Western Energy News is one of five regional services published by the Energy News Network. Today’s edition was compiled by Jonathan Thompson.

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OIL & GAS: California lawmakers consider a bill that would mandate the 2027 closure of SoCalGas’s Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility, which was the site of a massive 2015 methane leak. (Los Angeles Daily News)

ALSO:
• The U.S. Defense Department seeks $1 billion to address water contamination stemming from a leak at a Navy fuel storage facility in Hawaii. (Honolulu Civil Beat)
• A study finds oil and gas well methane flaring generated almost 16,000 metric tons of black carbon emissions nationwide in 2019, contributing to as many as 53 premature deaths. (E&E News, subscription)
• California lawmakers consider a bill that would ban oil imports from countries with demonstrated human rights abuses or low environmental standards. (KUSI)
• The California oil and gas industry says it is helping meet state climate goals with biofuels and carbon capture, but critics say the technologies are unproven and harm the environment. (Capital & Main)  

UTILITIES:
• Hawaiian Electric says supply chain constraints are delaying upgrades to an oil power plant and construction of renewable energy projects meant to replace it. (Utility Dive)
• Colorado consumer advocates say energy market volatility is driving utility bills higher, and making costs harder to understand. (Colorado Public Radio) 

TRANSPORTATION: California lawmakers consider a bill that would tax fuel suppliers when gasoline prices are abnormally high compared to crude oil prices and rebate revenues back to motorists. (KCRA)

HYDROPOWER:
• Colorado water officials halt demand management efforts intended to prop up Lake Powell’s sinking water levels, further imperiling hydropower production at Glen Canyon Dam. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• Biden administration officials say they want to change course on Northwest salmon recovery plans, but stop short of supporting breaching hydropower dams. (Moscow-Pullman Daily News)

COAL:
• New Mexico regulators plan to revisit the state’s largest utility’s proposal to issue bonds to pay for its coal power plant abandonment later this year. (Santa Fe New Mexican)  
• Colorado’s 2021 coal production jumped nearly 15% from 2020 levels due in part to high natural gas prices. (Grand Junction Sentinel)

SOLAR: An Arizona company works to develop a cost-effective method for recycling solar panels. (Arizona Daily Star)

CLIMATE: Five of Colorado’s 10 most lobbied legislative bills address greenhouse gas emissions. (Colorado Sun)

COMMENTARY:
• California advocates urge lawmakers to pass two spending bills that would accelerate transmission line approvals to relieve congestion that’s preventing a clean energy buildout. (CalMatters)
• A California professor says the state should halt net metering payments for rooftop solar because they shift costs to the poor, and replace the payments with direct subsidies for installations on low-income households. (Los Angeles Times)

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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.