OIL & GAS: California lawmakers kill legislation that would have required public employee and teacher pension funds to divest about $15 billion from oil and gas companies. (Bloomberg) 

ALSO:
• A Colorado rancher struggles to hold an oil and gas company accountable after a leak at one of its wells kills six cows. (Colorado Sun)
• Alaska consultants suggest utilities offset projected natural gas shortfalls from the Cook Inlet by importing the fuel or building new pipelines to more distant gas fields. (KDLL)

TRANSITION: A New Mexico college seeks state energy transition act funds for natural gas-related projects even though the law bars the money from being spent on fossil fuel development or use. (Capital & Main)

METHANE:
• A nonprofit launches a methane-detecting jet over the San Juan Basin oil and gas field in northern New Mexico to pinpoint emission sources. (KUNM)
• A Colorado scientist advances a proposal to capture methane from abandoned mines in the western part of the state and convert it to fuel. (Colorado Sun)

UTILITIES:
• Las Vegas gaming companies push back against NV Energy’s proposed $373 million natural disaster plan, saying it would require southern Nevadans to pay for mitigation efforts in the northern part of the state. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• Western Colorado advocates take over a fossil fuel-reliant electric cooperative and set a goal of supplying 100% carbon-free power by 2030. (5280)

SOLAR:
• California regulators reject environmental groups’ bid for a rehearing of a new rule slashing net metering compensation for rooftop solar. (Courthouse News Service)
• NV Energy proposes building up to 1,000 MW of solar installations on public lands in southern Nevada. (Pahrump Valley Times)

STORAGE:
• The developer of a proposed compressed-air energy storage facility in southern California asks regulators to pause the permitting process to allow the company to address unfavorable geological findings. (Bakersfield Californian)
• NV Energy plans a 220 MW battery energy storage installation on the site of a retired coal plant in southern Nevada. (Moapa Valley Progress)
• A company plans to begin constructing a 100 MW battery energy storage system in southern California later this year. (Energy Storage News)

MICROGRIDS: The Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians plans to begin construction in January on a 1.5 MW solar microgrid to power its southern California casino. (The Sun)    

COAL: Xcel Energy plans to begin coal ash remediation work next year at a retired power plant near Boulder, Colorado. (Daily Camera)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham proposes requiring electric vehicles to make up 82% of new car sales by 2034. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

GEOTHERMAL: Governors of six states convene to develop strategies for developing geothermal power and expanding associated infrastructure in the Western U.S. (Colorado Sun) 

BIOFUELS: A company proposes constructing a biodiesel production facility in eastern Washington. (Moscow-Pullman Daily News)

COMMENTARY: An energy researcher says Alaska utilities should model themselves after rural communities that have integrated solar and wind power with microgrids and electric-thermal energy storage. (Alaska Beacon) 

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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.