ELECTRIC CARS: A study finds 20% of California electric car owners switch back to gasoline, with most citing the difficulty of keeping batteries charged. (Business Insider)

ALSO:
• Funding for California’s electric vehicle rebate program ran out last month, and Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers are at odds on whether and how to revive it. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Legislation to require NV Energy to invest $100 million in electric vehicle infrastructure is among bills expected to emerge in the last month of Nevada’s legislative session. (Nevada Independent)

CLIMATE:
• Advocates say Washington’s recently passed legislation marks “a new beginning” in the fight against climate change. (InvestigateWest)
• A gambling tradition predicting spring thaw on a river in rural Alaska provides scientists with more than a century of climate data. (Reuters)

STORAGE:
• A Canadian company is planning a 500 MW compressed air storage facility north of Los Angeles. (Bakersfield Californian)
• Efforts to preserve a wildflower that thrives on lithium-rich soil could complicate efforts to develop an $800 million Nevada mining project. (Bloomberg Law)
• California’s grid operator is exploring market reforms to accommodate large amounts of commercial-scale energy storage. (Utility Dive)

WIND:
• A California ranch owner is suing to block a wind farm on the nearby Campo Indian Reservation that would generate tens of millions of dollars for the tribe. (CBS 8)
• Experts warn that Wyoming officials are failing to take advantage of the state’s wind energy potential. (Casper Star-Tribune)

SOLAR: Large-scale solar development in scenic areas of Washington state faces strong resistance from homeowners concerned about aesthetics. (Seattle Times)

HYDROPOWER: Washington state officials push back on misinformation blaming Indigenous fishing practices, rather than dams, for salmon population declines. (KING 5)

COAL:
• A carbon capture research facility at a Wyoming coal plant has recently received more than $64 million in research funding, Gov. Mark Gordon announced last week. (Gillette News Record)
• Peabody Energy says its Powder River Basin mines were a financial bright spot amid a $77 million loss in the first quarter of this year. (Gillette News Record)

NATURAL GAS:
• A Wyoming startup is using mobile generators to repurpose stranded natural gas for cryptocurrency data processing. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Stalled plans for a natural gas power plant in eastern Oregon could be revived as a potential buyer for the project emerges. (East Oregonian)

HYDROGEN: Officials in Long Beach, California, approve the conversion of a former oil pipeline to transport hydrogen in support of a proposed production facility. (Long Beach Post)

JOBS: 
• A Wyoming company developing a 3 MW solar array is teaming with the University of Wyoming to incorporate job training into the project. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Advocates seek to create pathways for Native Americans to enter the clean energy workforce. (USA Today)

COMMENTARY:
• The director of the Colorado Energy Office likens the closure of coal plants to trading in an old car: “it’s important to recognize that keeping the old car isn’t free.” (Colorado Sun)
• A journalist writes that “Wyoming will have a sizable role to play” in how the U.S. goes about cutting emissions. (Casper Star Tribune)
• A pair of engineers say covering California’s 4,000 miles of canals with solar panels could save 65 billion gallons of water each year. (The Conversation)

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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.