The Energy News Digest for February 11, 2021

The Energy News Digest is sponsored by the Northwest Public Power Association. 

The News Digest on Facebook and Twitter will bring you breaking news throughout the week.

Subscribe to The Energy News Digest.

PROGRAMMING NOTE

The Energy News Digest will be observing President’s Day, Monday February 15, 2021. It will return to regularly scheduled programming on Wednesday, February 17.

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Winter Storm Warning Issued for Portland Area; Blizzard Conditions Expected in Columbia Gorge (Oregonian, Portland, OR)

https://www.oregonlive.com/weather/2021/02/winter-storm-warning-issued-for-portland-area-blizzard-conditions-expected-in-columbia-river-gorge.html

Inslee Praises Bold Thinking in $33 Billion Proposal to Breach Four Snake River Dams (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

http://www.chronline.com/northwest_regional_news/inslee-praises-bold-thinking-in-33-billion-proposal-to-breach-four-snake-river-dams/article_5932dde2-6bb0-11eb-ba08-9f1bd5ae7022.html

McMorris Rodgers Calls Dams Breach ‘Fiscally Irresponsible;’ Supports Expanded Hydropower (Ripon Advance)

https://riponadvance.com/stories/mcmorris-rodgers-calls-dams-breach-fiscally-irresponsible-supports-expanded-hydropower/

California’s Aging Dams Face New Perils, 50 Years After Sylmar Quake Crisis (Los Angeles Times, CA)

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-02-10/earthquakes-climate-change-threaten-california-dams

Environmental Groups Side with Tribes, Oppose Big Energy Storage Project on Columbia River (Portland Business Journal, OR)

https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/02/environmental-groups-side-with-tribes.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)

1.        California’s Aging Dams Face New Perils, 50 Years After Sylmar Quake Crisis

2.        Maine: Construction Starts on Disputed $1 Billion Electricity Corridor to Bring Hydropower from Canada to the NE U.S.

3.        Canada Plans Hydropower Push as Biden Looks to Clean Up U.S. Grid

4.        California Community Choice Aggregators Form Joint Powers Authority

5.        Tennessee Valley Authority: Federal Utility Gives Raise to CEO That Trump Had Criticized – Made $7.3 Million in 2020

