Tuesday, June 2, 2020

The Energy News Digest for June 2, 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

Bonneville Power Administration Proposes Rate Relief Option for Power Customers Amid COVID-19 Crisis (Bonneville Power Administration)

Port Angeles City Council to Consider Supporting Snake River Dam Removal (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

States Warn That Virus May Doom Climate Projects (NY Times)

Will Orcas Thrive in the Coronavirus Pandemic’s Quieter Waters? Scientists Aim to Find Out (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

Rural Broadband Provider Organizations Ask USDA to Relax “Onerous” ReConnect Award Rules (Telecompetitor)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)

1.        Bonneville Power Administration Proposes Rate Relief Option for Power Customers Amid COVID-19 Crisis
2.        Port Angeles City Council to Consider Supporting Snake River Dam Removal
3.        Temporary Grant PUD Rate Cut to Be Discussed
4.        Snohomish PUD Expands Payment Options as Meter Reading Resumes
5.        Peace River Dam Project Set to ‘Move a River’ to Build Mega Dam in Northern British Columbia
6.        U.S. Customers Experienced an Average of Nearly Six Hours of Power Interruptions in 2018
7.        Feds Highlight Strong Reliability Performance by Public Power Utilities
8.        Coal Remains Huge Global Electricity Player Despite Declines in U.S. & Europe
9.        Will Orcas Thrive in the Coronavirus Pandemic’s Quieter Waters? Scientists Aim to Find Out
10.     Updates to Columbia River Summer Salmon & Steelhead Fisheries
11.     Bid to Halt Nevada Oil Drilling in Sage Grouse Habitat
12.     Trump Environmental Rollbacks Roll on Despite Pandemic. Opponents Cry Foul
13.     Chelan PUD Launches App for Lake Chelan & Columbia River Conditions
14.     A Sneak Peek at San Francisco’s New Low-Carbon Neighborhood
15.     Cities Need More Expertise, Utility Support in 100% Renewables Push: Report
16.     Sweden Welcomes Its First Wooden Wind Turbine Tower
17.     Used Electric Car Batteries Could Be Recycled into New Life as Energy Storage for Solar Farms, Says New Study
18.     Rural Broadband Provider Organizations Ask USDA to Relax “Onerous” ReConnect Award Rules
19.     Last Minute Addition to Louisiana Bill Hamstrings Community Broadband
20.     CenturyLink Expanding Fiber
21.     Bitcoin Wipes Coronavirus Losses, Passes $10,000 Again
22.     States Warn That Virus May Doom Climate Projects
23.     Microsoft Is Switching Out MSN’s Contract Journalists for Artificial Intelligence
24.     Which Phase Is Your County In? What Can You Do Under the Modified Phase 1 of Washington State’s Reopening?
25.     COVID-19 Updates: 21,977 Coronavirus Cases, 1,124 Deaths Statewide
26.     Statewide COVID-19 Death Toll Increases by Six Amid Weekend Protests
27.     For Tribes, Coronavirus Becomes Barrier to Critical Gatherings
28.     Are Kids Falling Behind in School Due to Pandemic? Most WA Parents Think So, Poll Says

WORD OF THE DAY

Eolian /ee-LOW-ee-un/ Adjective – Borne, deposited, produced, or eroded by the wind.

The latest episode of “Naked & Afraid” would need to wait for another day – “Hey,” exclaimed the wool-socked environmental hermit. “What happened to my eolian-based power.”

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES


2.      Port Angeles City Council to Consider Supporting Snake River Dam Removal (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

3.      Temporary Grant PUD Rate Cut to Be Discussed (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

4.      Snohomish PUD Expands Payment Options as Meter Reading Resumes (My Edmonds News, WA)

5.      Peace River Dam Project Set to ‘Move a River’ to Build Mega Dam in Northern British Columbia (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

6.      U.S. Customers Experienced an Average of Nearly Six Hours of Power Interruptions in 2018 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

7.      Feds Highlight Strong Reliability Performance by Public Power Utilities (American Public Power Association)

8.      Coal Remains Huge Global Electricity Player Despite Declines in U.S. & Europe (Axios)

FISH & WILDLIFE

9.      Will Orcas Thrive in the Coronavirus Pandemic’s Quieter Waters? Scientists Aim to Find Out (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

10.   Updates to Columbia River Summer Salmon & Steelhead Fisheries (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

11.   Bid to Halt Nevada Oil Drilling in Sage Grouse Habitat (Associated Press)

ENVIRONMENTAL AFFLATUS – CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE

12.   Trump Environmental Rollbacks Roll on Despite Pandemic. Opponents Cry Foul (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?

13.   Chelan PUD Launches App for Lake Chelan & Columbia River Conditions (KPQ-Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

14.   A Sneak Peek at San Francisco’s New Low-Carbon Neighborhood (Utility Dive)

15.   Cities Need More Expertise, Utility Support in 100% Renewables Push: Report (Utility Dive)

16.   Sweden Welcomes Its First Wooden Wind Turbine Tower (New Atlas)

17.   Used Electric Car Batteries Could Be Recycled into New Life as Energy Storage for Solar Farms, Says New Study (Good News Network)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

18.   Rural Broadband Provider Organizations Ask USDA to Relax “Onerous” ReConnect Award Rules (Telecompetitor)

19.   Last Minute Addition to Louisiana Bill Hamstrings Community Broadband “…provisions buried in the bill at the last second restrict utilities from offering broadband anywhere an incumbent already offers service…” (TechDirt)


THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY

21.   Bitcoin Wipes Coronavirus Losses, Passes $10,000 Again (Mashable)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

22.   States Warn That Virus May Doom Climate Projects (NY Times)

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

23.   Microsoft Is Switching Out MSN’s Contract Journalists for Artificial Intelligence (Gizmodo)

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

24.   Which Phase Is Your County In? What Can You Do Under the Modified Phase 1 of Washington State’s Reopening? (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

SICKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN

25.   COVID-19 Updates: 21,977 Coronavirus Cases, 1,124 Deaths Statewide (KIRO News, Seattle, WA)

26.   Statewide COVID-19 Death Toll Increases by Six Amid Weekend Protests (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA)

27.   For Tribes, Coronavirus Becomes Barrier to Critical Gatherings (Oregonian, Portland)

28.   Are Kids Falling Behind in School Due to Pandemic? Most WA Parents Think So, Poll Says (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA – Paywall Advisory)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Florida Woman Discovers Alligators Fighting by Her Home

Nestlé Needs a Better Thesaurus for Renaming Its Plant Burger

Clawing Back Normality: Bangkok Cat Cafe Reopens after Virus Shutdown

Gibraltar Moves to Protect Its Monkeys Against Coronavirus

SONG OF THE DAY

Tony Bennett, Diana Krall – Our Love Is Here to Stay

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

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