OIL & GAS: The Ute Indian Tribe, which depends on oil and gas revenue, asks the Interior Department for an exemption to a Biden administration order halting leasing on public lands. (Reuters)

ALSO:
• A proposed Colorado rule requiring non-emitting or no-bleed controllers on existing oil and gas sites being upgraded and new projects is set to be considered by state regulators next month. (Colorado Sun)
• A privately-held oil and gas exploration and production company plans to abandon all of its permits in Colorado’s Battlement Mesa area. (Aspen Times)
• Oil and gas industry producers and conservationists disagree on the impact of President Biden’s suspension of oil and gas lease permitting on federal lands and waters for 60 days. (Colorado Sun)

CLIMATE:
• Advocates say Washington and Oregon’s climate goals are being undermined by fossil fuel development across the border in British Columbia. (Investigate West)
• Western environmental advocates have managed to block more than 20 proposals to export fossil fuels from the West Coast over the past decade. (Investigate West)

PUBLIC LANDS: New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich wants public land management agencies under the Biden administration to be focused on climate change. (E&E Daily)

MICROGRIDS: A Northern California tribal community’s smart microgrid project is cited as an example of how the implementation of such technologies can accelerate the transition to a clean economy. (Hellenic Shipping News)

WIND: While a recent study shows that pronghorn avoid wind turbines, a scientist says it’s still not clear how much human infrastructure affects wildlife. (Casper Star-Tribune)

SOLAR: A Colorado solar and storage trade association official says one of the most conservative areas in the state is going with 100% renewables “because the price is so damn good.” (Colorado Sun)

HYDROPOWER: The transition between the Trump and Biden administrations could impact the purchase-power agreement for a solar-pumped hydro project in Hawaii not yet approved by state regulators. (Garden Island)

EFFICIENCY: A Colorado municipal power utility is offering building energy benchmarking to large commercial and industrial buildings of 20,000 square feet or more. (BizWest)

POLLUTION: The harmful effects of excessive artificial light pollution in cities, particularly from blue LED light, is pushing rural Colorado communities to designate large-scale dark-sky preserves. (Greeley Tribune)

COMMENTARY: Academics explain why the Interior Department has had an outsized impact on Native American lives, and why Interior Secretary nominee Deb Haaland could help change that. (Washington Post)

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.).