OIL & GAS: Federal land managers propose banning oil and gas drilling on 28,500 acres in southern New Mexico to protect sensitive cave systems near Carlsbad Caverns National Park. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

ALSO:
• Wyoming lawmakers consider offering incentives to projects using captured carbon dioxide to stimulate oil and gas well production. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• California advocates launch a campaign to fight oil industry efforts to block a law banning new drilling near homes and schools. (CalMatters)
• New Mexico county officials ask oil and gas companies to help pay for replacing a dilapidated bridge that accesses well fields. (Farmington Daily-Times)   
• A federal oil and gas lease sale in Nevada receives no bids, indicating a lack of industry interest in unproven areas. (E&E News, subscription; news release)

COAL: Montana regulators say coal ash cleanup at the Colstrip power plant is progressing, but inflation is driving costs upward by hundreds of millions of dollars. (Billings Gazette)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• U.S. House Republicans push legislation that would withhold federal funding for Idaho wind development pending completion of an environmental impact study. (Utah Public Radio)
• A southern Idaho county tables consideration of a proposed moratorium on renewable energy permitting until August. (Times-News)
• California’s energy commission awards more than $17 million to research and develop offshore wind environmental monitoring technologies aimed at reducing turbines’ impacts on wildlife. (S&P Global)
• A California company develops a solar-generating fence. (Solar Power World)

UTILITIES: Pacific Gas & Electric launches a program to help grid operators coordinate distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar, batteries and microgrids to improve system resilience. (PV Magazine)

CLIMATE: New Mexico advocates push back on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s selection as the leader of a national climate group, saying she has broken promises to rein in the fossil fuel industry. (Searchlight New Mexico) 

GRID: Severe thunderstorms damage utility equipment in Phoenix, Arizona, leaving 35,000 customers without power during a record-breaking heat wave. (ABC15)

OVERSIGHT: Colorado regulators link community advocates with pro bono lawyers to give them more say in complex environmental rulemaking. (Colorado Sun)

NUCLEAR: Alaska regulators develop rules prohibiting new nuclear reactors near homes, national parks or coastal areas vulnerable to storm surges. (KTOO)

BUILDINGS: A Colorado city votes to require new construction to be equipped for rooftop solar, electric vehicle charging and electrification. (Daily Camera)

COMMENTARY: A Colorado resident calls on ski resorts to help fund regional public transit to ease winter congestion and pollution on the state’s highways.  (Colorado Sun)

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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.