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Items of Note from the Northwest Public Power Association
NWPPA Presents: Wildfires – What Utilities Need to Know – January 28, 202, Portland, OR.
Join wildfire experts, policymakers, utility leaders, and emergency responders to gain insights and strategies for addressing the multifaceted challenges wildfires pose to utilities in the West.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Lava Ridge: Feds
Approve Scaled-Down Idaho Wind Farm Near Historic Japanese American
Incarceration Site (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/wind-farm-idaho-minidoka-352108ac9f98d73ebeab43c547e6492d
Five-Year U.S. Load
Growth Forecast Surges 456%, to 128 GW: Grid Strategies (Utility Dive)
Californians Pay
Billions for Power Companies’ Wildfire Prevention Efforts. Are They
Cost-Effective? (Associated Press)
Oregon Approves
State’s Largest Solar Farm on 10,000 Acres of Farmland (The Oregonian,
Portland, OR)
Washington Carbon
Auctions Resume After Surviving Election Challenge (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/carbon-auctions-resume-after-surviving-election-challenge
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Five-Year
U.S. Load Growth Forecast Surges 456%, to 128 GW: Grid Strategies
2. Californians
Pay Billions for Power Companies’ Wildfire Prevention Efforts. Are They
Cost-Effective?
3. Bill
Offering Wildfire Survivors Relief from Taxes & Fees Passes Congress
4. WA
State: Grant PUD Secures Land for Small Modular Nuclear Reactor & Renewable
Energy Park
5. Governor
Proposes $20 Million for Nuclear Power, Big Tax Cut for Utah Seniors
6. Portland
General Electric CEO Blames Inflation, Infrastructure Investments for Proposed
Rate Hikes in Response to Wyden
7. Survey
Asks People How They Use the Lower Snake River
8. Feds
Anticipate Stable Supply-Demand Natural Gas Balance This Winter, But Risks
Could Emerge
9. Flathead
Electric Cooperative Receives $2.6 Million Grant to Mitigate Wildfire Risks
10. American
Public Power Association’s DEED Program Awards $477,961 in New R&D Grants –
Chelan, Clallam PUDs among Recipients
11. Lava
Ridge: Feds Approve Scaled-Down Idaho Wind Farm Near Historic Japanese American
Incarceration Site
12. Oregon
Approves State’s Largest Solar Farm on 10,000 Acres of Farmland
13. California
Popularized Solar, But It’s Behind Other States on Panels for Renters
14. French Fry
Giant That Closed Connell Plant Lands Nearly $5 Million from WA Climate Act
15. This Tiny
Town Is Oregon’s First ‘Dark Sky Community’
16. Ship
Collisions Now No. 1 Cause of Whale Deaths Worldwide, UW Study Finds
17. What Are
Pelicans Doing in the Columbia River?
18. Dworshak
Looking at Status Quo on Flood Operation – Under New Terms, Canada Is Pledged
to Store a Critical 3.6M Acre-Feet
19. $849
Million for Western Water Projects Announced by Biden Administration
20. Fiscal
Year 2025 Aging Infrastructure Projects
21. Meeting Of
Colorado River Users Wraps with Focus on Mexico & Tribes
22. Washington
Carbon Auctions Resume After Surviving Election Challenge
23. Second-Warmest
November on Record Means That 2024 Is Likely to Be Earth’s Hottest Year, Report
Says
24. Incoming
FCC Chairman Carr Takes Aim at Censorship, Infrastructure
25. Arizona:
Gov. Hobbs Announces New State Initiative to Expand Broadband Internet Access
26. Frontier
Agrees to Pay $288,000 Over Wisconsin Broadband Data Violations
27. Consumer
Reports Survey Finds Electric Vehicle Reliability Improving but Lagging Gas
Models
28. Oregon’s
Rebate Program Will Add Hundreds of New Electric Vehicle Chargers in 2025
29. Exclusive:
Trump May Cancel U.S. Postal Service Electric Mail Truck Contract, Sources Say
30. Federal
Appeals Court Upholds Law Requiring Sale or Ban of TikTok in the U.S.
