MIDTERMS: Voters in California, New Mexico and Colorado re-elect Democratic governors who have supported renewable energy and tightened regulations on fossil fuel industries. (Los Angeles Times, Albuquerque Journal, Colorado Sun)

ALSO:
• California voters reject a ballot measure that would have taxed the wealthy to fund electric vehicle infrastructure and incentives and wildfire mitigation projects. (KQED)
• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s re-election boosts the state’s energy transition and adds another obstacle to a company’s effort to restart a shuttered coal plant and install carbon capture. (Albuquerque Journal, E&E News)

SOLAR:
• An Oregon company develops a solar panel installation design based on iconic suspension bridges aimed at dual-use projects that share space with agriculture. (Energy News Network)
• A developer breaks ground on a 150 MW solar plus 75 MW battery storage installation in southern California that will power Amazon facilities. (HD Post)
• A California foundation awards $150,000 to a nonprofit solar installation training program. (KFSN)   
• New Mexico launches a website for its new community solar program and seeks proposals to build and operate local facilities. (news release) 

UTILITIES:
• Texas-New Mexico Power says expanding cryptocurrency mining operations have increased overall power demand beyond expectations in its service area. (Utility Dive)
• Pacific Gas & Electric says aging utility lines and growing power demand for cannabis cultivation prevent the utility from extending service to new development in a northern California county. (Jefferson Public Radio) 

OIL & GAS:
• Energy production on federal land generated more than $20 billion in royalties during the 2022 fiscal year, with New Mexico and Wyoming together bringing in about $7.6 billion, mostly from oil and gas. (Wyoming Public Radio)
• Wyoming analysts say the state’s oil drilling activity has recovered to pre-pandemic levels but the natural gas sector remains in a slump. (Oil City News) 

CRITICAL MINERALS:
• California environmental and Indigenous advocates urge a commission studying lithium development in the Salton Sea region to consider tribal input and public concerns. (Desert Sun)
• Wyoming lawmakers advance a bill that would let the state apply for primacy over some federal rare earth element project permitting. (WyoFile)

GRID:
• California grid operators say Western Energy Imbalance Market participants saw a record $526 million in benefits in the third quarter of 2022.
(RTO Insider, subscription)
• Heavy snowfall in Montana topples trees into utility equipment, leaving more than 12,000 homes without power. (Daily Inter Lake)
• Downpours and winds damage utility equipment in Oregon, leaving more than 5,000 homes without power. (Oregonian)

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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.