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)

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Ken Paulman

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.