31. U.S.
TikTok Content Creators Warn Followers to Find Them on Instagram, YouTube
32. Bluesky
Promises to Shake Up Social Media. It Might Finally Succeed.
33. Mocha
Mousse – Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year Is All About ‘Pleasure &
Deliciousness’
34. WA State:
Recount Confirms Challenger Mike Massey Wins Benton PUD Commissioner Pos. 3
Race by Seven Votes
35. Washington
Natural Gas Initiative Backer Files Suit to Force State to Comply
36. President
Biden Pushes Out Over $100 Billion in Clean Energy Grants as Term Winds Down
37. Guest
Essay: Grant PUD – Columbia River Treaty – Only Paying for the Actual Benefits
38. Commentary:
The Inflation Reduction Act Energy Tax Credits Are Boosting Boise’s Economy —
And Our Energy Security
39. Guest
Essay: Washington State Needs to Broaden Its Energy Strategy
Word of the Day – The Horrible Haiku Edition
Osmophobia/oz-moe-FOE-bee-uh/ Noun – Intolerance of or hypersensitivity to smells, also: aversion to or dislike of odors.
Fear the lowly skunk
The nose knows about bad smells
Osmophobia
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Five-Year U.S. Load Growth Forecast Surges 456%,
to 128 GW: Grid Strategies (Utility Dive)
2.
Californians Pay Billions for Power Companies’
Wildfire Prevention Efforts. Are They Cost-Effective? (Associated Press)
3.
Bill Offering Wildfire Survivors Relief from
Taxes & Fees Passes Congress (Washington State Standard)
4.
WA State: Grant PUD Secures Land for Small
Modular Nuclear Reactor & Renewable Energy Park (Source ONE News, Ephrata,
WA)
5.
Governor Proposes $20 Million for Nuclear Power,
Big Tax Cut for Utah Seniors (KJZZ-TV, Salt Lake City, UT)
6.
Portland General Electric CEO Blames Inflation,
Infrastructure Investments for Proposed Rate Hikes in Response to Wyden (AOL
News)
https://www.aol.com/pge-ceo-blames-inflation-infrastructure-003358498.html
7.
Survey Asks People How They Use the Lower Snake
River (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/dec/05/survey-asks-people-how-they-use-the-lower-snake-ri/
8.
Feds Anticipate Stable Supply-Demand Natural Gas
Balance This Winter, But Risks Could Emerge (Daily Energy Insider)
9.
Flathead Electric Cooperative Receives $2.6 Million
Grant to Mitigate Wildfire Risks (KPAX-TV, Missoula, MT)
10.
American Public Power Association’s DEED Program
Awards $477,961 in New R&D Grants – Chelan, Clallam PUDs among Recipients (American
Public Power Association)
https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/appas-deed-program-awards-477961-new-rd-grants
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
11.
Lava Ridge: Feds Approve Scaled-Down Idaho Wind
Farm Near Historic Japanese American Incarceration Site (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/wind-farm-idaho-minidoka-352108ac9f98d73ebeab43c547e6492d
12.
Oregon Approves State’s Largest Solar Farm on
10,000 Acres of Farmland (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
13.
California Popularized Solar, But It’s Behind
Other States on Panels for Renters (Bloomberg News)
Conservation &
Efficiency
14.
French Fry Giant That Closed Connell Plant Lands
Nearly $5 Million from WA Climate Act (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/french-fry-giant-closed-connell-130000049.html
15.
This Tiny Town Is Oregon’s First ‘Dark Sky
Community’ (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
https://www.oregonlive.com/living/2024/12/this-tiny-town-is-oregons-first-dark-sky-community.html
Fish & Wildlife
16.
Ship Collisions Now No. 1 Cause of Whale Deaths
Worldwide, UW Study Finds (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
17.
What Are Pelicans Doing in the Columbia River?
(Columbia Insight)
https://columbiainsight.org/what-are-pelicans-doing-in-the-columbia-river/
Water, Water, Anywhere?
18.
Dworshak Looking at Status Quo on Flood
Operation – Under New Terms, Canada Is Pledged to Store a Critical 3.6M
Acre-Feet (Lewiston Morning Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.lmtribune.com/local-news/dworshak-looking-at-status-quo-on-flood-operation-18236302
19.
