Newsom signs $15 billion climate package

CLIMATE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a $15 billion spending package to fight climate change, wildfire, and drought and includes $3.9 billion for electric vehicle investment and infrastructure. (Los Angeles Times)

ALSO:
• A utility’s report finds California cannot meet its goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40% from 1990 levels by 2030 without strong incentives to deploy more electric vehicles. (E&E News, subscription)
• A newly ignited wildfire in drought-parched northern California had burned 5,000 acres and destroyed 25 homes as of Thursday night. (CBS13)

HYDROGEN: The Anschutz Corporation — developer of a massive wind farm in southern Wyoming — makes the first substantial private investment in the University of Wyoming’s Hydrogen Research Center. (Wyoming Public Radio)

ELECTRIFICATION: A King County, Washington, leader proposes an ordinance banning natural gas hookups in all new commercial buildings and some multi-family residential buildings. (South Seattle Emerald)

SOLAR:
• Oregon regulators approve community solar program changes intended to increase residential and low-income enrollment. (KTVZ)
• A New Mexico university and utility plan to bring online a 10,000 panel solar plus storage installation to provide power to the campus and serve as an educational tool. (Las Cruces Sun-News)

WIND: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill directing state energy officials to create a plan for offshore wind development in federal waters. (San Luis Obispo Tribune) 

GEOTHERMAL: Development of a ​“super hot rock” volcano in Oregon could generate electricity at less than half the cost of typical geothermal power, according to a new analysis. (Renewables Now)

TRANSPORTATION:
• A northern California transit agency plans to build a 1.5 MW solar plus 1 MW storage microgrid to charge its electric buses. (Microgrid Knowledge)
• Eight Western cities land in StorageCafé’s top ten best metros for electric cars, with San Jose, California, ranked first. (New York Times)

POLLUTION: The World Health Organization’s new air pollution guidelines indicate a need for steep cuts to ozone and particulate emissions in Colorado’s urbanized Front Range. (Colorado Sun)

COMMENTARY:
• A Wyoming candidate for the U.S. Senate says installing utility-scale solar installations on remediated coal mines would replace jobs lost in the fossil fuel industry. (WyoFile)
• A New Mexico children’s advocate urges Congress and the Biden administration to reform the federal oil and gas leasing system and put ​“our communities before oil and gas CEOs.” (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• An Oregon dam advocate urges Northwestern state leaders not to follow California’s lead on energy policy and to keep hydroelectric dams in place. (Idaho Statesman)
• An Arizona advocate says further transitioning to clean energy will add to the state’s existing 60,000 jobs in the sector. (Arizona Capitol Times)