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HOTSHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Investors Plow Into Renewables, but Projects Aren’t Getting
Built (Wall Street Journal – Paywall Advisory)
U.S. Utility Shutoffs Climbed Last Year on Higher Energy
Costs (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-utility-shutoffs-climbed-last-050125402.html
Man Accused in Washington State Substation Vandalism Is
Released from Custody (Associated Press)
Conclusion of Round 15 of Negotiations to Modernize the
Columbia River Treaty Regime (U.S. Department of State)
Pacific Salmon Seem to Be Getting Smaller. Here’s What That
Might Mean for the Future (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/01/30/pacific-salmon-size-decreasing-impact-on-northwest/
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1.
U.S. Utility Shutoffs Climbed Last Year on
Higher Energy Costs
2.
Man Accused in Washington State Substation
Vandalism Is Released from Custody
3.
Utility Companies Ask Oregon Lawmakers for
Collaboration to Protect Substations
4.
Amid Substation Attacks, GOP Bill Would Enhance
Penalties for Damaging Utility Infrastructure
5.
Conclusion of Round 15 of Negotiations to
Modernize the Columbia River Treaty Regime
6.
Puget Sound Energy Rethinks Pilot Program to
Move People Off Natural Gas
7.
Douglas County PUD Adds Up to $350,000 for
Northern Mid-Columbia Joint Transmission Project
8.
WA State: More Power: Grant PUD Mulling Over
Ways to Increase County’s Power Supply by 2025
9.
Canada: Last Peace River Dam Turbine Arrives at
Construction Site
10.
Climate-Minded Electrical Companies Look to
Improve Their Weakest Link: The Wooden Utility Pole
11.
New Mexico: Bill to Redefine Combined Cycle
Natural Gas as Renewable Energy Defeated
12.
‘We Got Lucky.’ A Stronger 2022 Storm Season
Could Have Threatened Grid Recovery: EEI
13.
In the Fight Over Gas Stoves, Meet the
Industry’s Go-To Scientist
14.
Pakistan’s Nationwide Blackout Is Part of an
Escalating Crisis
15.
Launch of the Dam! Podcast
16.
Investors Plow Into Renewables, but Projects
Aren’t Getting Built
17.
How States Are Reimagining Power Grids to Take
Advantage of Wind & Solar
18.
Here’s Your Chance to Say What You Think of This
Proposed Huge Tri-Cities Wind Farm
19.
EIA: Wind, Solar Generation Is Expected to Grow
Over the Next Two Years
20.
Labs Are Scooping Up Animals Killed by Wind
Turbines
21.
Why Conservatives Are Accusing the Xbox of Being
‘Woke’
22.
Pacific Salmon Seem to Be Getting Smaller.
Here’s What That Might Mean for the Future
23.
Lawsuit Threatens to Shut Down Southeast Alaska
Salmon Troll Fishery
24.
WA State: Survival Study for Chinook Salmon
Yearlings Begins at Rocky Reach Dam
25.
AP Exclusive: Emails Reveal Tensions in Colorado
River Talks
26.
In the West, Pressure to Count Water Lost to
Evaporation
27.
RIP Washington’s Hinman Glacier, Gone After
Thousands of Years
28.
Montana: Tired of Being Told to ‘Adapt,’ an
Indigenous Community Wrote Its Own Climate Action Plan
29.
Regional Fiber Rollups May Scream Monopoly, But
It’s Complicated
30.
WA State: ToledoTel Moving Forward with Massive
Broadband Expansion
31.
Here Come the Little Electric Pickup Trucks
32.
President Biden, Speaker McCarthy to Discuss
U.S. Debt Limit in Talks on Wednesday
33. Oregon Pins Hopes on Mass Timber to Boost Housing, Jobs
WORD OF THE DAY
Divagate \DYE-vuh-gayt\ Verb – To wander or stray from a course or subject: diverge, digress.
Professor Dalgleish’s class was at a loss. What began as a lecture on obscure coins of the Roman Empire had somehow divagated into a romping cabaret-like show featuring dancing girls and sideshow barkers shouting unintelligible patter that seemed to be centered on the professor’s prized collection of old Washington State tax tokens. Surreal would be an understatement.
ENERGY &
UTILITY ISSUES
1.
U.S. Utility Shutoffs Climbed Last Year on
Higher Energy Costs (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-utility-shutoffs-climbed-last-050125402.html
2.
Man Accused in Washington State Substation
Vandalism Is Released from Custody (Associated Press)
3.
Utility Companies Ask Oregon Lawmakers for
Collaboration to Protect Substations (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
4.
Amid Substation Attacks, GOP Bill Would Enhance
Penalties for Damaging Utility Infrastructure (Arizona Mirror)
5.
Conclusion of Round 15 of Negotiations to
Modernize the Columbia River Treaty Regime (U.S. Department of State)
6.
Puget Sound Energy Rethinks Pilot Program to
Move People Off Natural Gas (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
7.