6.        Montana: Droppings from Thousands of Roosting Ravens Cause Power Outages near Roundup

7.        Inslee Praises Bold Thinking in $33 Billion Proposal to Breach Four Snake River Dams

8.        McMorris Rodgers Calls Dams Breach ‘Fiscally Irresponsible;’ Supports Expanded Hydropower

9.        Idaho Farm Bureau Blasts Simpson’s Proposed Plan to Remove Four Lower Snake River Dams

10.     Local Utility Responds to Lower Snake River Dams Proposal

11.     Snake River Dams: Simpson’s Salmon Plan

12.     Op/Ed: Despite Unknowns, Snake River Dam-Breaching Proposal Is Opening Honest Conversations

13.     Misleading Snake River Data Undermine Region-Wide Salmon Recovery Efforts

14.     Editorial: As Good as It Is, Simpson’s Snake River Dam Plan Isn’t Enough

15.     Environmental Groups Side with Tribes, Oppose Big Energy Storage Project on Columbia River

16.     California: Palm Springs Residents Will Now Get Some of Their Energy from Palm Springs Wind Farms

17.     Waste Incinerators Won Renewable Energy Subsidies Despite Violations

18.     The Greater Appeal of Energy-Efficient Appliances Is a Reduction in Energy Costs, Not in Emissions

19.     Space Heaters Pose Safety Concerns, May Cause High Electric Bills

20.     Three Small Changes That Can Make a Big Difference in Your Utility Bill

21.     Op/Ed: We Must Work Together to Save Treasured Lake Washington Sockeye

22.     Hackers Breach, Attempt to Poison Florida City’s Water Supply

23.     Water Wars Heat Up in California

24.     WA State: Republicans Speak Out in House Environment & Energy Committee Against Natural Gas Bill

25.     How the Fossil Fuel Industry Convinced Americans to Love Gas Stoves

26.     Alaska Tribes Apply for Broadband Licenses to Improve Internet Access

27.     WA State: Data Breach at Company That Sends Utility Bills for Monroe, Redmond

28.     Bitcoin Consumes ‘More Electricity Than Argentina’

29.     Carmakers in US to Spend $250 Billion on Electrification By 2023, Push for National Standard, Group Says

30.     Public Power News in an Exciting Virtual Package – Clatskanie PUD Introduces Public Power Underground Podcast

31.     ‘Mission Unstoppable’ on CBS Encouraging Girls in STEM

32.     Biden Names Pick for Deputy Energy Chief

33.     Winter Storm Warning Issued for Portland Area; Blizzard Conditions Expected in Columbia Gorge

34.     Light Snow Falling in Parts of Western Washington, South Sound to Get Several Inches – Chance for Major Snow Event This Weekend Increasing

WORD OF THE DAY

Docile \DOSS-ill\ Adjective - 1: easily taught 2: easily led or managed.

Ambrose wandered amongst his docile minions, pleased that for once he was in charge. The employees in the stenographers’ pool parted like the ocean before the prow of a giant ship as he passed by. “This is great,” he pondered. “Once I replaced those troublesome employees with Shropshire sheep, complaints dropped off at once.” “Of course,” he mused, “These smelly ruminants get nothing done all day, except to fertilize the carpet.”

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.      California’s Aging Dams Face New Perils, 50 Years After Sylmar Quake Crisis (Los Angeles Times, CA)

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-02-10/earthquakes-climate-change-threaten-california-dams

2.      Maine: Construction Starts on Disputed $1 Billion Electricity Corridor to Bring Hydropower from Canada to the NE U.S. (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/environment-maine-847342d3a112b97ae9c5c210205cfa38

3.      Canada Plans Hydropower Push as Biden Looks to Clean Up U.S. Grid (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-hydro/canada-plans-hydropower-push-as-biden-looks-to-clean-up-us-grid-idUSKBN2A92JB

4.      California Community Choice Aggregators Form Joint Powers Authority (American Public Power Association)

https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/california-community-choice-aggregators-form-joint-powers-authority

5.      Tennessee Valley Authority: Federal Utility Gives Raise to CEO That Trump Had Criticized – Made $7.3 Million in 2020 (Associated Press)

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2021-02-11/federal-utility-gives-raise-to-ceo-that-trump-had-criticized

6.      Montana: Droppings from Thousands of Roosting Ravens Cause Power Outages near Roundup (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2021/02/08/montana-power-outages-caused-roosting-ravens-droppings-poop-northwestern-energy/4439649001/

SNAKE RIVER CONVERSATIONS – How about the (cough) Hells Canyon Complex (cough)?

7.      Inslee Praises Bold Thinking in $33 Billion Proposal to Breach Four Snake River Dams (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

http://www.chronline.com/northwest_regional_news/inslee-praises-bold-thinking-in-33-billion-proposal-to-breach-four-snake-river-dams/article_5932dde2-6bb0-11eb-ba08-9f1bd5ae7022.html

8.      McMorris Rodgers Calls Dams Breach ‘Fiscally Irresponsible;’ Supports Expanded Hydropower (Ripon Advance)

https://riponadvance.com/stories/mcmorris-rodgers-calls-dams-breach-fiscally-irresponsible-supports-expanded-hydropower/

9.      Idaho Farm Bureau Blasts Simpson’s Proposed Plan to Remove Four Lower Snake River Dams (KLEW-TV, Lewiston, ID)

https://klewtv.com/newsletter-daily/idaho-farm-bureau-blasts-simpsons-proposed-plan-on-removing-four-snake-river-dams

10.   Local Utility Responds to Lower Snake River Dams Proposal (KVEW/KAPP TV, Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA)

https://www.yaktrinews.com/utilities-company-responds-to-lower-snake-river-dams-proposal/

11.   Snake River Dams: Simpson’s Salmon Plan (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-energy/2021/02/10/simpsons-salmon-plan-793276

12.   Op/Ed: Despite Unknowns, Snake River Dam-Breaching Proposal Is Opening Honest Conversations (Oregonian, Portland, OR)

https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2021/02/opinion-despite-unknowns-dam-breaching-proposal-is-opening-honest-conversations.html

13.   Misleading Snake River Data Undermine Region-Wide Salmon Recovery Efforts (Washington Policy Center)

https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/misleading-snake-river-data-undermine-region-wide-salmon-recovery-efforts

