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Programming Note
The Energy News Digest will take January 1, 2025 off. It will return tanned, rested, and relaxed on January 6, 2025
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Artificial
Intelligence Development May Be ‘Distorting’ Electricity Flow in U.S.: Report
(MSN News)
Google Datacenters
in Nevada to Go Full Steam Ahead with Geothermal Energy (MSN News)
The West Found a
Miles-Long Piece of Evidence Backing Its Claim Russia Is Purposely Cutting
Undersea Cables (MSN News)
How Damming the
Columbia River Transformed Central Washington (Cascade PBS)
J Pod Orca Who
Pushed Dead Calf for 1,000 Miles Gives Birth to New Baby (KOMO News, Seattle,
WA)
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. The
West Found a Miles-Long Piece of Evidence Backing Its Claim Russia Is Purposely
Cutting Undersea Cables
2. How
Damming the Columbia River Transformed Central Washington
3. Columbia
River Treaty Talks Continue Amid Incoming Trump Presidency
4. Oregon
Lawmakers to Introduce Bill Barring Utility Rate Increases Amid Unresolved
Wildfire Lawsuits
5. Federal
Wildfire Relief Act Would Turn Wildfire Mitigation Over to States
6. Downed
Power Line Sparks Fires, Shocks Three Firefighters & Another Person in
Vancouver
7. District
of Columbia Residents Can Now Choose 100% Nuclear Power as Energy Debate
Intensifies in Maryland
8. DOE
Natural Gas Analysis Draws Disbelief from Republicans, Industry
9. China
to Build World’s Largest Hydropower Dam in Tibet
10. A
Weather Phenomenon Dubbed ‘Dunkelflaute’ Is Causing Havoc in Germany &
Pushing Energy Prices to 2-Decade Highs
11. How
Two FERC Orders Revolutionized the Power Utility Industry
12. Artificial
Intelligence Development May Be ‘Distorting’ Electricity Flow in U.S.: Report
13. Pacific
Northwest Power Planners Challenged by Increasing Demand of Data Centers
14. Central
Washington – The Scenic Beauty Spot Tipped to Be the Next Silicon Valley as
Artificial Intelligence Firms Flock There
15. Ireland
Embraced Data Centers That the Artificial Intelligence Boom Needs. Now They’re
Consuming Too Much of Its Energy
16. In
the Shadows of Arizona’s Data Center Boom, Thousands Live without Power
17. Google
Datacenters in Nevada to Go Full Steam Ahead with Geothermal Energy
18. Was
2024 a Breakout Year for Next-Generation Geothermal Energy?
19. Opponents
Want to Stop $500 Million Wyoming Wind Farm, Say It Will Kill Eagles & Bats
20. J
Pod Orca Who Pushed Dead Calf for 1,000 Miles Gives Birth to New Baby
21. WA
State: Douglas County PUD Unveils Railroad Bridge PIT Tag Project
22. ‘It
Just Tastes Like Time’: Salmon Are a Sacred Relative to the Nisqually Tribe
& Native Americans Across the Pacific Northwest
23. Oregon
Aims to Count Beavers, Change Narrative About Resourceful Rodents
24. La
Niña or ‘La Nada?’ Washington State Starts Winter with Solid Snowpack
25. Young
Activists Take on a Government Agency in a Florida Climate Lawsuit
26. Gov.
Kotek Won’t Designate Rural Land for Chip Industry After All as Oregon’s Hopes
for Research Hub Fade
27. President-Elect
Trump Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Delay TikTok Ban So He Can Weigh in After He
Takes Office
28. Jimmy
Carter, the 39th U.S. President, Has Died at 100
29. WA
State: Jury Awards Over $3 Million to Former Northshore Utility District
Employee in Gender Discrimination Case
30. Getting
There: Columbia River Treaty Updates Could Force Temporary Closures of
Inchelium Ferry
31. Editorial:
Don’t Block the Will of Voters on Natural Gas
32.
To Solve Washington’s Problems, The Next
Governor Must Learn from Inslee’s Mistakes
Word of the Day – Horrible Haiku Edition
Sizzle /SIZZ-ull/ Transitive
Verb – 1: to burn up or sear with or as if with a hissing sound 2: to seethe
with deep anger or resentment
Noun – 1: a hissing sound 2: pizzazz, excitement.
Did someone say BACON? Happy Bacon Day!
Crispy, salty kiss,
Sizzle sings a smoky song
Bliss in every bite
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
The West Found a Miles-Long Piece of Evidence
Backing Its Claim Russia Is Purposely Cutting Undersea Cables (MSN News)
2.
How Damming the Columbia River Transformed Central
Washington (Cascade PBS)
3.
Columbia River Treaty Talks Continue Amid
Incoming Trump Presidency (The Salmon Arm Observer, BC)
4.
Oregon Lawmakers to Introduce Bill Barring
Utility Rate Increases Amid Unresolved Wildfire Lawsuits (KIRO Broadcasting,
Seattle, WA)
5.
Federal Wildfire Relief Act Would Turn Wildfire
Mitigation Over to States (Daily Energy Insider)
6.
Downed Power Line Sparks Fires, Shocks Three
Firefighters & Another Person in Vancouver (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
7.