Douglas County PUD Adds Up to $350,000 for Northern
Mid-Columbia Joint Transmission Project (Wenatchee World, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
8.
WA State: More Power: Grant PUD Mulling Over
Ways to Increase County’s Power Supply by 2025 (iFIBER One News, Ephrata, WA)
9.
Canada: Last Peace River Dam Turbine Arrives at Construction
Site (Alaska Highway News, Canada)
10.
Climate-Minded Electrical Companies Look to
Improve Their Weakest Link: The Wooden Utility Pole (The Globe & Mail, Canada)
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-climate-change-electricity-utility-poles/
11.
New Mexico: Bill to Redefine Combined Cycle
Natural Gas as Renewable Energy Defeated (Roswell Daily Record, NM)
12.
‘We Got Lucky.’ A Stronger 2022 Storm Season
Could Have Threatened Grid Recovery: EEI (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nerc-summit-resilience-outage-iso-ne-supply-chain/641270/
13.
In the Fight Over Gas Stoves, Meet the Industry’s
Go-To Scientist (NY Times – Paywall Advisory)
14.
Pakistan’s Nationwide Blackout Is Part of an Escalating
Crisis (National Public Radio)
SOAPBOX SERENADE
– VOX POPULI
15.
Dam! Podcast (Northwest RiverPartners)
https://anchor.fm/dam-nwriverpartners
RENEWABLE ENERGY
& SELF STORAGE
16.
Investors Plow Into Renewables, but Projects
Aren’t Getting Built (Wall Street Journal – Paywall Advisory)
17.
How States Are Reimagining Power Grids to Take
Advantage of Wind & Solar (Fast Company)
18.
Here’s Your Chance to Say What You Think of This
Proposed Huge Tri-Cities Wind Farm (Tri-City Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article271657792.html
19.
EIA: Wind, Solar Generation Is Expected to Grow
Over the Next Two Years (Daily Energy Insider)
20.
Labs Are Scooping Up Animals Killed by Wind
Turbines (Atlantic Magazine)
CONSERVATION
& EFFICIENCY
21.
Why Conservatives Are Accusing the Xbox of Being
‘Woke’ (Washington Post, DC – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/01/25/xbox-climate-change-woke/
FISH &
WILDLIFE
22.
Pacific Salmon Seem to Be Getting Smaller. Here’s
What That Might Mean for the Future (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/01/30/pacific-salmon-size-decreasing-impact-on-northwest/
23.
Lawsuit Threatens to Shut Down Southeast Alaska Salmon
Troll Fishery (Homer News, AK)
https://www.homernews.com/news/lawsuit-threatens-to-shut-down-southeast-salmon-troll-fishery/
24.
WA State: Survival Study for Chinook Salmon
Yearlings Begins at Rocky Reach Dam (KPQ-Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/survival-study-for-chinook-salmon-yearlings-begins-at-rocky-reach-dam/
WATER, WATER,
ANYWHERE?
25.
AP Exclusive: Emails Reveal Tensions in Colorado
River Talks (Associated Press)
26.
In the West, Pressure to Count Water Lost to Evaporation
(Associated Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/in-the-west-pressure-to-count-water-lost-to-17751085.php
CLIMATE CHANGE
SEQUESTRATION VAULT
27.
RIP Washington’s Hinman Glacier, Gone After
Thousands of Years (KUOW News, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/rip-washington-s-hinman-glacier-gone-after-thousands-of-years
28.
Montana: Tired of Being Told to ‘Adapt,’ an Indigenous
Community Wrote Its Own Climate Action Plan (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/article/montana-flathead-reservation-indigenous-climate-plan/
LONDON CALLING –TELECOMMUNICATIONS
29.
Regional Fiber Rollups May Scream Monopoly, But
It’s Complicated (Fierce Telecom)
https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/regional-fiber-rollups-may-scream-monopoly-its-complicated
30.
WA State: ToledoTel Moving Forward with Massive
Broadband Expansion (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
31.
Here Come the Little Electric Pickup Trucks (Bloomberg
News)
GOVERNMENT &
GOVERNANCE
32.
President Biden, Speaker McCarthy to Discuss U.S.
Debt Limit in Talks on Wednesday (Associated Press)
OTHER THINGS TO
KNOW ABOUT TODAY
33.
Oregon Pins Hopes on Mass Timber to Boost
Housing, Jobs (Associated Press)
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Border Officials Crack Down on Attempts to Bring Eggs into
the U.S.
‘24,’ ‘Runaways,’ ‘Borg Queen’ Actor Annie Wersching Dead at
45
Archaeologists May Have Discovered the ‘Oldest’ & ‘Most
Complete’ Egyptian Mummy Yet
Green Comet Zooming Our Way, Last Visited 50,000 Years Ago
https://www.courthousenews.com/green-comet-zooming-our-way-last-visited-50000-years-ago/
SONG OF THE DAY
Star Trek: The Next Generation Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArmjRKKbYSc
LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY
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