Friday, May 1, 2020

The Energy News Digest for May 1, 2020


The Hot Shots edition of The Energy News Digest is available on Facebook, and on Twitter.

To subscribe to The Energy News Digest, email jmyer@masonpud3.org.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS




HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Activist Groups to Washington State Governor: Extend Moratorium on Service Cutoffs by Utilities (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA)

‘Status Quo Is Not Working,’ Tribes Say, as Seattle Begins Relicensing Skagit River Hydro (KNKX Radio, Tacoma, WA)

U.S. House Democrats Aim to Put More Than $80 Billion into Broadband Expansion During Coronavirus (CNBC)

Boeing Raises $25 Billion in Massive Bond Sale, Turns Down Bailout Funds (Washington Post)

Idaho Stay-Home Order Ends, Restoring Normal Activity Begins (KCPQ-TV, Seattle/Tacoma, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)

1.        Activist Groups to Washington State Governor: Extend Moratorium on Service Cutoffs by Utilities
2.        Tacoma Public Utilities Expands Relief for Customers Facing Financial Hardship
3.        ‘Status Quo Is Not Working,’ Tribes Say, as Seattle Begins Relicensing Skagit River Hydro
4.        FERC Gives the Go Ahead for NorthernGrid
5.        Pacific Gas & Electric to Purge Most of Its Board in Fallout from Bankruptcy
6.        Judge Calls Pacific Gas & Electric Vegetation Work ‘Sloppy & Unreliable,’ Imposes New Conditions on the Utility
7.        Sage-Grouse, Other Projects to Get Exemption from NEPA Review
8.        Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority Endorses Basin-Wide Solution
9.        Sierra Snowpack Is 3% of May Average: Here’s What That Means
10.     Is Geothermal Power on the Brink of a Boom?
11.     COVID-19 Will Create Energy Efficiency Opportunities
12.     U.S. House Democrats Aim to Put More Than $80 Billion into Broadband Expansion During Coronavirus
13.     Ziply Fiber Completes Acquisition of Frontier Communications’ Pacific Northwest Operations
14.     FCC Commissioner: Our Agency Says All Americans Are Gaining Advanced Internet Access. It’s Wrong
15.     The Deceiving Thing About the Big, Historic Drop in Carbon Dioxide Emissions
16.     The Business of Burps: Scientists Smell Profit in Cow Emissions
17.     How to Develop a Post-COVID-19 Digital Strategy Now
18.     Idaho Stay-Home Order Ends, Restoring Normal Activity Begins
19.     1 in 5 Washington Workers Have Filed Unemployment Claims
20.     U.S.’ Pelosi Mulls $1 Trillion for Cities, States in Next Coronavirus Relief Round
21.     Turkey Sends Second Consignment of Medical Supplies, Poetic Message to U.S.
22.     Mason County COVID-19 Cases Now 24
23.     Mason County Sheriff’s Office to Move Towards Re-opening
24.     City of Tacoma Offers $1.2 Million to Help Tenants Struggling to Pay Rent Amid COVID-19
25.     See Where Nearly 200,000 Rent Strikes Are Happening in the U.S.
26.     Poop May Tell Us When the Coronavirus Lockdown Will End
27.     Boeing Raises $25 Billion in Massive Bond Sale, Turns Down Bailout Funds
28.     DNR Commissioner Describes How 2020 Wildfire Season Will Look Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
29.     Lawmakers Blast Trump Over Alcoa Smelter Closure in Ferndale, Tariff War with China
30.     No Foul Play Suspected After Body Found Hanging from Tree Near Belfair
31.     Washington State Scotch Broom Census Set for May

WORD OF THE DAY

Animus • \ANN-uh-muss\ • Noun - 1: basic attitude or governing spirit: disposition, intention 2: a usually prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill will 3: an inner masculine part of the female personality in the analytic psychology of C. G. Jung

My animus for thick, spongy restaurant pancakes has no bounds. A pancake cooked thin and nearly crepe-like, should be able to stand on its own (so to speak), with just the right amount of butter and syrup. It should not be a vehicle for carrying flavor enhancements into your alimentary tract.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.      Activist Groups to Washington State Governor: Extend Moratorium on Service Cutoffs by Utilities (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA)

