ELECTRIC VEHICLES: California regulators raise questions about a proposal to ban the sale of gasoline cars in the state by 2035, including about how it will affect families that can’t afford an electric car. (CalMatters)

ALSO:
• A Washington state transit agency is pushing for more electric buses, but faces supply chain and other logistical challenges. (Bellingham Herald)
• Business groups push back against a proposal in Tucson, Arizona, to require “EV readiness” for new commercial development. (Arizona Daily Star, subscription)

HYDROPOWER:
• A report released yesterday by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray estimates the cost of breaching four Snake River dams to preserve salmon at between $10 billion and $27 billion. (Spokesman-Review)
• In anticipation of the report, ten Republican representatives in the U.S. House introduce a bill to protect the dams. (E&E News)
• Lake Mead reaches its lowest water level since the reservoir was filled 80 years ago, in part because of limited release from Lake Powell upstream to preserve hydropower production. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

GRID:
• Colorado regulators approve Xcel Energy’s plan for a $2 billion transmission upgrade that will help support new renewable energy development. (Denver Post)
• PG&E pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges in the 2020 Zogg fire. (Associated Press)

SOLAR: County officials in Pueblo, Colorado, reject a proposed 150 MW solar project, siding with neighboring property owners upset that their views will be disrupted. (Pueblo Chieftain)

OIL & GAS:
• Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs a bill requiring drillers to disclose the chemicals used in fracking operations. (Denver Gazette)
• A 13-year delay for an oil company’s wastewater permit hearing is an example of the backlog at a Colorado agency that is being sued by environmental advocates. (Colorado Sun)
• New Mexico is releasing data on whether energy companies are meeting the state’s requirement to capture 98% of waste gas. (Albuquerque Journal)
• A U.S. House committee weighs options to respond to the underreporting of methane emissions in the Permian Basin. (Carlsbad Current Argus)

NATURAL GAS: A utility installs natural gas generators at the site of a former coal plant near downtown Colorado Springs, with plans to move them away from the city’s core in the future. (Colorado Springs Gazette)

CRYPTO: A Washington county approves a 29% rate increase for cryptocurrency data centers, effective this month. (KPQ)

CLEAN ENERGY: Six Utah cities have backed out of a program to acquire 100% renewable energy, with some local leaders citing cost concerns. (E&E News)

UTILITIES: Washington regulators earlier this week proposed fining Pacificorp for not including the social cost of carbon in its resource planning. (Utility Dive)

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Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.