OIL & GAS: FERC has approved the Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas export terminal in Oregon along with a 230-mile feeder pipeline, but state permit denials still stand. (The Oregonian, Oregon Public Broadcasting)

ALSO:
• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is to hold a special session to deal with the state’s budget situation from oil and gas market volatility and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. (New Mexico Political Report)
• Two counties in New Mexico’s Permian Basin are already being impacted economically by efforts to mitigate plummeting oil prices and COVID-19. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• ConocoPhillips’ deployment of a massive rig known as “The Beast” on Alaska’s North Slope was delayed after a module slid partly off a main gravel road west of Prudhoe Bay on Wednesday. (Anchorage Daily News)
• Wyoming’s largest natural gas producer has agreed to additional one-time bonuses to six executives amidst a downturn for the company. (Wyoming Public Media)

CALIFORNIA:
• Utilities supplying California with power have plans in place to keep electricity and gas running while the COVID-19 pandemic runs its course. (Los Angeles Times)
• PG&E reports that roughly 12,000 customers in Northern California are still without power after a snowstorm caused “significant” damage to the utility’s equipment. (Sacramento Bee)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tesla finally agrees to cooperate with a local shutdown order to prevent spread of COVID-19 and will suspend operations at its Bay Area plant at the end of the day Monday. (New York Times)

EMISSIONS: Atmos Energy’s pipe replacement program aims to decrease greenhouse gas emissions throughout Colorado along with increasing the safety and reliability of its natural gas system. (Durango Herald)

RENEWABLES: Hawaiian Electric’s new CEO says the state cannot get to 100% renewable energy by 2045 with only rooftop solar. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

NUCLEAR: Wyoming’s legislature passes a bill that will allow retiring coal and natural gas electric generation plants to be replaced with small modular nuclear reactors. (Gravel2Gavel)

COAL: Wyoming’s Buckskin Coal Mine announces 60 employees have been laid off due to deteriorating market conditions for coal. (Casper Star-Tribune)

STORAGE: Lead batteries that have very little risk of catching fire could be a selling point in places like California where the demand for residential battery storage systems is growing. (Utility Dive)

HYDROGEN: California’s hydrogen refuelling stations will remain open for business during the COVID-19 crisis. (H2 View)

ACTIVISM: A California consumer organization meets with Gov. Gavin Newsom, hoping to convince him to completely ban oil and gas drilling in the state. (University of California, Santa Barbara Daily Nexus)

Lisa is a Lenape and Nanticoke Native American freelance journalist, editor and writer currently based in the U.K. She has more than two decades’ experience working in corporate communications and print and digital media. She compiles the Western Energy News daily email digest. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Temple University; her specializations include data journalism and visualization. She is a member of the Native American Journalists Association, Investigative Reporters & Editors, Society of Professional Journalists, and the National Union of Journalists (U.K.).