TRANSPORTATION: Washington’s House and Senate have passed a bill setting a goal of phasing out the sale of petroleum-powered cars by 2030, but lawmakers are “nervous” that the legislature is failing to coalesce around a broader plan to cut transportation emissions. (KNKX, Crosscut)
ALSO:
• California regulators approve a San Diego utility’s plan to bill ratepayers for electric vehicle charging stations, but will require an outside audit of the program’s first phase. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Elon Musk appears to be walking away from plans for car tunnels in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. (Bloomberg)
UTILITIES: California regulators vote to toughen oversight of PG&E, saying the company has failed to adequately trim vegetation near power lines in areas prone to wildfires. (Reuters)
HYDROGEN: A rural Washington utility plans to use low-cost hydropower during spring runoff to produce hydrogen, putting it at the forefront of renewable hydrogen efforts. (Inside Climate News/Seattle Times)
CLIMATE:
• California plans to launch its own satellites to track methane and carbon emissions. (Los Angeles Times)
• Washington state is conducting a virtual climate congress aiming to give a representative sample of the state’s population a voice in climate policy. (Crosscut)
EQUITY: The White House is reviving its Council on Native American Affairs, which has not met regularly since 2016. (The Hill)
ELECTRIFICATION: A report released this week says building electrification in Colorado could reduce emissions equivalent to taking 1.7 million cars off the road. (Colorado Newsline)
NATURAL GAS:
• Documents show how Bloom Energy lobbied aggressively and leveraged a friendship with San Jose’s mayor to exempt the company’s fuel cells from the city’s ban on natural gas for new commercial buildings. (San Jose Spotlight)
• A company proposes a natural gas plant in Colorado that captures all of its emissions while using air rather than water for cooling. (Bloomberg)
COAL: Commissioners in Pueblo County, Colorado approve a resolution opposing a state bill that could force a coal plant to close earlier than expected. (Pueblo Chieftain)
EFFICIENCY: A California agency approves a $3 million grant to help low-income households cut energy use during times of peak demand. (Canary Media)
SOLAR:
• Boulder, Colorado, announces completion of a project to install 2.1 MW of solar on city buildings, expected to save taxpayers $1.5 million by 2050. (news release)
• Hopi Tribe members in Arizona launch a grassroots effort to provide off-grid homes with solar generators. (Navajo Times)
• A new report finds the income gap between households with solar power and those without is shrinking. (Inside Climate News)
COMMENTARY:
• A Colorado union official says supporting workers and protecting the environment are non mutually exclusive goals. (Colorado Sun)
• California advocates say fear of change is causing leaders to cling to natural gas despite proven performance of clean energy technology. (Utility Dive)
• A biogas advocate says Washington’s proposed clean fuels standard could make the state a national leader in cutting transportation emissions. (Energy News Network)