COAL: Bankruptcy filings show Blackjewel still owes more than $50 million in unpaid royalties to the federal government for two Wyoming coal mines, and it’s unclear whether the money will ever be recovered. (Casper Star-Tribune)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The future of Arizona electric truck firm Nikola is in question after its founder abruptly resigned Sunday amid fraud investigations. (Arizona Republic)

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OIL & GAS:
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom could face a new lawsuit from environmentalists wanting new oil and gas drilling permits suspended. (Los Angeles Times)
• Environmentalists want a FERC decision authorizing a liquefied natural gas export project on Alaska’s North Slope reviewed. (Associated Press)
• The Bureau of Land Management is reducing available parcels in this week’s Wyoming oil and gas lease sale due to a federal court decision to vacate leases on sage grouse habitat. (Casper Star-Tribune)

PIPELINES: Spokane, Washington’s city council delays voting on a new franchise agreement for a petroleum pipeline that some members believe still falls short in protecting the city and its residents. (Spokesman-Review)

WIND: A Washington utility releases a report saying they “do not support further wind power development in the Northwest.” (Tacoma News Tribune)

RENEWABLE ENERGY:
• The CEO of Southern California Edison’s parent company says clean energy such as renewables paired with storage is the most feasible and cheapest way to reach California’s goals to decarbonize by 2045. (S&P Global)
• Renewable energy is emerging as an economic driver in California’s oil-rich Kern County. (KCRW)

MICROGRIDS:
• Installing fuel cells as backup could help California microgrids continue to operate even when there is smoke from wildfires. (Microgrid Knowledge)
• PG&E’s temporary microgrids are designed specifically for community resilience during its public safety power shutoffs. (Microgrid Knowledge)

TECHNOLOGY:
• Pacificorp supports a new technology for recycling fiberglass products including decommissioned wind turbine blades. (Daily Rocket Miner)
• A new artificial intelligence-based platform launches providing a continuously-updated view of the drivers of California wildfire hazards. (Transmission & Distribution World)

SOLAR: A California school district is to vote on whether or not to enter a power-purchase agreement on a major solar-energy project. (Noozhawk)

GRID: New Mexico’s largest electric utility is partnering with a federal research laboratory on power grid resiliency projects. (Albuquerque Journal)

COMMENTARY: A past president of the New Mexico Solar Energy Association says the denial stage of climate change has passed and action must be taken. (Albuquerque Journal)

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.).