OIL & GAS: The U.S. EPA fines an oil and gas company $5.5 million for air quality violations and orders it to spend $4.6 million to bring its 422 Permian Basin facilities into compliance with state and federal regulations. (news release)

ALSO: Conservation groups file a petition urging the U.S. EPA to require an oil and gas company to adequately test emissions from gas flares at its eastern Colorado wells. (news release)

HYDROPOWER:
• A fast-moving wildfire forces the evacuation of Washington state hydroelectric dams, cutting the facilities’ energy production by half. (KUOW)
• An Alaska Native village corporation seeks funding for a proposed hydropower project approved by Congress four decades ago. (KCAW)
• Federal prosecutors charge an Idaho man with two counts of destruction of an energy facility for allegedly shooting a rifle at Northwest hydropower facilities. (Associated Press)  

CRITICAL MINERALS: A firm plans to begin initial development work on a proposed rare earths mine in Wyoming later this year. (Mining Weekly)

UTILITIES:
• Xcel Energy faces at least eight mass tort lawsuits over its role in sparking the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado that burned about 1,000 homes. (KUNC)
• A California town considers establishing a municipal electric utility that would compete with Pacific Gas & Electric. (KGET)  

SOLAR:
• San Diego implements instant self-certification rooftop solar permitting to reduce red tape and expedite installations. (Times of San Diego)     
• A Colorado city considers offering $3 million in incentives to a Swiss solar manufacturer planning to establish a production facility there. (Gazette)

GRID: California grants the Washoe Tribe $1.3 million to modernize its grid and invest in clean energy development. (KOLO)

ELECTRIFICATION: Natural gas and homebuilding industry groups drop their legal challenge of Washington state codes requiring heat pumps in new residential and commercial construction. (Utility Dive)

POLITICS: Republican Arizona lawmakers formally oppose a new national monument and uranium mining ban near the Grand Canyon even though polling shows the state’s voters overwhelmingly favor it. (Arizona Republic)

COAL:
• Federal regulators launch an environmental analysis of the proposed Bull Mountains coal mine expansion in Montana after a court vacated the previous plan for failing to adequately consider climate impacts. (E&E News, subscription; news release)
• Montana awards three coal-impacted communities $627,000 to support public safety and economic development. (Laurel Outlook)

CLIMATE:
• Washington state releases guidance for a new law requiring local governments to consider climate change and its impacts when they make 20-year comprehensive plans. (Crosscut)
• An “extreme” marine heatwave approaches the Oregon and Washington coasts, impacting fish and causing toxic algae to multiply. (KOIN)

BIOFUELS: SoCalGas proposes a pilot project that would produce biogas from wood chips, nut shells and other organic waste. (news release)

COMMENTARY: A California developer urges regulators to approve a community solar program soon or risk losing access to billions of dollars in federal incentives. (Utility Dive)

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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.