14.   Editorial: As Good as It Is, Simpson’s Snake River Dam Plan Isn’t Enough (Lewiston Tribune, ID)

https://lmtribune.com/opinion/editorial-as-good-as-it-is-simpson-s-plan-isn-t-enough/article_86d5a89e-6a8c-11eb-b5c7-3f7986a668ab.html

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

15.   Environmental Groups Side with Tribes, Oppose Big Energy Storage Project on Columbia River (Portland Business Journal, OR)

https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/02/environmental-groups-side-with-tribes.html

16.   California: Palm Springs Residents Will Now Get Some of Their Energy from Palm Springs Wind Farms (Palm Springs Desert Sun, CA)

https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2021/02/09/desert-community-energy-signs-agreement-palm-springs-wind-farms/4440695001/

17.   Waste Incinerators Won Renewable Energy Subsidies Despite Violations (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/09/new-jersey-incinerators-energy-subsidies-467877

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

18.   The Greater Appeal of Energy-Efficient Appliances Is a Reduction in Energy Costs, Not in Emissions (Morning Consult)

https://morningconsult.com/2021/02/11/energy-efficiency-consumer-appliances/

19.   Space Heaters Pose Safety Concerns, May Cause High Electric Bills (The Ada Herald, OH)

https://timesbulletin.com/Content/Default/Homepage-Rotator/Article/Space-heaters-pose-safety-concerns-may-cause-high-electric-bills/-3/1168/226771

20.   Three Small Changes That Can Make a Big Difference in Your Utility Bill (WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC)

https://www.wcnc.com/article/money/3-ways-to-save-money-by-saving-energy-at-home/275-b184ffd4-b272-4c6a-8a86-1d9586fab115

FISH & WILDLIFE

21.   Op/Ed: We Must Work Together to Save Treasured Lake Washington Sockeye (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/we-must-work-together-to-save-treasured-lake-washington-sockeye/

WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?

22.   Hackers Breach, Attempt to Poison Florida City’s Water Supply (The Hill, Washington, DC)

https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/537890-hackers-breach-attempt-to-poison-florida-citys-water-supply

23.   Water Wars Heat Up in California (Courthouse News Service)

https://www.courthousenews.com/water-wars-heat-up-in-california/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

24.   WA State: Republicans Speak Out in House Environment & Energy Committee Against Natural Gas Bill (Battleground Reflector, WA)

http://www.thereflector.com/news/article_eef1fb6a-6be2-11eb-a6fe-cfdf4e9d8695.html

25.   How the Fossil Fuel Industry Convinced Americans to Love Gas Stoves (Mother Jones)

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2021/02/how-the-fossil-fuel-industry-convinced-americans-to-love-gas-stoves/

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

26.   Alaska Tribes Apply for Broadband Licenses to Improve Internet Access (KTOO Radio, Juneau, AK)

https://www.ktoo.org/2021/02/10/alaska-tribes-apply-for-broadband-licenses-to-improve-internet-access/

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY

27.   WA State: Data Breach at Company That Sends Utility Bills for Monroe, Redmond (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

https://mynorthwest.com/2560158/data-breach-utility-bills-monroe-redmond/

28.   Bitcoin Consumes ‘More Electricity Than Argentina’ (British Broadcasting Corporation)

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56012952

I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC

29.   Carmakers in US to Spend $250 Billion on Electrification By 2023, Push for National Standard, Group Says (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/carmakers-in-us-to-spend-250b-on-electrification-by-2023-push-for-nationa/594833/

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

30.   Public Power News in an Exciting Virtual Package – Clatskanie PUD Introduces Public Power Underground Podcast (Public Power Underground)

https://publicpowerunderground.substack.com/p/clatskanie-pud-power-department-podcast

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

31.   ‘Mission Unstoppable’ on CBS Encouraging Girls in STEM (CBS News)

https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/02/11/mission-unstoppable-on-cbs-encouraging-girls-in-stem/

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

32.   Biden Names Pick for Deputy Energy Chief (The Hill. Washington, DC)

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/538200-biden-names-pick-for-deputy-energy-chief

