UTILITIES: PacifiCorp announces plans to shutter all of its Wyoming coal plants by 2039, reduce natural gas generation and add 9,200 MWof solar and wind generation and 6,700 MW of battery storage. (Casper Star-Tribune)

TRANSITION: Communities in northwestern Colorado gird for the 2028 closure of a major coal power plant by working to grow the region’s tourism and recreational economies. (Colorado Sun)

OIL & GAS:
• Portland officials reject a land-use endorsement for the proposed expansion of an oil terminal despite the developer’s plan to ship and store only “renewable diesel,” making state approval less likely. (Oregonian)
• Surging oil and gas production in New Mexico pushes state revenue collections to an all-time high, even as the state’s unemployment rate remains among the highest in the nation. (Albuquerque Journal)
• The Biden administration will restart the process required to sell 1 million acres of oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Cook Inlet by revising a Trump-era environmental analysis. (Alaska Public Media)

WIND:
• Developers near completion of a massive New Mexico wind project, the largest single-phase renewable energy build-out in the nation, along with a transmission line to carry the power to California markets. (Albuquerque Journal)
• Washington state officials declare the ferruginous hawk an endangered species due to population decline, with a report citing wind power development along the Columbia River as a potential cause. (Tri-City Herald) 

LITHIUM: Three Indigenous nations ask a federal judge to halt work at a proposed Nevada lithium mine while the court considers whether the Trump administration improperly fast-tracked an environmental review. (Nevada Independent) 

CLIMATE:
• The drought-fueled Caldor Fire in northeastern California “let loose” this weekend, spreading rapidly and prompting evacuation warnings for all residents of the city of South Lake Tahoe. (Reno Gazette-Journal)
• Hydroelectric dams and warming water temperatures reduce the Columbia River steelhead run to record-low numbers. (Associated Press)
• During a California visit, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the nation needs to act urgently to reduce fossil fuel emissions to avert more climate change-driven wildfires. (KQED)

COMMENTARY:
• An editorial board urges California voters to reject the attempted recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom in order to maintain the state’s leadership in the battle against climate change. (Los Angeles Times)
• New Mexico Catholic bishops urge the state to adopt strong methane-emission rules in order “to care for what Pope Francis calls Our Common Home.” (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• A Wyoming columnist says his state’s new energy authority’s strategy to save coal and natural gas while also pursuing renewable and nuclear power sources will lead to a “none-of-the-above result.” (WyoFile)

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Jonathan P. Thompson

Jonathan hails from southwestern Colorado and has been writing about the land, cultures, and communities of the Western United States for more than two decades. He compiles the Western Energy News digest. He is the author of three books, a contributing editor at High Country News, and the editor of the Land Desk, an e-newsletter that provides coverage and context on issues critical to the West.