CLIMATE: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has signed an executive order “taking the boldest actions available to lower greenhouse gas emissions under current state laws” after the state’s legislature adjourned abruptly in the wake of a Republican walkout. (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

ALSO: The chairman of Colorado’s Public Utilities Commission says distributed energy resources and non-wires alternatives have a role to play in the state’s efforts to reach its climate goals. (Utility Dive)

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CALIFORNIA: FEMA has agreed to reduce its $3.9 billion claim against PG&E over the agency’s disaster response to $1 billion and allow victims of California wildfires to be paid in full first. (Bloomberg)

EMISSIONS:
• A Colorado bill aiming to establish health-based air standards, particularly for low-income areas, passed its first committee. (Colorado Politics)
• Colorado is prepared to issue another air emissions permit to Suncor despite the company’s history of emitting more pollutants than allowed. (Colorado Independent)

MICROGRIDS: California’s largest ports are turning to microgrids for energy security and demand flexibility. (Greentech Media)

COAL: The legal team representing customers of Montana’s utilities says NorthWestern’s proposed purchase of 25% of Colstrip’s Unit 4 from Puget Sound Energy should be paused until NorthWestern provides more information. (Billings Gazette)

ELECTRIFICATION: Salt Lake City wants developers to build without natural gas and use all-electric technology for heating and cooling. (Salt Lake City Tribune)

NUCLEAR: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission finds that a proposed interim storage facility for nuclear waste in southeastern New Mexico would cause limited environmental damage. (E&E News, subscription)

OIL & GAS:
• New Mexico lawmakers brace for a loss of state revenue from declining oil prices, as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoes $50 million in transportation spending. (Carlsbad Current-Argus, Associated Press)
• Kern County, California oil producers are worried about the industry’s 25,000 local jobs as oil prices plummet internationally. (Bakersfield Now)

PUBLIC LANDS: A BLM oil and gas lease sale in northeast Utah drew few bidders a day after oil prices collapsed. (Reuters)

TRANSPORTATION:
• California utilities are concerned that a transport electrification plan proposed by state regulators could freeze investment and jeopardize the state’s electric vehicle goals. (Utility Dive)
• Missoula County, Montana commissioners unanimously voted to put a gasoline tax on the June primary ballot. (ABC Fox Montana)

EFFICIENCY: San Jose, California unveils six partners committed to reducing their collective greenhouse gas emissions by 10% as part of the city’s Better Buildings program. (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Hawaii Electric added a fast charger station for electric vehicles at a shopping center in Kapolei. (Pacific Business News, subscription)

COMMENTARY:
• Former Alaska lieutenant governor Mead Treadwell says the Environmental Impact Statement process for major projects requiring federal approval needs to be updated and reformed. (Anchorage Daily News)
• An Idaho utility executive and coldwater fisheries conservationist say Pacific Northwest governors must find energy solutions that are good for people and fish. (Post Register)

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.).