SNOW. YES, SNOW

33.   Winter Storm Warning Issued for Portland Area; Blizzard Conditions Expected in Columbia Gorge (Oregonian, Portland, OR)

https://www.oregonlive.com/weather/2021/02/winter-storm-warning-issued-for-portland-area-blizzard-conditions-expected-in-columbia-river-gorge.html

34.   Light Snow Falling in Parts of Western Washington, South Sound to Get Several Inches – Chance for Major Snow Event This Weekend Increasing (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/snow-forecast-wide-range-possibilities/OOP3JE4SRNFHVLTH5FBMEVY5SQ/

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Ancient Shell Horn Can Still Play a Tune after 18,000 Years

https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/weird_news/ancient-shell-horn-can-still-play-a-tune-after-18-000-years/article_77cee9fd-7e2d-5644-b3f8-fd55f58bb698.html

That Cat Zoom Filter Is Almost Impossible to Find. Here’s Why

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/10/tech/cat-lawyer-zoom-filter/index.html

The Staying Power of the Smiley Face

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/artsy-smiley-face-origin/index.html

Music to My Fears: Man Swallows Earbud While Sleeping

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Music-to-my-fears-Man-swallows-earbud-while-15930034.php

SONG OF THE DAY

James Taylor - Your Smiling Face

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSsfNlS42Cc

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

Links in The Energy News Digest lead to current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links. Media attribution includes information about possible paywall restrictions.

Environmental Groups Side with Tribes, Oppose Big Energy Storage Project on Columbia River (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Huizho Pumped Hydro Power Station, China

(GOLDENDALE, WA) - - More than a dozen environmental groups are stepping up their fight against a proposed $2.4 billion pumped storage project alongside the Columbia River, citing concerns about its impact on tribal nation cultural resources.

(The 10 Largest Pumped Storage Facilities in the World)

The groups, led by Columbia Riverkeeper, sent a letter dated Monday to Oregon’s and Washington’s governors and U.S. senators imploring them to oppose what they called an “alleged green energy development.”

The Goldendale Energy Storage Project, 110 miles upriver from Portland in Klickitat County, Washington, is seeking a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and permits from Washington state.

The developer characterizes the project as an environmentally benign way to address generating capacity needs — experts say the region could face a shortfall in the coming years — by storing intermittent solar and wind energy when those resources are plentiful.

Pumped storage works by moving water uphill when energy is available, then releasing the water downhill through generating turbines when the energy is needed.

The closed-loop Goldendale project would require construction of two reservoirs, each covering about 60 acres, one along the Columbia and another more than 2,000 vertical feet up on a bluff overlooking the river.

In a FERC filing, the Yakama Nation called the project site “an area of exceptional cultural importance” and said it would add to dams and wind farms that “devastate and destroy … traditional fishing sites, villages, burial site, ceremonial gathering places, root and medicine harvests, and cultural landmarks up and down the Columbia River.”

Environmental groups have also questioned the project’s effect on golden eagles and bald eagles.

The project was recently acquired by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, but one of the original owners, Rye Development, continues to oversee the permitting process. It emailed this statement in response to the environmental groups' letter:

“The Goldendale Energy Storage Project will help both Washington and the entire Pacific Northwest meet its clean energy goals while revitalizing a brownfield site, injecting millions of dollars in new tax revenue and creating family wage jobs in rural Washington and Oregon. We know it will be impossible for our region to meet our clean energy and climate action goals if we can’t store renewable energy to use when we need it. And this project will allow us to do so while having minimal impacts on the environment and requiring a fraction of the new infrastructure needed to import more out of state solar, wind, or battery power to the region. Rye Development and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners are honored to be in the position to help shepherd this project forward. We look forward to continuing to have ongoing and productive discussions with stakeholders at all levels as we all work to develop a project needed for the region, and nation, to reach climate goals in a timely manner.”

Last year, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law a bill that designated the Goldendale project “a project of statewide significance,” intended to expedite state permitting. Asked for comment on the letter from the environmental groups, a spokesperson for the governor emailed: “Our office is focused on following processes right now. The Governor supports a full and complete review of the impacts as required by law.”

Gov. Kate Brown’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The groups signing onto the letter, in addition to Columbia Riverkeeper, include: the Washington and Oregon Chapters of the Sierra Club, Friends of the White Salmon, Audubon Society of Portland, Washington and Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, Center for Environmental Law & Policy, Food and Water Watch, Northwest Environmental Defense Center, Friends of the Toppenish Creek, Northwest Environmental Advocates, Rogue Climate, 350PDX, and Waterkeeper Alliance.

