California leading the world in local level fossil fuel bans

FOSSIL FUELS: A new analysis of the changing energy landscape at city level finds that California is leading the world in banning fossil fuels. (Gizmodo)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Colorado lawmakers are set to introduce a $4 billion transportation plan that includes new gas and road-usage fees starting July 2022, aiming to improve air quality and fund infrastructure projects. (Colorado Sun, CPR News)
• A Democratic lawmaker representing an exurban Seattle district continues to be the primary obstacle for clean transportation legislation in Washington state. (InvestigateWest)
• Amazon has begun testing its Rivian electric delivery vans in San Francisco. (TechCrunch)

OIL & GAS:
• A New Mexico environmental advocate says oil and gas companies and trade groups hold a ​“strong influence” over state lawmakers, resulting in bills that go against industry interests being blocked. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• A four-year, $9.7 million study of an advanced oil recovery method could unlock billions more barrels of oil on Alaska’s North Slope. (Alaska Journal of Commerce)

ECONOMY: Colorado lawmakers unveil a $700 million state economic stimulus plan that includes between $10 million and $15 million to create new job opportunities as part of the state’s transition from coal. (Colorado Sun)

WIND: A new National Renewable Energy Laboratory indicates state and local restrictions on wind turbines, particularly setback requirements, could adversely impact efforts to decarbonize the grid. (Inside Climate News)

PUBLIC LANDS:
• ​“I know Indian Country is watching everything we do at Interior:” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland meets with Indigenous activists and media outlets during her first day on the job. (Indian Country Today)
• The Petroleum Association of Wyoming joins a lawsuit challenging President Biden’s moratorium on new federal oil and gas leasing. (Wyoming Tribune Eagle)
• Indigenous leaders want the Interior Department to act quickly to restore Bears Ears National Monument protections. (E&E News, subscription)
• A national watchdog group says a Bureau of Land Management employee is being wrongfully terminated after criticizing plans that would allow a Wyoming county’s oil and gas project to degrade raptor nesting sites. (WyoFile)

UTILITIES: Washington-based Avista Utilities expects up to $221 million in financial benefits from its $165 million five-year smart meter project by June. (Smart Energy International)

SOLAR:
• California’s Solar and Storage Association calls for net metering to be continued, saying the state’s three largest investor-owned utilities ​“want to own the sun and keep it out of the hands of everyday people.” (news release)
• Construction begins on Colorado State University’s 5.5 MW solar power project across 21 sites, almost doubling the institution’s solar capacity and helping reduce its carbon footprint. (Loveland Reporter-Herald)

HYDROPOWER: A large boulder destroys the pipeline that carries water to Colorado’s Ouray Hydroelectric Power Plant, the oldest operating hydro facility in the U.S. (Colorado Sun)

CLIMATE: Young Central Oregon climate activists are holding an in-person ​“climate strike” this afternoon, their first in almost a year. (KTVZ)

COMMENTARY:
• A University of Nevada professor says state lawmakers need to accelerate lithium mine licensing, citing climate concerns and increasing numbers of electric vehicles. (Northern Nevada Business Weekly)
• A California League of Conservation Voters official says the state’s legislature is not doing enough to combat the climate crisis. (CalMatters)