OIL & GAS: A major methane leak from an oil and gas well in southeastern Utah remained uncontained more than two days after the facility’s equipment malfunctioned and forced the evacuation of nearby campers. (ABC4)

ALSO:
• New Mexico regulators cite six oil and gas operators for allegedly violating the state’s waste rule by excessively venting and flaring methane at ten facilities. (NM Political Report)
• California climate advocates who supported the state’s new oil profit windfall legislation are disillusioned with the law’s implementation, saying it doesn’t do enough to phase out petroleum refineries. (Capital & Main)
• A Colorado county considers a six-month moratorium on new oil and gas development in advance of a proposal to drill 174 wells near Denver. (9News)
• Democratic federal and state lawmakers from Colorado step up opposition to a proposed Utah oil railway that would link the Uinta Basin to national petroleum markets, noting risks of derailments along the Colorado River. (Vail Daily)

UTILITIES:
• NorthWestern Energy plans to appeal a judge’s decision halting construction of its  175 MW natural gas power plant in Montana. (Daily Montanan)
• California regulators order SoCalGas to pay $2.7 million for improperly billing customers for deposits. (23ABC)

CLEAN ENERGY: Citing uncertain revenue forecasts, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoes bills that would have offered tax credits for electric vehicles, heat pumps, residential energy storage,and geothermal power production. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

WIND: Commissioners from eight Idaho counties sign a joint resolution opposing three proposed wind power facilities — including the controversial Lava Ridge project — in the southern part of the state. (KPVI)

SOLAR: New Mexico certifies $12 million in residential solar installation tax credits for 2022, reaching the state’s cap for the third year in a row. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Utah startup manufactures electric drivetrains for use in converting internal combustion powered cars into EVs. (Deseret News)

BIOFUELS:
• A federal judge sentences a Utah man to 18 years in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud a government biofuel tax credit program of $511 million. (FOX13)
• The U.S. Forest Service awards an Oregon city $1 million to help fund a proposed 25 MW biomass plant fueled by wood from forest thinning projects. (KTVZ)

TRANSPORTATION:
• California transit agencies say they may have to cut services or increase fees if the state does not offset a predicted federal funding decrease. (CalMatters)
• Tucson, Arizona, seeks funding to make a free-fare transit program permanent before it expires this summer. (Arizona Daily Star)

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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.