While the project is seeking final license approval from regulators, building it will require commitments from utilities or other energy users to make use of its services. A similar but smaller project in Southern Oregon has been fully approved but has yet to find an energy off-taker.

 

The Energy News Digest for February 8, 2021

The Energy News Digest is sponsored by the Northwest Public Power Association.

The News Digest on Facebook and Twitter will bring you breaking news throughout the week.

Subscribe to The Energy News Digest.

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson Releases Plan Calling for Breaching Snake River Dams after 2030 (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/feb/07/rep-mike-simpson-of-idaho-releases-plan-calling-fo/

There Could Be an Energy Bill Debt Tsunami, Too – Unpaid utility bills have been piling up since the coronavirus crisis began (Bloomberg News)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-04/unpaid-energy-bills-bring-calls-for-utility-relief

Why Cheap Wind Power Is Making Quebec’s Big, Old Dams More Valuable as a ‘Battery,’ Say Experts (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/apuiat-dam-wind-power-1.5903334

Colorado River Outlook Darkens Dramatically in New Study (Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, AZ)

https://tucson.com/news/local/colorado-river-outlook-darkens-dramatically-in-new-study/article_15e0185d-60d7-597d-ba7f-366b8e69920e.html

Convergence Zone Snow Tonight & Major Lowland Snow Event Possible Later This Week (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2021/02/convergence-zone-snow-tonight-and-major.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)

1.      Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson Releases Plan Calling for Breaching Snake River Dams after 2030

2.      GOP Congressman Pitches $34 Billion Plan to Breach Lower Snake River Dams in New Vision for Pacific Northwest

3.      This GOP Congressman Wants to Remove Four Dams to Save Idaho’s Salmon. It’ll Cost Billions.

4.      ‘Risky Proposition.’ Can $33 Billion Make Up for Loss of Snake River Dams? Tri-Cities Groups Leery

5.      Advocacy Group Advises Further Examination of Critical Issues Impacting Pacific NW Communities

6.      There Could Be an Energy Bill Debt Tsunami, Too – Unpaid utility bills have been piling up since the coronavirus crisis began

7.      American Utilities Are Getting Pummeled by Unpaid Bills

8.      WA State: Chelan PUD Commissioners Boost Fund to Help Cover the Bills for People in Need

9.      California Utilities to Spend Billions to Cut Wildfire Risk

10.   Coal-Fired Power Took a Beating During the Pandemic, Study Finds

11.   Rescuers in India Digging for 37 Trapped in Glacier Flood – Dam Burst

12.   Why Cheap Wind Power Is Making Quebec’s Big, Old Dams More Valuable as a ‘Battery,’ Say Experts

13.   EIA Projects Renewables Share of U.S. Electricity Generation Mix Will Double by 2050

14.   Wind Developers Are Retrofitting Newer Projects with Bigger, Better Blades

15.   WA State: Snohomish PUD Can Help Homeowners Harness the Power of the Sun

16.   Rooftop Solar Power Is on the Rise, But Canada Has Yet to Embrace Its Sunny Ways

17.   Energy Adviser: Upgrades Can Help You Save

18.   Arizona: Salt River Project Offering Customers Shade Trees to Save Energy, Conserve Water

19.   Bird Lovers Helping to Learn Why Haystack Rock Puffin Numbers Are Falling

20.   Oregon: Salmon in the Smoke – Recent Forest Fires Emphasize the Danger the McKenzie River’s Wild Chinook Salmon Are In

