ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Experts say California’s push to phase out gasoline cars in favor of electric will change the amount of load on the grid, but “not in an earth-shaking way.” (Utility Dive)

ALSO: In an interview, California Gov. Gavin Newsom calls the shift to electric vehicles “an economic imperative” that will support automakers as well as reduce emissions. (NPR)

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CLIMATE: A congressional report warns California could see 500,000 premature deaths and $4.5 trillion in economic damage over the next 50 years if climate change goes unchecked. (San Francisco Chronicle, subscription)

OIL & GAS:
• Colorado oil and gas regulators unanimously support a 2,000 feet drilling setback from homes and schools during an informal vote. (Colorado Sun)
• Colorado air regulators give preliminary final approval to new rules requiring oil and gas companies to capture and eliminate 95% of harmful air pollutants released when fracking. (Denver Business Journal)
• New Mexico environmentalists air concerns about rising Permian Basin ozone levels during a two-day hearing with state officials on oil and gas permits. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• New Mexico oil and gas leaders discuss economic concerns resulting from pandemic-driven market volatility during Carlsbad’s annual Energy Summit. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

EMISSIONS: Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette says her amendments to a federal clean energy bill on methane emissions and environmental cleanups aren’t radical ideas. (Colorado Politics)

PUBLIC LANDS: Wyoming taxpayer advocates call for oil and gas lease reform, saying the state lost billions of dollars in potential revenue from Bureau of Land Management lease sales over the past decade. (Casper Star-Tribune)

SOLAR:
• Arizona regulators vote not to reduce the solar export credit rate paid to rooftop customers for energy, while Utah regulators are set to hold a contentious hearing on the value of exported rooftop solar. (PV Magazine)
• Construction is underway in Arizona on a 100 MW solar power plant expected to generate $10 million in tax revenue over 25 years. (news release)
• French fashion house Chanel partners with Sunrun to bring solar power to 30,000 low-income California residents and invest in installation job training. (Vogue)

GRID: California’s utility regulator changes the rules under which renewable energy resources may connect to the state’s grid. (IREC)

FOSSIL FUELS: A recent study finds that California’s fossil fuel power plants are likely to reach the end of their expected lifespan by the state’s target date for 100% clean energy. (Los Angeles Times)

POLLUTION: A new study of Phoenix, Arizona energy use finds that high levels of air pollution forces people to consume more electricity, thereby increasing greenhouse gas emissions. (Phys.Org)

WIND: Xcel Energy-Colorado announces its 229-turbine, 500 MW Eastern Plains wind farm began operating last month. (Denver Post)

COMMENTARY:
• A columnist says California Gov. Gavin Newsom“isn’t being very radical at all” in pushing for electric cars, given the scope of the climate crisis. (Bloomberg)
• California’s biggest hydrogen station developer and operator in an interview says the state is “the tip of the spear” on fuel cell cars and hydrogen mobility. (H2 View)

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.).