OIL & GAS: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs a bill banning the use of PFAS, or forever chemicals, in hydraulic fracturing and oil and gas drilling fluids. (Chemical & Engineering News)

ALSO:
• Major oil and gas drillers are likely “significantly” underreporting their methane emissions in the Permian Basin, a U.S. House committee report finds ahead of a hearing on the sector’s methane emissions. (Washington Post)
• Permian Basin oil and gas operators look to buy protections from conservation banks that will let them avoid drilling restrictions if the federal government declares the Lesser prairie chicken endangered. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

CLEAN ENERGY: Federal regulators begin the licensing process for a wind and solar power installation paired with a pumped hydropower storage project proposed for southern Idaho. (Associated Press)

UTILITIES: Xcel Energy becomes the nation’s first utility to use electric bucket trucks for line repairs. (WCCO)

SOLAR:
• The California solar manufacturer that initiated a federal probe of Asian imports considers challenging the Biden administration’s solar tariff pause. (Associated Press)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management advances a 400 MW solar-plus-storage project proposed for 2,400 acres of public land in southern Nevada. (news release)

WIND: Alaska renewable energy developers file planning documents with the state to build a wind power facility northwest of Anchorage. (Alaska Beacon)

TRANSPORTATION: Automakers join a lawsuit in support of California’s bid to set vehicle tailpipe emission standards that are stricter than federal rules. (Sacramento Bee) 

MICROGRIDS:
• San Diego Gas & Electric plans to begin operating a solar-plus-storage microgrid next month that will keep power flowing to 11 community “resilient oases” during outages. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• A solar-powered microgrid goes online in northern California to serve an airport and a U.S. Coast Guard base. (news release)  

URANIUM: Biden administration land management officials support a congressional bill that would ban mining, including for uranium, on 1 million acres around Grand Canyon National Park. (E&E News, subscription)

HYDROPOWER: Southern California residents, including the Pechanga Band of Indians, oppose a long-standing proposal to build a 500 MW pumped hydropower storage project at Lake Elsinore. (Redlands Daily Facts)

GRID: A mylar balloon colliding with utility lines leaves 8,500 southern California households without power. (Orange County Register)

COAL: Wyoming university researchers develop bricks made from coal, which they say are lighter, stronger and have better insulation than conventional materials. (Wyoming Public Radio) 

BIOFUEL: A U.S. EPA rule change allows a Nevada company to open a facility that converts landfill waste into synthetic aviation fuel. (Pahrump Valley Times)

COMMENTARY: A California electricity policy expert says an 85% carbon-free power portfolio, robust demand response programs and an interconnected regional grid will keep the state’s lights on in a warming climate. (San Francisco Chronicle)

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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.