21.   Invasive Asian Carp Is Getting a New Name & a Public Makeover to Draw More Eaters

22.   Colorado River Outlook Darkens Dramatically in New Study

23.   Bitcoin’s Wild Ride Renews Worries About Its Massive Carbon Footprint

24.   Small Internet Service Providers Say SpaceX’s Starlink Shouldn’t Get Federal Funds to Expand Internet Access

25.   NTIA Provides More Details on $1 Billion Tribal Broadband Program

26.   WA State: ‘A Basic Requirement for Modern Life’: Hansen Bill Seeks to Bolster Broadband Rollout

27.   Montana Democrats Tout Bills to Expand Rural Broadband

28.   Idaho Governor Brad Little Visits Orofino to Check in on Broadband Expansion

29.   Alaska Communications Extends Broadband Connectivity to Rural Alaska

30.   Ford Boosts Investment Plan for Electric Vehicles & Self Driving Vehicles, Reports Loss

31.   2021: When Electric Trucks Trickle In

32.   Convergence Zone Snow Tonight & Major Lowland Snow Event Possible Later This Week

33.   APPA, Other Groups Call for a $10 Billion Emergency Supplemental Appropriation for LIHEAP

WORD OF THE DAY

Haughty /HOT-tee/ Adjective - Blatantly and disdainfully proud

The thin-lipped Duke strode across the crushed velvet carpet, his haughty demeanor in harsh contrast to the long strand of toilet paper stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.      Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson Releases Plan Calling for Breaching Snake River Dams after 2030 (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/feb/07/rep-mike-simpson-of-idaho-releases-plan-calling-fo/

2.      GOP Congressman Pitches $34 Billion Plan to Breach Lower Snake River Dams in New Vision for Pacific Northwest (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/gop-congressman-pitches-34-billion-plan-to-breach-lower-snake-river-dams-in-new-vision-for-northwest/

3.      This GOP Congressman Wants to Remove Four Dams to Save Idaho’s Salmon. It’ll Cost Billions. (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)

https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/environment/article248988810.html

4.      ‘Risky Proposition.’ Can $33 Billion Make Up for Loss of Snake River Dams? Tri-Cities Groups Leery (Tri-City Herald, WA)

https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article248998910.html

5.      Advocacy Group Advises Further Examination of Critical Issues Impacting Pacific NW Communities (Northwest River Partners)

https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/02/advocacy-group-advises-further.html

6.      There Could Be an Energy Bill Debt Tsunami, Too – Unpaid utility bills have been piling up since the coronavirus crisis began (Bloomberg News)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-04/unpaid-energy-bills-bring-calls-for-utility-relief

7.      American Utilities Are Getting Pummeled by Unpaid Bills (Oil Price)

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/American-Utilities-Are-Getting-Pummeled-By-Unpaid-Bills.html

8.      WA State: Chelan PUD Commissioners Boost Fund to Help Cover the Bills for People in Need (Cashmere Valley Record, WA)

https://www.cashmerevalleyrecord.com/news/pud-commissioners-boost-fund-help-cover-bills-people-need

9.      California Utilities to Spend Billions to Cut Wildfire Risk (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-fires-california-utilities-san-diego-a60ca66f90009d234c193b7a8a6321d9

10.   Coal-Fired Power Took a Beating During the Pandemic, Study Finds (NY Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/08/climate/coal-climate-change.html

11.   Rescuers in India Digging for 37 Trapped in Glacier Flood – Dam Burst (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/india-glacier-collapse-updates-782497632330d11acdb3b53c277283e8

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

12.   Why Cheap Wind Power Is Making Quebec’s Big, Old Dams More Valuable as a ‘Battery,’ Say Experts (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/apuiat-dam-wind-power-1.5903334

13.   EIA Projects Renewables Share of U.S. Electricity Generation Mix Will Double by 2050 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=46676

14.   Wind Developers Are Retrofitting Newer Projects with Bigger, Better Blades (Energy News Network)

https://energynews.us/2021/02/04/midwest/wind-developers-are-retrofitting-newer-projects-with-bigger-better-blades/

15.   WA State: Snohomish PUD Can Help Homeowners Harness the Power of the Sun (Everett Herald, WA)

https://www.heraldnet.com/life/the-pud-can-help-homeowners-harness-the-power-of-the-sun/

16.   Rooftop Solar Power Is on the Rise, But Canada Has Yet to Embrace Its Sunny Ways (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/what-on-earth-rooftop-solar-power-canada-1.5901134?cmp=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

17.   Energy Adviser: Upgrades Can Help You Save (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

https://www.columbian.com/news/2021/feb/06/energy-adviser-upgrades-can-help-you-save/

18.   Arizona: Salt River Project Offering Customers Shade Trees to Save Energy, Conserve Water (KTAR TV, Phoenix, AZ)

https://ktar.com/story/3985239/srp-offering-customers-shade-trees-to-save-energy-conserve-water/

