OIL & GAS: The Biden administration proposes increasing royalty rates, minimum leasing bids and reclamation bonds for oil and gas drilling on federal lands. (Associated Press)

ALSO: Alaska regulators fine ConocoPhillips nearly $1 million for violations related to a 2022 well blowout that caused more than 7 million cubic feet of methane to spill into the atmosphere. (Alaska Beacon)

COAL: U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Montana Republican, introduces legislation that would shield the Colstrip coal power plant from tougher federal pollution laws. (Billings Gazette)

UTILITIES:
• The union representing Xcel Energy electrical workers in Wyoming and Colorado threatens to strike after months of failed contract negotiations. (CPR)  
• A consultant’s study finds San Diego utility ratepayers would save more than $180 million over the next 30 years if the city were to take over the power grid. (Voice of San Diego)

ELECTRIFICATION: A Colorado advocacy groups’ report finds Xcel Energy can meet decarbonization goals through rapid electrification rather than relying on green hydrogen or biofuels. (news release)

GRID:
• California’s grid operator issues an emergency alert urging residents to reduce power use after extreme heat-driven demand exceeds forecasts. (CBS News)
• California’s grid operator plans to allow out-of-state transmission projects to join the ISO in an effort to tap clean energy sources around the region. (RTO Insider, subscription)  

SOLAR:
• Energy analysts urge other states to follow Colorado’s lead in leveraging federal infrastructure tax credits and grants to lure solar and other clean energy projects. (Colorado Sun)
• A developer plans to hold public meetings on a proposed 499 MW solar-plus-storage facility on private land in Wyoming. (Douglas Budget)
• Environmental groups urge the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Interior Department to install solar panels over nearly 8,000 miles of federally owned canals. (news release)  

WIND: Completion of a 590 MW wind project under construction in Wyoming is delayed by postponed turbine deliveries. (Cowboy State Daily)

TRANSPORTATION: Phoenix, Arizona, considers easing minimum parking requirements for affordable transit-oriented developments. (Planetizen)

HYDROPOWER:
• Ongoing drought lowers water levels at Montana’s Flathead Lake, diminishing hydropower output from the dam. (Scripps News)
• National laboratory researchers identify 1,800 sites in Alaska suitable for closed-loop pumped hydropower storage projects. (news release)  

CLIMATE: A Hawaiian Electric-commissioned study finds all sectors of the economy must take aggressive action for the state to meet net-zero greenhouse gas emission mandates by 2045. (Honolulu Civil Beat)

CRITICAL MINERALS:
• The federal Bureau of Land Management formally pauses a proposed lithium exploratory drilling project near a Nevada wildlife refuge, citing potential impacts to groundwater. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• Stillwater Critical Minerals expands exploratory drilling at its nickel, cobalt and palladium mine in Montana. (news release)

COMMENTARY:
• California advocates urge lawmakers to increase reclamation bonds for oil and gas drilling and take other measures to ensure corporations — not the public — pays to clean up their mess. (CalMatters)
• A California energy journalist ponders whether it would be easier to tackle climate change if society was willing to live with occasional power outages. (Los Angeles Times)

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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.