District of Columbia Residents Can Now Choose
100% Nuclear Power as Energy Debate Intensifies in Maryland (WBFF-TV, Baltimore,
MD)
8.
DOE Natural Gas Analysis Draws Disbelief from Republicans,
Industry (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_a4eb8bbe-be4d-11ef-8da8-93c19cf51b39.html?a
9.
China to Build World’s Largest Hydropower Dam in
Tibet (Reuters)
10.
A Weather Phenomenon Dubbed ‘Dunkelflaute’ Is
Causing Havoc in Germany & Pushing Energy Prices to 2-Decade Highs (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-phenomenon-dubbed-dunkelflaute-causing-150502917.html
11.
How Two FERC Orders Revolutionized the Power
Utility Industry (Bonneville Power Administration)
Data Center Brain Drain
12.
Artificial Intelligence Development May Be ‘Distorting’
Electricity Flow in U.S.: Report (MSN News)
13.
Pacific Northwest Power Planners Challenged by
Increasing Demand of Data Centers (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_3cbd7406-c4a3-11ef-9ad8-2fe5b4cf12f3.html?a
14.
Central Washington – The Scenic Beauty Spot
Tipped to Be the Next Silicon Valley as Artificial Intelligence Firms Flock
There (The Daily Mail, UK)
15.
Ireland Embraced Data Centers That the Artificial
Intelligence Boom Needs. Now They’re Consuming Too Much of Its Energy (Associated
Press)
https://apnews.com/article/ai-data-centers-ireland-6c0d63cbda3df740cd9bf2829ad62058
16.
In the Shadows of Arizona’s Data Center Boom,
Thousands Live without Power (MSN News)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
17.
Google Datacenters in Nevada to Go Full Steam
Ahead with Geothermal Energy (MSN News)
18.
Was 2024 a Breakout Year for Next-Generation
Geothermal Energy? (Canary Media)
19.
Opponents Want to Stop $500 Million Wyoming Wind
Farm, Say It Will Kill Eagles & Bats (Cowboy State Daily)
Fish & Wildlife
20.
J Pod Orca Who Pushed Dead Calf for 1,000 Miles
Gives Birth to New Baby (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
21.
WA State: Douglas County PUD Unveils Railroad
Bridge PIT Tag Project (Quad City Herald, Wenatchee, WA)
https://www.qcherald.com/stories/douglas-county-pud-unveils-railroad-bridge-pit-tag-project,107099
22.
‘It Just Tastes Like Time’: Salmon Are a Sacred
Relative to the Nisqually Tribe & Native Americans Across the Pacific Northwest
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/12/27/nisqually-tribe-winter-moon-celebration/
23.
Oregon Aims to Count Beavers, Change Narrative
About Resourceful Rodents (The Oregonian, Portland, OR – Via MSN)
Water, Water, Anywhere?
24.
La Niña or ‘La Nada?’ Washington State Starts
Winter with Solid Snowpack (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
25.
Young Activists Take on a Government Agency in a
Florida Climate Lawsuit (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/florida-climate-lawsuit-young-activists-68e32d4bd25bef4991b92a5020c2e35e
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
26.
Gov. Kotek Won’t Designate Rural Land for Chip
Industry After All as Oregon’s Hopes for Research Hub Fade (The Oregonian, Portland,
WA)
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
27.
President-Elect Trump Asks U.S. Supreme Court to
Delay TikTok Ban So He Can Weigh in After He Takes Office (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-supreme-court-trump-b96013a8447e9bdb5508ebe436aadf9a
Politics, Governance,
and Management
28.
Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. President, Has Died at
100 (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-carter-dies-18c198c20352c835bca3eec276020dd7
29.
WA State: Jury Awards Over $3 Million to Former
Northshore Utility District Employee in Gender Discrimination Case (CityBiz)
Other Things to Know
About Today
30.
Getting There: Columbia River Treaty Updates
Could Force Temporary Closures of Inchelium Ferry (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA
– Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/dec/30/getting-there-columbia-river-treaty-updates-could-/
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
31.
Editorial: Don’t Block the Will of Voters on Natural
Gas (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
https://www.chronline.com/stories/other-views-dont-block-the-will-of-voters-on-natural-gas,372571
32.
To Solve Washington’s Problems, The Next
Governor Must Learn from Inslee’s Mistakes (Washington Policy Center)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Two Portland Men
Die Searching for Sasquatch in Washington Wilderness
Police Identify
Vandal Who Did Donuts, Tore Up Leavenworth Park
‘Once in a Lifetime’:
Video Captures Mesmerizing ‘Dolphin Stampede’ Off California Coast
https://www.yahoo.com/news/once-lifetime-video-captures-mesmerizing-193140630.html
Young Mammoth
Remains Discovered in Siberian Permafrost After Roughly 50,000 Years
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/mammoth-remains-siberia-1.7417674?cmp=rss
Song of the Day
John Williams – Hoth
Theme (Star Wars Soundtrack)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF1Ausx-5cQ
Links & Paywall Advisory
Links in The Energy News Digest are for current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links.
Although I choose
stories that are accessible without paying a subscription, individual
experiences may vary. Media attribution includes information about possible
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files may help you access some paywall sites.