FISH & WILDLIFE

19.   Bird Lovers Helping to Learn Why Haystack Rock Puffin Numbers Are Falling (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2021/02/08/cannon-beach-last-place-to-see-tufted-puffins-from-shore-but-for-how-long/

20.   Oregon: Salmon in the Smoke – Recent Forest Fires Emphasize the Danger the McKenzie River’s Wild Chinook Salmon Are In (Eugene Weekly, OR)

https://www.eugeneweekly.com/2021/02/04/salmon-in-the-smoke/

21.   Invasive Asian Carp Is Getting a New Name & a Public Makeover to Draw More Eaters (Yahoo News)

https://news.yahoo.com/invasive-asian-carp-getting-name-111506073.html

WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?

22.   Colorado River Outlook Darkens Dramatically in New Study (Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, AZ)

https://tucson.com/news/local/colorado-river-outlook-darkens-dramatically-in-new-study/article_15e0185d-60d7-597d-ba7f-366b8e69920e.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

23.   Bitcoin’s Wild Ride Renews Worries About Its Massive Carbon Footprint (CNBC)

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/05/bitcoin-btc-surge-renews-worries-about-its-massive-carbon-footprint.html

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

24.   Small Internet Service Providers Say SpaceX’s Starlink Shouldn’t Get Federal Funds to Expand Internet Access (Markets Insider)

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/starlink-spacex-fcc-rural-america-2021-2-1030046137

25.   NTIA Provides More Details on $1 Billion Tribal Broadband Program (Telecompetitor)

https://www.telecompetitor.com/ntia-provides-more-details-on-1-billion-tribal-broadband-program/

26.   WA State: ‘A Basic Requirement for Modern Life’: Hansen Bill Seeks to Bolster Broadband Rollout (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2021/02/04/a-basic-requirement-modern-life-hansen-bill-seeks-bolster-broadband-rollout/4376022001/

27.   Montana Democrats Tout Bills to Expand Rural Broadband (Helena Independent-Record, MT)

https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/montana-democrats-touts-bills-to-expand-rural-broadband/article_6c24da49-60a8-5d4a-afc7-796195bcc5c5.html

28.   Idaho Governor Brad Little Visits Orofino to Check in on Broadband Expansion (KLEW-TV, Lewiston, ID)

https://klewtv.com/news/local/governor-brad-little-visits-orofino-to-to-check-in-on-broadband-expansion

29.   Alaska Communications Extends Broadband Connectivity to Rural Alaska (Capacity Media)

https://www.capacitymedia.com/articles/3827614/alaska-communications-extends-broadband-connectivity-to-rural-alaska

I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC

30.   Ford Boosts Investment Plan for Electric Vehicles & Self Driving Vehicles, Reports Loss (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/article/ford-motor-results/update-4-ford-boosts-investment-plan-for-evs-and-self-driving-vehicles-reports-loss-idUSL1N2KA31A

31.   2021: When Electric Trucks Trickle In (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/electric-class-8-trucks-battery-hydrogen/594526/

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

32.   Convergence Zone Snow Tonight & Major Lowland Snow Event Possible Later This Week (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2021/02/convergence-zone-snow-tonight-and-major.html

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

33.   APPA, Other Groups Call for a $10 Billion Emergency Supplemental Appropriation for LIHEAP (American Public Power Association)

https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/appa-other-groups-call-10-billion-emergency-supplemental-appropriation-liheap

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Big Crowd Turns Out for Annual Eaton Family Cattle Drive

https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/big-crowd-turns-out-for-annual-cattle-drive/article_0ee3ab49-2654-592f-b563-393b1b7a388e.html

$22,000 Flute Lost on Chicago Train Turns Up in Pawn Shop

https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/weird_news/22-000-flute-lost-on-chicago-train-turns-up-in-pawn-shop/article_7334fbc4-17b1-50d1-a564-a2efb70e0869.html

Wallet Lost in Antarctica in ‘60s Returned to California Man

https://apnews.com/article/antarctica-california-san-diego-ba251d7bdfc451509e7339006ed69b1a

Shelter Offers to Have Cats Poop on the Names of Donors’ Exes

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/02/05/Shelter-offers-to-have-cats-poop-on-the-names-of-donors-exes/9021612555031/

SONG OF THE DAY

Jethro Tull – Bourée

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6ZJGaT30wk

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

Links in The Energy News Digest lead to current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links. Media attribution includes information about possible paywall restrictions.

