COAL: Xcel Energy says it is negotiating with stakeholders to potentially shut down a Colorado coal plant ahead of its scheduled 2034 retirement. (Denver Post)

OIL & GAS:
• California regulators issue more drilling permits after the oil and gas industry looks to increase production in response to high gasoline prices. (Capital & Main)
• Researchers find low-production oil and gas wells are a disproportionately large source of methane emissions. (Nature Communications)
• The Biden administration, responding to climate advocates’ claims that it broke campaign promises by resuming oil and gas leasing, says it was forced by a court order to do so. (The Hill)
• Federal officials say most of the 20,000 gallons of petroleum products spilled during a southern Oregon gasoline station fire last week have been recovered. (Mail Tribune)
• Construction wraps on a pipeline that will deliver Wyoming carbon dioxide to Montana and North Dakota oil and gas fields to stimulate aging wells. (KUMV)     

HYDROPOWER: Northwest climate advocates join Indigenous groups to call for the removal of four hydropower dams along Washington state’s Lower Snake River that they say harm salmon. (E&E News, subscription)

UTILITIES: Administrators of a fund responsible for compensating victims of Pacific Gas & Electric-sparked fires seeks a $1.5 billion loan from California to make up for the utility’s low stock prices that are compromising payments. (Sacramento Bee)

SOLAR: Los Angeles leads the nation in total installed solar capacity and Honolulu generates more solar power per capita than any other city, according to a California think tank report. (The Hill)  

CLEAN ENERGY: Nonprofits team up to offer clean energy workforce training to Navajo Nation communities affected by coal plant closures. (Navajo-Hopi Observer)

TRANSPORTATION:
• An energy storage company plans to establish a factory in California’s Imperial Valley using locally extracted lithium to produce up to 650,000 electric vehicle batteries annually. (news release)
• Colorado lawmakers advance a bill that would require new large commercial and residential buildings to be equipped with electric vehicle chargers. (Colorado Newsline) 

CLIMATE:
• A federal court rules that California cities’ lawsuits seeking to hold energy companies financially liable for climate change’s effects should stay in state court — a victory for the plaintiffs. (Courthouse News)
• A poll finds nearly two-thirds of Los Angeles voters say extreme heat poses a serious threat to their health and safety, while only 10% say climate change is a factor in who they will vote for. (Los Angeles Times) 

NUCLEAR:
• The U.S. Energy Department launches a $6 billion bailout plan aimed at keeping nuclear plants, such as California’s Diablo Canyon, operating beyond scheduled retirement dates. (Washington Post)  
• The Idaho National Laboratory completes a rare overhaul of one of the world’s most powerful test reactors. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY: A Colorado clean energy official urges regulators to pass a bill that would give geothermal power developments the same tax and policy benefits as solar and wind. (Colorado Sun)

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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.