2.      Tacoma Public Utilities Expands Relief for Customers Facing Financial Hardship (South Sound Business)

3.      ‘Status Quo Is Not Working,’ Tribes Say, as Seattle Begins Relicensing Skagit River Hydro (KNKX Radio, Tacoma, WA)

4.      FERC Gives the Go Ahead for NorthernGrid (Bonneville Power Administration)

5.      Pacific Gas & Electric to Purge Most of Its Board in Fallout from Bankruptcy (Associated Press)

6.      Judge Calls Pacific Gas & Electric Vegetation Work ‘Sloppy & Unreliable,’ Imposes New Conditions on the Utility (Utility Dive)

FISH & WILDLIFE

7.      Sage-Grouse, Other Projects to Get Exemption from NEPA Review (Bloomberg News)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

8.      Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority Endorses Basin-Wide Solution (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

9.      Sierra Snowpack Is 3% of May Average: Here’s What That Means (San Francisco Chronicle, CA)

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

10.   Is Geothermal Power on the Brink of a Boom? (Power Magazine)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

11.   COVID-19 Will Create Energy Efficiency Opportunities (Transmission & Distribution World)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

12.   U.S. House Democrats Aim to Put More Than $80 Billion into Broadband Expansion During Coronavirus (CNBC)

13.   Ziply Fiber Completes Acquisition of Frontier Communications’ Pacific Northwest Operations (Portland Business Journal, OR)

14.   FCC Commissioner: Our Agency Says All Americans Are Gaining Advanced Internet Access. It’s Wrong (CNN Business)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

15.   The Deceiving Thing About the Big, Historic Drop in Carbon Dioxide Emissions (Mashable)

16.   The Business of Burps: Scientists Smell Profit in Cow Emissions (NY Times)

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

17.   How to Develop a Post-COVID-19 Digital Strategy Now (PR News Online)

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

18.   Idaho Stay-Home Order Ends, Restoring Normal Activity Begins (KCPQ-TV, Seattle/Tacoma, WA)

19.   1 in 5 Washington Workers Have Filed Unemployment Claims (KCPQ-TV, Seattle/Tacoma, WA)

20.   U.S.’ Pelosi Mulls $1 Trillion for Cities, States in Next Coronavirus Relief Round (Reuters)

21.   Turkey Sends Second Consignment of Medical Supplies, Poetic Message to U.S. (KCPQ-TV, Seattle/Tacoma, WA)

SICKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN

22.   Mason County COVID-19 Cases Now 24 (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)


24.   City of Tacoma Offers $1.2 Million to Help Tenants Struggling to Pay Rent Amid COVID-19 (KCPQ-TV, Seattle/Tacoma, WA)

25.   See Where Nearly 200,000 Rent Strikes Are Happening in the U.S. (Fast Company)

26.   Poop May Tell Us When the Coronavirus Lockdown Will End (Oregonian, Portland)

GENERAL NEWS

27.   Boeing Raises $25 Billion in Massive Bond Sale, Turns Down Bailout Funds (Washington Post)

28.   DNR Commissioner Describes How 2020 Wildfire Season Will Look Amid Coronavirus Pandemic (KREM-TV, Spokane, WA)

29.   Lawmakers Blast Trump Over Alcoa Smelter Closure in Ferndale, Tariff War with China (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

30.   No Foul Play Suspected After Body Found Hanging from Tree Near Belfair (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA – Paywall Advisory)

31.   Washington State Scotch Broom Census Set for May (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Thousands of Flamingos Take Over India’s Largest City amid Coronavirus Lockdown

Add This to the List: Green Fireball Sighted in Skies Above Central Washington State

Key West to Skip Hemingway Look-Alike Contest This Year

Porch Costumes Provide Cheer in Troubled Times

SONG OF THE DAY

The Carpenters – Calling of Occupants of Interplanetary Craft

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

Links in the news digest lead to current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links.