OIL & GAS: A California judge rejects a county’s challenge of state regulators’ hydraulic fracturing permit denials, saying the suit improperly sought to limit the government’s duties. (Bakersfield Californian)

ALSO:
• The federal government and North Dakota sue the operator of a pipeline that spilled 600,000 gallons of oil into a Montana river in 2016. (Bismarck Tribune)  
• Some California lawmakers who have received large campaign contributions from oil and gas firms have refused to vote on clean energy bills. (Capital & Main)
• The operator of a California natural gas power plant considers installing carbon capture equipment on the 550 MW facility. (news release)

TRANSPORTATION:
• New Mexico advocates and regulators testify in favor of a proposed clean car rule that would require electric and hybrid vehicles to make up an increasing portion of new car sales. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• Wyoming transportation officials seek an exemption from a condition attached to federal funding that requires states to install electric vehicle chargers every 50 miles along interstate highways. (Cowboy State Daily)
• California grants the Port of Long Beach $2.5 million to plan for and install electric vehicle charging infrastructure. (Port Technology) 

WIND: Oregon’s commercial fishing industry urges the Biden administration to move offshore wind leasing areas further from the coast to avoid harming marine life. (KVAL)

STORAGE: The operator of an Arizona battery installation is investigating a fire that smoldered for two weeks in the 10 MW facility. (Energy Storage News)

HYDROPOWER: Alaska’s energy authority seeks federal approval for a project that would increase power output from a hydroelectric dam on the Kenai Peninsula. (news release)  

UTILITIES:
• California lawmakers advance a bill that would expedite burying electric utility lines in high-fire-risk areas. (Del Norte Triplicate)
• The U.S. Interior Department grants $1 million each to three tribe-owned utilities in Arizona and Montana to upgrade power infrastructure. (news release)

NUCLEAR:
• Wyoming partners with the Idaho National Laboratory to develop and deploy advanced nuclear and other energy technologies. (K2 Radio)
• A uranium mining company seeks federal permits to conduct exploration work on claims in western Colorado. (S&P Global) 

ELECTRIFICATION: Portland, Oregon’s city council approves a plan to spend $6.3 million to install 15,000 heat-pump cooling units in low-income households. (Willamette Week)

BIOFUELS: California environmentalists oppose plans to convert two Bay Area petroleum refineries into biofuel production facilities. (CBS Bay Area)

COMMENTARY: New Mexico faith leaders urge the Biden administration to ban drilling around Chaco Culture National Historical Park to protect thousands of cultural sites, wildlife habitat and nearby communities. (Albuquerque Journal)

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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.