Climate change on the ballot in the West

ELECTION: Six Western cities and states have climate and energy measures on the ballot next month. (Grist)

OIL & GAS:
• The Bureau of Land Management approves a $4 billion oil project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. (Anchorage Daily News)
• New Mexico regulators are considering stricter regulations and more fines for oil and gas spills. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

CALIFORNIA:
• PG&E identifies 130 damage-hazard sites from windstorms along 17,000 miles of de-energized power lines. (KTVU)
• Activists in a Northern California county are preparing for a confrontation with PG&E as they try to stop the utility’s plan to cut more than 260 trees as part of its wildfire mitigation efforts. (Union of Grass Valley)
• Southern California Gas says its Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility should remain open, but nearby residents and environmental advocates disagree. (Los Angeles Daily News)
• PG&E releases its timeline of events of the day the deadly and destructive Zogg Fire broke out, in response to a court order. (KRCR)

COAL:
• Idaho regulators want to ensure the state’s utility customers aren’t stuck with costs from Avista’s exit from a Montana coal plant. (Billings Gazette)
• Navajo Transitional Energy Co. is in talks to buy out a utility’s 13% share of a New Mexico coal-fired power plant. (Albuquerque Journal)

PUBLIC LANDS: The Bureau of Land Management is sued over its land-use plan for southwestern Colorado finalized under the tenure of Deputy Director William Perry Pendley. (Associated Press)

FOSSIL FUELS: A new report predicts ongoing weak revenue for Wyoming from its fossil fuel industries. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR: The Oregon-based company behind the first small modular nuclear reactor complex in the U.S. faces significant safety questions. (Greentech Media)

PIPELINES: The final environmental impact statement for the Wyoming Pipeline Corridor Initiative is published by the Bureau of Land Management. (Oil City News)

SOLAR: A South Korean firm is set to build and operate a 60 MW solar farm and 240 MWh of battery energy storage for Hawaiian Electric on the island of Oahu. (Renewables Now)

COMMENTARY:
• A California editorial board criticizes PG&E for not doing its job to mitigate the danger of more deadly and destructive wildfires. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• A former California energy commissioner explores how the state can have a reliable grid powered by a diverse portfolio of renewable energy sources. (Cal Matters)
• A think tank explains how Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico legislation authorizing securitization could be a blueprint for other states interested in accelerating the transition to a cleaner, more economic grid. (Greentech Media)
• A nuclear expert explains why Utah should not ignore the red flags he sees concerning a small modular nuclear project in Idaho. (Deseret News)