ELECTRIFICATION: Eugene, Oregon, votes to prohibit natural gas hookups in new low-rise residential buildings and becomes the state’s first city to enact such a ban. (KLCC)

OIL & GAS: Federal regulators greenlight reopening a natural gas pipeline shut down by a 2021 explosion in Arizona, possibly easing supply constraints in California. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

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SOLAR:
• The federal Bureau of Land Management greenlights construction of the 300 MW Desert Quartzite solar project in southeastern California. (news release)
• The Bureau of Land Management schedules an additional public hearing on proposed changes to its Western solar energy program due to substantial interest. (news release)  
• A 100 MW solar facility in Arizona goes online to provide power to Salt River Project and a future Meta data center. (PVTech)
• A California company signs on to install solar on several multi-family residential buildings across the state. (PV Magazine)

WIND: Some Washington state residents urge regulators to reject a proposed 600 MW wind facility that would create 299 construction jobs, saying it would impact their views. (Spokesman-Review)

CLEAN ENERGY: A nonprofit finds more than 19,000 clean energy jobs have been created in Western states since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law last August. (CNBC)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A California lawmaker introduces a bill that would offer residents up to $2,000 to retrofit gasoline or diesel powered cars with battery electric drivetrains. (Road and Track)

LITHIUM: A southern California county votes to offer tax rebates and other incentives to local lithium producers and manufacturers using the product.   (Desert Sun)

CLIMATE: Southern Oregon University commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and energy intensity by 25% compared to 2018 levels within the next ten years. (news release)

COAL: Wyoming utilities looking to comply with a state law requiring them to consider retrofitting retiring coal plants with carbon capture struggle to find bidders to do the work. (WyoFile)

NUCLEAR: New Mexico lawmakers advance a bill that could block a proposed interim spent nuclear fuel depository in the southeastern part of the state. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

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HYDROGEN:
• Federal regulators clear a California company to fly its hydrogen-powered test airplane in Washington state. (Seattle Times)  
• An environmental group’s study finds California’s and New Mexico’s efforts to establish hydrogen production hubs could strain already drought-diminished water supplies. (news release)

COMMENTARY:
• A California editorial board urges state regulators to prohibit new drilling in neighborhoods while a law that would do the same is suspended until a 2024 referendum. (Los Angeles Times) 
• A former Colorado lawmaker says Western utilities should decentralize the power grid to make it more resilient to sabotage and attacks. (Denver Gazette)

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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.