OIL & GAS: Environmental advocacy groups applaud New Mexico’s adoption of rules aimed at reducing emissions of ozone precursors from oil and gas facilities. (NM Political Report) 

ALSO: State and federal regulators respond to an Oregon gas station fire that destroyed several businesses and led to an oil spill in a nearby creek. (Mail Tribune)

GRID: California’s grid operator sets a record by obtaining almost 98% of its power from renewable sources on April 3, and officials say even higher numbers are possible later this month. (Bloomberg)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm touts renewable energy during a visit to the Navajo Nation. (Native News Online)
• Denver will launch a rebate program next week to incentivize residents to purchase heat pumps, rooftop solar, battery storage, electric vehicle chargers and electric bikes. (Denverite)

SOLAR:
• A New Mexico county approves issuing up to $50 million in bonds on behalf of a renewable energy company that plans to build a utility-scale solar facility in the area. (Roswell Daily Record)
• An Idaho distributed energy startup says it has developed the world’s first EMP-proof portable solar generator. (news release)

WIND: Southern California wind energy developers seek federal approval to breed endangered condors in captivity to replace birds killed by turbine blades. (Los Angeles Times) 

HYDROPOWER: A large pumped hydropower storage project proposed near San Diego could help California meet growing power demand — if it can overcome environmental opposition and get built. (CBS Los Angeles)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Phoenix, Arizona’s city council sets a goal of having 280,000 electric vehicles on local roads by 2030, along with 500 new charging stations. (ABC15)
• In preparation for its ferry electrification program, Washington state begins installing charging infrastructure at terminals. (KING5)
• Amazon supplies 40 new electric bicycles to a Colorado city’s bikeshare program. (KRDO)

LITHIUM: Residents of California’s Salton Sea region brace for the economic benefits and environmental impacts of an impending lithium extraction boom. (Capital & Main)

COAL:
• Colorado regulators will soon resume consideration of Xcel Energy’s proposal to continue running its Comanche coal power plant until 2034. (NewsBreak Denver) 
• A governor-appointed board orders Montana regulators to toss out a 2020 pollution rule aimed at protecting fish from selenium contamination from Canada coal mines. (Montana Public Radio) 

HYDROGEN: California’s energy commission grants a fuel cell company $2 million to develop a hydrogen-fueled big rig truck. (NGT News) 

BIOFUELS: A renewable energy company finishes expanding a California biodiesel plant, making it the nation’s largest such facility. (Bakersfield Californian) 

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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.