OIL & GAS: A federal judge rejects environmentalists’ bid to block the Willow oil and gas drilling project in Alaska, citing support from the state’s congressional delegation and Alaska Native corporations. (Associated Press)

ALSO:
• The federal Bureau of Land Management removes nearly half of the proposed parcels from an upcoming Wyoming oil and gas lease sale because they overlapped with priority sage grouse habitat. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Colorado environmental justice advocates call on the operator of a Denver-area oil refinery to disclose the cause of malfunctions that forced the facility’s three-month closure. (CPR)
• Climate advocates call on the Biden administration to stop funding federal oil and gas leasing programs. (news release)

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CRYPTOCURRENCY: Oregon legislation that would compel data centers and cryptocurrency miners to meet state clean energy and climate targets dies in committee. (Oregonian)

WIND: A study predicts the proposed SunZia wind power and transmission project in New Mexico and Arizona will have a $20.5 billion economic impact over 30 years. (Albuquerque Journal)

SOLAR: A solar trade group calls on federal regulators to reject Arizona Public Service’s bid to skip the interconnection queue to replace retiring power plants, saying it would freeze out renewable energy developers. (Utility Dive)

COAL: A Wyoming utility plans to close the state’s largest coal plant seven years sooner than originally scheduled, but will delay a smaller facility’s retirement for an additional 12 years. (Casper Star-Tribune)

HYDROPOWER: A congressional audit calls on agencies that market power from federal hydropower dams to better prepare for increasing climate change-related risks. (E&E News, subscription)

CLIMATE: Clark County, Nevada, adopts a comprehensive climate plan aimed at reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by increasing clean energy development, updating public transit, adopting building efficiency standards and other measures. (Las Vegas Sun)

CARBON CAPTURE: A Colorado company unveils North America’s largest direct air carbon capture facility in a Denver-area warehouse. (Colorado Sun)

NUCLEAR: Bipartisan U.S. senators from Western states introduce legislation that would streamline advanced nuclear reactor licensing and otherwise bolster the technology. (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• California’s energy commission awards a firm $6.6 million to install public electric vehicle fast-charging infrastructure in the central and eastern parts of the state. (EV Report)
• A Seattle utility begins installing 31 public electric vehicle charging stations around the city. (KIRO)

COMMENTARY:
• A California energy analyst says a provision in the state’s gasoline-car ban may also effectively eliminate lighter electric vehicles with small batteries. (Energy Institute at Haas)
• A California editorial board urges lawmakers to increase registration fees for heavier vehicles, saying it would be a small step addressing the danger posed by ever larger trucks and SUVs. (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.