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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
FBI: White Supremacists Plotted Attack on U.S. Power Grid
(Associated Press)
Christmas Eve Blackout May Leave Southern California in the
Dark (Bloomberg News)
Power Out at Oregon Prison Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
(Associated Press)
New Washington State Whale Watching Rules to Take Effect in
2021 (Associated Press)
https://www.opb.org/article/2020/12/23/washington-whale-watching-new-rules/
Survey Shows Considerable Glacier Loss in the Mountains of
Oregon (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2020/12/23/climate-change-oregon-mountains-glacier-loss/
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1.
FBI: White Supremacists Plotted Attack on U.S.
Power Grid
2.
Christmas Eve Blackout May Leave Southern
California in the Dark
3.
Power Out at Oregon Prison Amid COVID-19
Outbreak
4.
Oregon: NW Natural Offers Hotel Rooms, Blankets
to Hood River Customers During Outage
5.
Portland General Electric Energy Trading Losses
Will Cost Top Execs
6.
Lawsuit Seeks Reports on Willamette River Dams’
Structural Integrity
7.
Oregon Regulators Turn PacifiCorp Rate Hike
Request into a Cut
8.
WA State: Schuyler Burkhart Named Next Grays
Harbor PUD General Manager
9.
Seattle’s Move to Electric Heat Won’t Kill the
Gas Stove, Yet
10.
British Columbia: First Peace River Dam Turbines
Expected to Arrive Here Next Month
11.
Energy Department: Idaho Top Choice for New Test
Reactor
12.
A Teen & a Cat Knocked Out Power to 1,000
Pasco Customers
13.
Starlings’ Aerial Antics Behind Mystery of
Scots’ Power Outages
14.
Researchers Identify Which West Coast Regions
Hold Greatest Wave Energy Potential
15.
Pacific Northwest Poised to Test 100% Renewables
as Utilities Weigh Gas Vs. Storage
16.
Washington Utilities and Transportation
Commission Issues Policy Statement on Renewable Natural Gas
17.
Green Home-Renovation Firm Bankrupted by Tougher
Rules, Lawsuits
18.
New Washington State Whale Watching Rules to
Take Effect in 2021
19.
Op/Ed: States Need Federal Cooperation to Save
Salmon
20.
New Blue Whale Population Discovered after
Scientists Hear Unknown Song
21.
Congress Passes Bill on Navajo Nation Water
Rights in Utah
22.
Flint Agrees to Pay $20 Million in Water Crisis
Settlement
23.
Survey Shows Considerable Glacier Loss in the
Mountains of Oregon
24.
Warmer Winters Causing More Ice-Free Lakes in
Northern Hemisphere, Study Finds
25.
Senator Cantwell Pushed for Tribal Broadband
& FCC Telehealth Program in COVID Relief Bill
26.
Millions of Low-Income Americans Will Receive
Internet Access Rebates Under New $7 Billion Broadband Stimulus Plan
27.
Industry Groups Ask FCC to Raise Broadband Speed
Definition to a Gigabit
28.
FERC Proposes Incentives for Voluntary
Cybersecurity Investments, in Race to Secure Nation’s Electric Grid
29.
Grammar Mistakes That Medium’s Copy Editors
Really Don’t Want You to Make
30.
BP Joins Gas-From-Cow-Manure Push with Joint
Venture in U.S.
31.
President Trump Threatens COVID Relief, House
Speaker Pelosi Urges ‘Sign the Bill’
32. In Massive Energy Investments, Some See Just a Start
WORD OF THE DAY
Frenetic /fruh-NET-ick/ Adjective – Marked by excitement, disorder, or anxiety-driven activity: frenzied, frantic.
Frenetic. See Costco, 5 PM, Sunday, December 23, 2018.
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
FBI: White Supremacists Plotted Attack on U.S.
Power Grid (Associated Press)
2.
Christmas Eve Blackout May Leave Southern
California in the Dark (Bloomberg News)
3.
Power Out at Oregon Prison Amid COVID-19
Outbreak (Associated Press)
4.
Oregon: NW Natural Offers Hotel Rooms, Blankets to
Hood River Customers During Outage (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)
5.
Portland General Electric Energy Trading Losses
Will Cost Top Execs (Portland Business Journal, OR)
https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2020/12/portland-general-electric-energy.html
6.
Lawsuit Seeks Reports on Willamette River Dams’
Structural Integrity (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2020/12/22/willamette-river-dam-structural-integrity-lawsuit/
7.
