ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Elon Musk announces Tesla will open a new engineering headquarters in California, 15 months after the company’s high-profile departure to Texas. (KTLA)

ALSO:
• Advocates, citing the health impacts of diesel pollution, say California isn’t moving fast enough to electrify heavy trucks. (Grist/KCET)
• Federal regulators seek more information on a fatal weekend crash in California, part of a broader investigation of Tesla’s “Autopilot” driver-assist system. (Bloomberg)

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COAL ASH:
• A report from the operator of Montana’s Colstrip power plant says that “despite significant efforts,” the company has not found a viable way to reuse coal ash stored at the site. (Billings Gazette)
• The U.S. EPA has denied an Arizona utility’s request to continue dumping coal ash into an unlined pond. (Cronkite News)

COAL: New Mexico lawmakers advance a bill that would require an assessment of cleanup needs for the San Juan Generating station and the San Juan Mine. (NM Political Report)

GEOENGINEERING: A startup that hopes to release sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere to block sunlight begins testing balloons in Nevada after being banned by Mexico. (CNBC)

DIVESTMENT: A Colorado Senate committee removes a provision from a climate bill that would have required the state’s pension system to “align with” emissions goals. (Colorado Newsline)

OIL & GAS:
• Colorado lawmakers consider legislation to study the oil and gas industry’s impact on the Front Range’s persistent ozone pollution. (Colorado Public Radio)
• A Texas company has been increasing the amount of fuels it moves through a Portland export terminal, contrary to assurances it made to Oregon regulators to win approval for an expansion project. (Oregonian)
• Some California lawmakers express skepticism about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to cap oil industry profits. (Politico)

GRID:
• California installed 2.4 GW of battery capacity in 2022, accounting for more than half of the total installations in the U.S. (Scientific American)
• Utah lawmakers consider tougher penalties for attacks on the power grid and other infrastructure. (Standard-Examiner)

WIND:
• Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon vetoes a bill that would have prohibited wind farm developers from using eminent domain. (Cowboy State Daily)
• The Bureau of Land Management will host a series of public meetings on a proposed wind farm in southern Idaho. (KIVI)

BUILDINGS: New Mexico lawmakers advance a bill that would require new homes to be built to support solar panels and electric vehicle charging, and another that would block local natural gas moratoriums. (NM Political Report)

UTILITIES: Nevada regulators hear from Southwest Gas customers about high bills, as lawmakers across the West try to find ways to protect consumers from volatile natural gas prices. (Las Vegas Review-Journal, E&E News) 

COMMENTARY: A climate advocate says a Utah bill to tax electric vehicles will further complicate efforts to control air pollution. (Salt Lake Tribune)

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Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.