CLIMATE: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signs landmark climate legislation into law but vetoes a provision calling for a 5-cent gasoline tax increase, which could prompt a legal challenge from Democratic leadership. (Spokesman-Review)

ALSO: Advocates are hopeful that Washington’s new environmental justice law will prevent inequitable pollution outcomes from a cap-and-trade program. (SeattleMet)

POLICY: Nevada lawmakers hold the first public hearing for a major clean energy bill, with labor, business and environmental groups voicing support. (Nevada Independent)

HYDROPOWER: Nez Perce Tribal Chairman Samuel Penney says Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray are “providing no substance” in their opposition to a plan to remove four Snake River dams. (E&E News, subscription)

GRID: Arizona Public Power says it is “building the safest system you can build” as the utility resumes deploying battery storage after a 2019 explosion. (Canary Media)

NUCLEAR:
• An energy analyst says California regulators are failing to procure enough clean energy to prevent emissions from increasing when the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant retires in 2024. (Los Angeles Times)
• Opponents question whether a Department of Energy plan to add a ventilation shaft to a New Mexico waste disposal site is a precursor to expanding the facility’s operations. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

COAL: The author of a recent study comparing closure risk for Powder River Basin mines says he hopes the report will lead to increased transparency for communities dependent on the industry. (WyoFile)

UTILITIES: A San Diego community power program will start adding residential accounts in February, and downgrades expectations about how its rates will compare with San Diego Gas & Electric. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

HYDROGEN: A new coalition launched in Los Angeles aims to make renewable hydrogen cost-competitive with other energy options by 2030. (Utility Dive)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Colorado’s $5.3 billion transportation bill passes the state Senate, with Republicans objecting to a suite of new user fees to fund infrastructure. (Denver Post)
• California’s transportation agency awards $27.8 million to Los Angeles County for new light rail vehicles, and $6.5 million to Long Beach Transit for electric buses. (NBC4)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• California startup Canoo says its electric van will start at $34,750, but a manufacturer has not been identified yet. (The Verge)
• A spokesperson for New Mexico’s largest utility says the state is “witnessing the birth of a new transportation era.” (New Mexico Political Report)

COMMENTARY:
• A California activist says we need to build a bridge “wide enough for everyone to cross” into a low-carbon future, and cites Colorado’s Office of Just Transition as a model. (Yale Climate Connections)
• “The challenges and contradictions of climate change are front and center here in Alaska,” advocates write. (Anchorage Daily News)
• A California lawmaker says a net metering bill is “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” that will kill rooftop solar for the benefit of utilities. (Desert Sun)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.