ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Xcel Energy plans to spend $100 million advancing electric vehicles in Colorado, including improving charging infrastructure and providing ratepayer incentives. (Denver Post)

ALSO:
• The California company behind an electric vehicle to be manufactured in Arizona says it will get more than 500 miles on a single charge. (Arizona Republic)
• Two Oregon transit districts are awarded federal grants totalling almost $7 million for zero-emission buses. (Register-Guard)
• A California startup reveals a hydrogen-electric “supercar” that uses supercapacitors instead of batteries. (Motor Authority)

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BIOFUELS: Oil refineries across the West are converting to crop- and waste-based fuel plants due to decreased demand for gasoline and uncertain future amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Bloomberg)

OIL & GAS:
• U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette discusses Colorado’s oil and gas and renewables portfolio during a visit to the state, as well as the proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas export terminal in Oregon. (Colorado Politics, subscription and Grand Junction Daily Sentinel)
• Permian Basin state agencies and oil and gas operators take action to limit flaring. (S&P Global)
• A new analysis finds that Occidental Petroleum will have one rig left in the Permian Basin in the second half of this year, indicative of how bad both the shale industry’s pullback and the company’s debt woes really are. (Bloomberg)

COAL: Coal production in the Powder River Basin has fallen 15% over the past year, driven by lower demand from power plants. (S&P Global)

PUBLIC LANDS:
• Conservation groups celebrate the BLM’s postponement of oil and gas lease sales near Utah national parks. (Deseret News)
• Native American tribes and conservationists continue to push for sacred land in southern Nevada to be designated as the state’s fourth national monument, citing concerns about energy development. (News3LV)

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SOLAR:
• A University of Arizona researcher says solar panels will end up in landfills unless recycling is mandated. (Grist)
• Performance issues at a 200 MW California solar farm are delaying the planned sale of a 50% stake in the site. (Renewables Now)

COMMENTARY:
• U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette says the DOE is committed to the future of Colorado’s oil and gas industry, and the agency’s investments could save it. (Denver Post)
• An American Wind Energy Association official cites California is an example of how offshore wind energy projects can help with post-pandemic economic recovery. (RealClearEnergy)
• Advocates push for building codes in California to be updated to align with the state’s climate and affordability goals. (Natural Resources Defence Council)

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.).