CLIMATE: A class-action lawsuit filed in California accuses Delta Air Lines of “greenwashing” by misrepresenting itself as carbon-neutral in marketing campaigns and relying on bogus carbon offsets. (Washington Post)

OIL & GAS:
• Alaska’s Supreme Court finds the former owner of a petroleum refinery financially liable for contaminating drinking water wells near the facility. (Alaska Beacon)
• The U.S. EPA and FBI investigate a hazardous materials release from a San Francisco Bay Area refinery last Thanksgiving. (Los Angeles Times)

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ELECTRIFICATION: Colorado regulators approve Xcel Energy’s $67.5 billion building electrification investment plan, which includes phasing out gas appliance rebates and subsidies. (news release) 

BATTERIES:
• Portland General Electric plans to install a 75 MW battery energy storage facility in suburban Oregon. (MarketWatch)
• Residents of a rural California community push back on a proposed 400 MW battery storage facility over fire hazard concerns. (KPBS)
• A mobile battery energy storage startup plans to establish a manufacturing facility in Richmond, California. (Energy Storage News)

CLEAN ENERGY: California’s top oil producing county also leads the state in renewable generation capacity. (Californian)

GRID: California lawmakers advance a bill that would expand regulators’ authority to certify and prioritize transmission projects. (The Hill)

HYDROPOWER: Residents of a coal mining region on the Navajo Nation push back on a proposed pumped hydropower storage facility. (Navajo Times)

UTILITIES:
• Nevada lawmakers consider bills that would bring more scrutiny to utility resource planning and encourage in-state electricity generation. (Nevada Independent)
• Colorado advocates say Xcel Energy’s coinciding growing profits and increasing rates demonstrate “imbalance” in the investor-owned utility model. (Colorado Sun)
• A Colorado utility installs new mobile natural gas-fired generators at the site of a shuttered coal plant. (KOAA)

NUCLEAR: Former federal regulators urge the U.S. Energy Department to ditch a plan to use weapon-grade uranium in an experimental reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory. (Reuters)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Los Angeles transit officials say a newly completed regional connector rail line will significantly cut commuting times. (Los Angeles Times)
• Los Angeles County officials expect to release a congestion pricing scheme for freeways and major arteries this summer. (Los Angeles Times)
• A federal judge allows an environmental lawsuit over a proposal to construct a new interstate in southern Arizona to proceed. (Tucson Sentinel)

COMMENTARY:
• A California environmental advocate says direct lithium extraction could be the key to producing the mineral sustainably. (Sage and Sand)
• Los Angeles artists envision the southern California metro area without freeways. (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.