ELECTRIFICATION:
• San Jose officials vote to ban natural gas in new commercial and high-rise residential buildings in an 8-3 vote, the largest city in the U.S. to do so. (San Jose Spotlight)
• Oakland’s city council unanimously approves a measure banning natural gas in new residential and commercial buildings. (San Francisco Chronicle)

CLIMATE: Nevada releases its “State Climate Strategy” aiming to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. (KLAS)

TRANSPORTATION: Ford encourages other automakers to withdraw from a lawsuit challenging California’s right to set tailpipe emissions standards. (The Hill)

OIL & GAS:
• Los Angeles officials will consider a zoning update that would ban oil drilling within city limits. (Courthouse News Service)
• Bay Area communities are encouraged by President-elect Joe Biden’s promise to assist with litigation holding fossil fuel companies accountable for damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers abandons its four-year battle to dredge 13 miles of waterways to clear San Francisco Bay for larger oil tankers. (Bay City News Service)

RENEWABLE ENERGY: The harbor district of a Northern California city is considering partnering with a renewable energy firm on projects in a bid to create a “green” port and revitalize the area. (Lost Coast Outpost)

SOLAR:
• A Colorado county is considering proposed changes to solar panel regulations for property owners and companies. (Greeley Tribune)
• Nevada regulators approve three NV Energy projects totaling 478 MW of new solar generation and 338 MW of energy storage. (Solar Industry Magazine)
• Energy Northwest is partnering with an energy services company to develop a 75 MW solar project in Washington State. (Wenatchee World)
• Central Valley, California farmland consolidations could allow for substantial investment in solar power generation projects. (Bakersfield Californian)

UTILITIES: Nearly 237,000 Southern California Edison and 89,000 San Diego Gas & Electric ratepayers face possible planned power outages starting tonight due to weather conditions that could result in extreme fire dangers. (Palm Springs Desert Sun, San Diego Union-Tribune)

BIOFUELS: Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts are using a new biogas purification system for recycling food waste to produce renewable natural gas for vehicles. (news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A former Tesla factory employee is set to pay $400,000 to the company as part of a lawsuit settlement for allegedly tipping off reporters about alleged production inefficiencies and delays. (Reuters)

COMMENTARY: Senators Tom Udall (D-NM) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) advocate for a new bill that would set a uniform federal royalty for new oil and leases on public lands. (New York Times)

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.).