Developers work to revive Las Vegas high

TRANSPORTATION: Nevada and a private firm apply for $3.75 billion in federal funds to restart development of high-speed rail between Las Vegas and southern California. (Nevada Independent)

OIL & GAS: • Rising global demand revives a stalled plan to build a $44 billion natural gas pipeline, liquefaction facility and export terminal in Alaska, but experts predict it may not garner the necessary financing. (Houston Chronicle)• The developer of a proposed pipeline in Alaska that would deliver natural gas to an export terminal asks the state for $3.1 million to keep the effort alive. (Alaska Beacon) • Conservationists sue to compel the U.S. EPA to correct alleged flaws in an oil company's operating permits for two New Mexico facilities. (Santa Fe New Mexican)• A New Mexico county in the Permian Basin brings in record-high oil- and gas-related tax revenues due to increasing production and prices. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)• California lawmakers propose limiting paid signature-gathering for ballot initiatives after the oil and gas industry spends $21 million on a referendum to reverse a drilling setback law. (E&E News, subscription) • A southern California county reaches a settlement with oil companies suing over tightened environmental regulations, but will not disclose details until the agreement is finalized. (VC Star)

UTILITIES: • An independent monitor's report finds aging equipment, maintenance backlogs and an uptick in power outages hamper Pacific Gas & Electric's efforts to reduce wildfire risk. (KTVU)• An Alaska city's voters reject a bid to sell their municipal utility to the Homer Electric Association. (KDLL)

CRYPTOCURRENCY: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signs a bill requiring data centers and cryptocurrency miners to comply with state clean-energy laws. (InvestigateWest)

NUCLEAR: Bill Gates visits the Wyoming coal community where his company proposes building an advanced nuclear reactor and says the facility will be online by 2030. (WyoFile)

LITHIUM: Industry officials estimate they will eventually develop the capacity to extract enough lithium from Salton Sea geothermal brines to support 7.5 million electric vehicles annually. (CBS News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: • Oregon installs electric vehicle charging stations at seven state parks. (news release) • A Los Angeles-area port railway unveils its new battery-electric locomotive. (Trains)

WIND: Survivors of a World War II Japanese American incarceration camp in Idaho push back against the proposed Lava Ridge wind facility, saying it would mar the sacred nature of the place. (Guardian)

GRID: Analysts predict supply chain disruptions could imperil plans to add 13,000 MW of new generation and storage to the Western grid this summer. (RTO Insider, subscription)

COAL: The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public comment on proposed coal leasing plans in the Powder River Basin. (County 17)

COMMENTARY: A Colorado clean energy advocate says a utility's plan to restructure rates is an attempt to evade state net-metering laws and cut compensation for rooftop solar. (Solar Power World)

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Jonathan hails from southwestern Colorado and has been writing about the land, cultures, and communities of the Western United States for more than two decades. He compiles the Western Energy News digest. He is the author of three books, a contributing editor at High Country News, and the editor of the Land Desk, an e-newsletter that provides coverage and context on issues critical to the West.