HYDROPOWER: A study commissioned by a Northwest hydropower advocacy group finds removing four hydroelectric dams on the Lower Snake River would require $15 billion to replace lost energy and derail plans to decarbonize the region’s grid by 2045. (Tri-City Herald) 

COAL:
• The Biden administration wants to use an $11.3 billion mine cleanup fund to put displaced coal miners back to work, but Congress did not require that former miners get the cleanup jobs. (E&E News)
• Montana environmental groups challenge state regulators’ approval of the proposed expansion of the coal mine that feeds the Colstrip power plant. (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)
• Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says states must step up efforts to fight climate change in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling limiting the U.S. EPA’s oversight of power plant emissions. (Associated Press)

OIL & GAS:
• An environmental group’s analysis shows pollution from New Mexico oil and gas facilities disproportionately affects Indigenous communities. (Source NM)
• The first federal oil and gas lease sale in New Mexico after the federal government’s pause nets $632,385 for about 500 acres. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• New Mexico environmental activists blame the state’s oil and gas industry for this year’s climate change-exacerbated wildfires, but officials still hesitate to limit drilling because of the sector’s outsized economic impact. (Capital & Main)
• Colorado oil and gas companies look to drill nearly 1,900 new wells in coming years even though the industry predicted a 2019 state law would halt development. (Colorado Sun) 

GRID: California officials say a fast-growing wildfire in the northern part of the state threatens critical power infrastructure. (Los Angeles Times)

TRANSPORTATION: Pacific Gas & Electric launches a program to install up to 132 electric vehicle chargers in California schools and to develop an EV-related curriculum. (CleanTechnica)   

CLIMATE: Colorado energy officials say the state’s utilities are on pace to surpass goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2030, but environmentalists say success will depend on monitoring and enforcement. (E&E News)

WIND: A renewable energy developer proposes constructing three 1 GW offshore wind power facilities along Oregon’s coast. (Wind Power Monthly)

BIOFUELS: The owner of a Hawaii tree-burning power plant asks the state supreme court to vacate regulators’ denial of a power purchase agreement that would allow the plant to operate. (Biomass Magazine) 

HYDROGEN: SoCalGas and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado team up to develop a green hydrogen storage system. (Energy Storage News)

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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.