EMISSIONS: California sets a new emissions goal for its electric sector that would double the state’s clean energy capacity by 2030. (Reuters)

CALIFORNIA: PG&E reportedly plans to pay its $4 million in fines and penalties out of the $13.5 billion trust set up for fire victims during its bankruptcy. (Los Angeles Times)

STORAGE: Analysts say an increased demand for distributed storage is likely during the coronavirus pandemic, citing California as an example. (Utility Dive) 

CLEAN ENERGY: Colorado is one of several states whose progress on clean energy legislation could face delays this session due to the coronavirus crisis. (Utility Dive)

TRANSMISSION: California’s grid operator approves a $142 million transmission plan with nine projects to address grid reliability. (S&P Global)

NUCLEAR: PG&E has scaled back operations at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in a bid to protect California’s last remaining nuclear power plant throughout the coronavirus crisis. (New Times SLO)

OVERSIGHT: New Mexico regulators say the timing of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration in evicting them from state offices is suspicious given recent legal battles between the two over the implementation of the state’s new energy transition law. (Associated Press) 

POLLUTION: The EPA’s internal watchdog will review the agency’s methods for regulating states’ air pollution in the wake of Administrator Andew Wheeler’s threats to withhold California highway funding if the state did not update its plan. (The Hill)

SOLAR:
• The chair of California’s energy commission says concentrated solar plants offer better grid stability and are an undervalued resource. (Utility Dive)
• New Mexico utility regulators approve a program allowing local governments and large businesses to subscribe to a solar project being built by the state’s largest utility. (Associated Press)

UTILITIES:
• Wyoming utility regulators approve an interjurisdictional agreement with PacifiCorp that aims to extend greater flexibility and autonomy to states. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Colorado utilities implemented long-standing plans to keep electricity and gas running during the coronavirus crisis, including issuing personal protective equipment to field crews. (Colorado Sun)
• Puget Sound Energy announces an agreement with Energy Keepers, Inc. the tribally owned corporation of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, to purchase zero carbon energy for the next 15 years. (news release)
• The director of the University of California Energy Institute estimates an entire month of working from home could cost power customers as much as $100. (Quartz)

OIL & GAS: Elected officials in a Denver suburb are set to issue an emergency declaration suspending an oil and gas initiative until the coronavirus pandemic passes. (Denver Post)

NATURAL GAS: A Wyoming-based mobile generator company is donating natural gas generators to power computing modules in Colorado assisting in the search for a cure to COVID-19. (news release)

COMMENTARY:
• A California editorial board explains why PG&E must prioritize safety over profitability and the state must hold the company accountable. (Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
• A Montana climate activist questions state regulators’ ability to keep details of NorthWestern Energy’s proposal to buy an extra 25% of Colstrip Unit 4 secret, and process those details for the benefit of ratepayers, without independent scrutiny. (Missoulian)
• Two Colorado business people explain a ballot measure aiming to change the makeup of the state’s oil and gas regulator. (Colorado Politics)

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.).