OIL & GAS: The Biden administration agrees to reverse a Trump-era approval and conduct environmental reviews of a proposed Wyoming-to-Idaho natural gas pipeline to settle environmental groups’ lawsuits. (Associated Press) 

ALSO:
• Indigenous advocates call a provision in the proposed congressional climate bill that requires federal oil and gas lease sales before granting rights-of-way to renewable energy projects “morally unsound.” (American Prospect)
• A pipeline on the Navajo Nation ruptures, spilling more than 2,500 gallons of oil and gas wastewater. (Navajo Times)

SOLAR:
• Hawaii’s first utility-scale solar-plus-battery storage project goes online weeks before the state’s only coal power plant is scheduled to shut down. (Hawaii News Now)
• A western Colorado county approves a 48 MW solar power facility proposed for 151 acres of state land. (Daily Sentinel)   

CLIMATE: Some Alaska environmental advocates say the proposed congressional climate bill “causes more harm than good” by requiring oil and gas leasing and incentivizing critical mineral mining. (Alaska Public Media)

LITHIUM:
• While some Nevada tribal members join environmentalists in opposition to the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine in the northern part of the state, others support the mine and its potential economic benefits. (NBC News)
• Analysts are skeptical of the U.S. mining industry’s ability to produce enough electric vehicle battery minerals to meet deadlines in the proposed congressional climate bill. (Reuters)
• A company proposes using abandoned oil wells to explore for lithium in southeastern Utah. (Moab Times-Independent)

TRANSPORTATION:
• The U.S. Transportation Department grants $25 million to California’s high speed rail project that is under development; proponents seek $1.3 billion more. (Reuters)
• A Colorado resort town distributes electric bikes to income-qualified essential workers through a state program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. (Vail Daily)
• Proponents install fast electric vehicle chargers at a Starbucks in Utah as they aim to electrify an underserved route from Colorado to the Northwest. (KSLTV)

NUCLEAR: California lawmakers have until the end of August to decide whether to try to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant operating beyond its planned 2025 retirement date. (Associated Press)

ELECTRIFICATION: San Diego plans to phase out natural gas use in 90% of existing buildings by 2035, but officials do not yet know how much the transition will cost or who will pay for it. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

GRID: A high-voltage transmission line fire leaves several southern Nevada towns without power. (St. George News)

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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.