$849 Million for Western Water Projects
Announced by Biden Administration (Washington State Standard)
20.
Fiscal Year 2025 Aging Infrastructure Projects
(Bureau of Reclamation)
https://www.usbr.gov/bil/docs/infrastructure/FY-2025-Aging-Infrastucture-Projects.pdf
21.
Meeting Of Colorado River Users Wraps with Focus
on Mexico & Tribes (Courthouse News Service)
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
22.
Washington Carbon Auctions Resume After
Surviving Election Challenge (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/carbon-auctions-resume-after-surviving-election-challenge
23.
Second-Warmest November on Record Means That
2024 Is Likely to Be Earth’s Hottest Year, Report Says (Associated Press)
London Calling –Telecommunications
24.
Incoming FCC Chairman Carr Takes Aim at
Censorship, Infrastructure (Broadband Breakfast)
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/incoming-fcc-chairman-carr-takes-aim-at-censorship-infrastructure/
25.
Arizona: Gov. Hobbs Announces New State
Initiative to Expand Broadband Internet Access (KJZZ-Radio, Phoenix, AZ)
26.
Frontier Agrees to Pay $288,000 Over Wisconsin Broadband
Data Violations (Broadband Breakfast)
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/frontier-agrees-to-pay-288-000-over-broadband-data-violations/
I Sing the Car Electric
27.
Consumer Reports Survey Finds Electric Vehicle
Reliability Improving but Lagging Gas Models (Associated Press)
28.
Oregon’s Rebate Program Will Add Hundreds of New
Electric Vehicle Chargers in 2025 (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
29.
Exclusive: Trump May Cancel U.S. Postal Service Electric
Mail Truck Contract, Sources Say (Reuters)
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
30.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Law Requiring Sale
or Ban of TikTok in the U.S. (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-court-ruling-china-6bfd505295ad44126df0544fc083d6a6
31.
U.S. TikTok Content Creators Warn Followers to
Find Them on Instagram, YouTube (Reuters)
32.
Bluesky Promises to Shake Up Social Media. It Might
Finally Succeed. (Yahoo! News)
33.
Mocha Mousse – Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year
Is All About ‘Pleasure & Deliciousness’ (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/pantones-2025-color-pleasure-deliciousness-183639844.html
Politics, Management,
and Governance
34.
WA State: Recount Confirms Challenger Mike
Massey Wins Benton PUD Commissioner Pos. 3 Race by Seven Votes (KNDO &
KNDU-TV, Yakima/Tri-Cities, WA)
35.
Washington Natural Gas Initiative Backer Files
Suit to Force State to Comply (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_7cca35a6-b428-11ef-993c-0fb0ba786642.html
36.
President Biden Pushes Out Over $100 Billion in
Clean Energy Grants as Term Winds Down (Reuters)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
37.
Guest Essay: Grant PUD – Columbia River Treaty –
Only Paying for the Actual Benefits (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
38.
Commentary: The Inflation Reduction Act Energy
Tax Credits Are Boosting Boise’s Economy — And Our Energy Security (Idaho
Capital Sun)
39.
Guest Essay: Washington State Needs to Broaden
Its Energy Strategy (Federal Way Mirror, WA)
Alligators in the Sewer – Diversions
Woman ‘Too Busy’ to
Return One-Day SUV Rental from Texas – Keeps It for Weeks, WA Cops Say
https://www.yahoo.com/news/woman-too-busy-return-one-171032842.html
Japan’s Famous Sake
Joins UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage List
Britain’s Famous Sycamore
Gap Tree Is Gone. Two Men Accused of Cutting It Down Are Going on Trial
https://apnews.com/article/sycamore-gap-tree-trial-23f66f89dc00605f44acd38670e71025
Lost Dog Found More
Than 400 Miles from Home After 3 Weeks
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/12/03/lost-pug-Bruno-400-miles-Sacramento-Bend/7171733244140/
Song of the Day
Everybody Wants to
Rule the World – Playing for Change Foundation x Young Musicians Unite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONS-itFKSSI
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