CLIMATE: Environmentalists say California’s plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 inadequately cuts emissions and relies too heavily on carbon capture, but industry and labor groups say it goes too far and will raise prices and hurt workers and grid reliability. (Associated Press)

FOSSIL FUELS: The fossil fuel industry continues to push pipelines and other projects in the Northwest even though 70% of such proposals have been defeated by environmental opposition since 2012. (DeSmog)

BIOFUELS:
• California regulators allege that Phillips 66 processed renewable diesel at a California refinery without first obtaining required air permits. (Reuters)
• Tax filings show a Michigan firm that owns biomass power plants in California funded research supporting California’s plan to use carbon capture to reduce emissions. (Los Angeles Times)

CLEAN ENERGY: California lawmakers consider giving the state’s energy commission sole control over clean energy facility siting to expedite development, but critics say it would usurp local control and increase wind and solar facilities’ environmental impacts. (CalMatters)

WIND: A renewable energy company investigates what caused a turbine to collapse at a 6-month-old wind power facility in eastern Colorado this week. (9News)

GRID:
• Pacific Gas & Electric begins paying Tesla Powerwall battery owners to send extra electricity to the grid during peak demand times. (The Verge)
• Lightning strikes utility equipment at a California substation, leaving more than 6,000 residents without power. (KERO)
• Residents of a new housing subdivision in Hawaii oppose an overhead transmission line being built to serve the development. (HawaiiNewsNow)

HYDROPOWER: Alaska local officials advance a proposed hydropower project by clearing the way for a transmission line easement. (Canary Media)

NUCLEAR: A debate about what role the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant should play in California’s energy transition rehashes decades-old arguments on both sides. (Guardian)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Washington state officials say they won’t abide by the Biden administration’s call to suspend the state gasoline tax because they need the revenue for infrastructure. (KING5)
• Bay Area transit officials say extreme heat warped the rails on a California commuter line, causing a train to derail this week. (Los Angeles Times)

POLITICS: A Washington Republican in line to chair the U.S. House energy committee if her party gains control next year is flooded with corporate campaign contributions despite being in an uncompetitive district. (Sludge)

COMMENTARY:
• A Utah county commissioner says the nation’s only active uranium mill perpetuates the industry’s legacy of disrespect for its Indigenous  neighbors by leaving waste pits uncovered. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• A California editorial board says the state’s plan to prevent heat- and drought-exacerbated power outages relies too heavily on the fossil fuel plants that contribute to climate change. (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.