Trump picks oil and gas advocate to oversee public lands

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Western Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

PUBLIC LANDS

President Trump picks oil and gas advocate Kathleen Sgamma to lead the federal Bureau of Land Management, an agency she has frequently sparred with in the past. (Colorado Sun)

CLEAN ENERGY

• More than $1 billion in U.S. EPA funding awarded to California organizations to develop clean energy and make other climate-friendly investments in working-class communities is in limbo following the Trump administration’s funding freeze. (Capital & Main)

• A California lawmaker reintroduces a bill that would exempt clean energy developers from paying taxes on federal Inflation Reduction Act incentives. (E&E News, subscription)

• A New Mexico university seeks $15 million in state funding to develop on-site clean energy projects to help it become carbon neutral by 2030. (news release)

HYDROGEN

• NW Natural pushes back on Oregon legislation that would require utilities to notify customers when blending hydrogen with its natural gas. (OPB)

• Washington state researchers develop a new method of storing and releasing volatile hydrogen, potentially facilitating its use as a sustainable fuel. (news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Oregon officials expect to receive $26 million in federal funding for electric vehicle chargers, about half of what the state was originally awarded, as the Trump administration freezes clean energy spending. (OPB)

FOSSIL FUELS

• New Mexico lawmakers propose codifying state methane capture rules for oil and gas facilities, saying it would ensure the requirements remain in place under future administrations. (New Mexico Political Report)

• The Navajo Nation adds 80 acres to a federal oil and gas lease in southeastern Utah even though local tribal members opposed it. (San Juan Record)

• The federal Bureau of Land Management issued 14 contested oil and gas leases during the waning days of the Biden administration in the greater Chaco region of northwestern New Mexico. (High Country News)

UTILITIES

• Records show Southern California Edison knew in advance of the deadly Los Angeles-area wildfires that an emergency power shutdown could overload some transmission lines, increasing the risk of sparking a blaze. (Los Angeles Times)

• The shareholders of Southern California Edison parent company’s file a lawsuit accusing the utility of falsely assuring them it could reduce wildfire risk by shutting down power lines during hazardous weather. (Reuters)

CLIMATE:

Indigenous women gather in the New Mexico capitol in an effort to raise lawmakers’ awareness about climate change and the dangers of nuclear waste and oil and gas drilling. (Inside Climate News)

NUCLEAR

Northwestern Colorado officials propose establishing a spent nuclear fuel depository in the region to help it weather scheduled coal plant and mine retirements. (NPR)

LITHIUM:

• An advocacy group’s report accuses the federal Bureau of Land Management of violating human rights by permitting the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada, saying it failed to consult with or garner consent of regional tribal governments. (Nevada Current)

• A startup says it has successfully extracted battery grade lithium from Permian Basin oil and gas wastewater. (Midland Reporter-Telegram)