Oregon Regulators Turn PacifiCorp Rate Hike
Request into a Cut (Portland Business Journal, OR)
https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2020/12/oregon-regulators-turn-pacificorp-rate.html
8.
WA State: Schuyler Burkhart Named Next Grays
Harbor PUD General Manager (KXRO Radio, Aberdeen, WA)
https://www.kxro.com/schuyler-burkhart-named-next-pud-general-manager/
9.
Seattle’s Move to Electric Heat Won’t Kill the
Gas Stove, Yet (Seattle Metro, WA)
10.
British Columbia: First Peace River Dam Turbines
Expected to Arrive Here Next Month (Alaska Highway News)
11.
Energy Department: Idaho Top Choice for New Test
Reactor (Associated Press)
12.
A Teen & a Cat Knocked Out Power to 1,000 Pasco
Customers (Tri-City Herald, WA)
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/crime/article248008150.html
13.
Starlings’ Aerial Antics Behind Mystery of Scots’
Power Outages (The Guardian, UK)
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
14.
Researchers Identify Which West Coast Regions
Hold Greatest Wave Energy Potential (Mirage News)
15.
Pacific Northwest Poised to Test 100% Renewables
as Utilities Weigh Gas Vs. Storage (Utility Dive)
16.
Washington Utilities and Transportation
Commission Issues Policy Statement on Renewable Natural Gas (National Law Review)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
17.
Green Home-Renovation Firm Bankrupted by Tougher
Rules, Lawsuits (Bloomberg News)
FISH & WILDLIFE
18.
New Washington State Whale Watching Rules to Take
Effect in 2021 (Associated Press)
https://www.opb.org/article/2020/12/23/washington-whale-watching-new-rules/
19.
Op/Ed: States Need Federal Cooperation to Save
Salmon (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/dec/23/eric-crawford-state-of-play-for-salmon/
20.
New Blue Whale Population Discovered after Scientists
Hear Unknown Song (Gizmodo)
https://earther.gizmodo.com/new-blue-whale-population-discovered-after-scientists-h-1845933456
WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?
21.
Congress Passes Bill on Navajo Nation Water
Rights in Utah (Associated Press)
22.
Flint Agrees to Pay $20 Million in Water Crisis
Settlement (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/flint-agrees-to-pay-20-million-in-water-crisis-settlement/
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
23.
Survey Shows Considerable Glacier Loss in the Mountains
of Oregon (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2020/12/23/climate-change-oregon-mountains-glacier-loss/
24.
Warmer Winters Causing More Ice-Free Lakes in Northern
Hemisphere, Study Finds (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/warmer-winters-ice-free-lakes-1.5851815?cmp=rss
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
25.
Senator Cantwell Pushed for Tribal Broadband
& FCC Telehealth Program in COVID Relief Bill (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
26.
Millions of Low-Income Americans Will Receive Internet
Access Rebates Under New $7 Billion Broadband Stimulus Plan (Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/22/internet-rebate-coronavirus-stimulus/
27.
Industry Groups Ask FCC to Raise Broadband Speed
Definition to a Gigabit (Telecompetitor)
THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY
28.
FERC Proposes Incentives for Voluntary
Cybersecurity Investments, in Race to Secure Nation’s Electric Grid (Utility
Dive)
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA
29.
Grammar Mistakes That Medium’s Copy Editors
Really Don’t Want You to Make (Medium)
BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE
30.
BP Joins Gas-From-Cow-Manure Push with Joint
Venture in U.S. (Bloomberg News)
GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT
31.
President Trump Threatens COVID Relief, House Speaker
Pelosi Urges ‘Sign the Bill’ (Associated Press)
32.
In Massive Energy Investments, Some See Just a Start
(The Hill, Washington, DC)
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Bill Gross Harassed Neighbor with ‘Gilligan’s Island’ Song,
Judge Rules
Chestnuts Roasting on a Dumpster Fire: 16 Extremely 2020 Yule
Log Videos
https://mashable.com/article/2020-yule-log-dumpster-fire-video/
Seuss-Star Trek Mash-Up Crashes and Burns at Ninth Circuit
https://www.courthousenews.com/seuss-star-trek-mash-up-crash-lands-with-ninth-circuit/
Two Delta Passengers Open the Door of a Moving Plane &
Slide Out (With A Dog) at LaGuardia Airport
https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/21/us/la-guardia-delta-flight-passengers-exit/index.html
SONG OF THE DAY
Lobo – Me & You & A Dog Named Boo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fgGNZYR5QM
LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY
Links in the news digest lead to current stories. Media
organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken
links. Possible Paywall restrictions are noted in the media attribution.