PacifiCorp brought a 500 MW Wyoming wind facility fully online this week. (Portland Business Journal)

TRANSPORTATION: San Diego-area government, business and nonprofit leaders launch a collaborative dedicated to curbing air pollution and climate change with cleaner modes of transportation. (KPBS)

COMMENTARY:
• A Colorado editorial board calls Tri-State Generation’s exorbitant estimates for member co-ops to exit their contracts “a form of hostage taking.”  (Durango Herald)
• Colorado climate advocates argue for a robust price on carbon to fight climate change, saying it “would lead to meaningful impact in a matter of months.” (Daily Camera)

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Jonathan P. Thompson

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.