Advocacy Group Advises Further Examination of Critical Issues Impacting Pacific NW Communities (Northwest River Partners)

US Rep. Mike Simpson (R - Idaho) has started discussions about a multi-billion-dollar proposal that could dramatically change the way electricity is provided and goods are delivered across the Pacific Northwest. The sheer magnitude of the plan and its timing, amid a federal stimulus push, has captured the region’s attention. Behind the plan is Rep. Simpson’s hope to put an end to the decades-long legal battle over salmon restoration and the lower Snake River dams.

The proposal, which continues to evolve, would create a $32 billion Columbia Basin Fund with many objectives, but the primary aim is to finance the breaching of the lower Snake River dams and to replace them with alternative forms of clean energy and batteries. Because the dams enable other critical benefits, such as transportation and irrigation, the fund would also attempt to compensate the many communities, farms, and businesses that depend on the dams as a mainstay for their livelihoods.

We are encouraged that the scale of the plan’s budget reflects the tremendous value that the lower Snake River dams bring to the region. That long-debated topic is effectively put to rest by the proposal’s significant price tag. Like Rep. Simpson, we also have a vision for regional collaboration that moves the Northwest beyond the courtroom and towards partnership. This collaboration is in the best interest of recovering threatened and endangered salmon populations while we work to achieve a clean and equitable energy future for all of our residents. We appreciate that the Simpson plan clearly reflects extensive input of tribal nations and hundreds of stakeholder groups.

At the same time, Northwest RiverPartners has long-opposed breaching the lower Snake River dams. We truly believe that carbon-free hydroelectricity is an important part of the solution to the salmon crisis. It is also a critical part of providing affordable, clean electricity to the region's vulnerable communities. While we remain open-minded about the Simpson proposal, there are several key issues in the plan that need to be addressed before we can consider it a fair and equitable solution for our Northwest communities.

First, we believe the case for breaching to save salmon lacks scientific rigor. Given the Pacific Coast-wide declines in salmon survival in both dammed and undammed rivers, it is hard to make the case that breaching dams with advanced fish passage technology will reverse this disturbing trend.

In addition, a growing body of science suggests warming, acidifying oceans are the driving factor behind worldwide declines in marine fish populations, including salmon. Breaching the lower Snake River dams does nothing to address this issue.

In fact, the Simpson proposal substantially increases the region’s C02 output by eliminating low-carbon barging and shifting transported goods to semi-trucks and rail. This shift could result in hundreds of thousands of additional tons of C02 in our atmosphere each year.

If sustainable salmon populations don’t return to the Snake River, US taxpayers will have footed the bill to the tune of tens of billions of dollars to end up with a larger carbon footprint than we have today.

We are also concerned by the speculative nature of the plan’s energy replacement component. Hydropower and pumped-storage dams are proven technologies that we can depend on, but long-duration utility-scale batteries and small modular nuclear reactors are still very much in the exploratory stage. We welcome the advancement of these technologies, but the region’s electric customers should not be made reliant on technological breakthroughs to keep the lights on.

We also urge a more circumspect approach to the topic of litigation. The Simpson plan includes a 35-year moratorium on salmon-related lawsuits against dam operators, but with the multitude of laws and regulations governing waterways, we are worried the plan may fall short. We are particularly concerned that state jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act provides an open door for additional legal actions. As it stands, the proposed moratorium seems ripe for a legal challenge and warrants additional safeguards.

Many families in the Northwest rely on dam-dependent employment, whether they are seasonal farmworkers or riverboat operators. Any plan around dam removal must consider how we specifically support these families. As we’ve learned throughout the pandemic, a check from the government cannot make up for the loss of one’s career. We must ensure the transition of livelihoods for those who rely on the lower Snake River dams.

We believe Rep. Simpson’s plan has the best of intentions, and it deserves to be vetted among Northwest stakeholder groups. However, considering the extremely high stakes involved, we cannot afford to ignore the need for a much more thorough analysis of what the plan can actually deliver and the deep impact it may have on our diverse Northwest communities.