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
1.
FirstEnergy, Duke Challenge Sierra Club Claims
of ‘Greenwashing’ on Climate Goals
2.
Bye-Bye, Gas Heat? Proposals for Washington Seek
to Phase Out Fossil Fuel Heating in Buildings
3.
California Regulators Express ‘Deep Concern’
over Southern California Edison 2020 Power Shutoff Practices
4.
SoCal Edison Reaches $2.2 Billion Settlement for
Woolsey Fire
5.
Op/Ed: What the New Energy Act Will Bring to the
Pacific Northwest
6.
Op/Ed: Hydropower Needs to Have a Place in Our
Clean Energy Vision
7.
The Energy 202: Biden Under Pressure to Stop
Utility Shutoffs during Pandemic
8.
WA State: Clark Public Utilities – Moody’s
Announces Completion of a Periodic Review of Ratings
9.
Western Area Power Administration Announces
Revised Mission & Vision
10.
Construction of Rock Island Dam on the Columbia
River Begins on January 27, 1930
11.
Arizona Regulators OK’d Carbon-Free Energy
Rules; Now the Legislature Could Strip Their Powers
12.
Can Pumped-Hydro Help Colorado Utilities
Integrate More Renewables?
13.
Wyoming: New Studies Show Pronghorn Avoid Wind
Turbines. But More Work Is Being Done to Determine the Exact Toll & Wind
Development Expands
14.
Chelan PUD Offers Winery Energy Efficiency
Program
15.
Empty Seas: Oceanic Shark Populations Dropped
71% Since 1970
16.
Op/Ed: Dams – Can’t Afford to ‘Breach First
& Answer Questions Later’
17.
Op/Ed: Treaty Rights Demand Bold Action to Save
Salmon
18.
Portland Mayor Seeks to Delay Proposed Carbon
Tax after Businesses Complain
19.
FCC’S Acting Chair Says Agency Reviewing Reports
of U.S. East Coast Internet Outages
20.
California: Wave Broadband Acquires Digital West
21.
How The Biden Administration Plans To Expand
Broadband
22.
Cable, Internet Costs Are Heading Higher; Even
Cord-Cutters Will Take a Hit as More Are Homebound
23.
WA State: Cryptocurrency Rates Subject of Grant
PUD Commission Discussion
24.
Microsoft Profits Jump 33 Percent as Pandemic Continues
Shift to Cloud Computing
25.
Biden Plan to Electrify Federal Fleet Will Boost
EV Market, But Many Questions Remain, Experts Say
26.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Accelerates Fleet Electrification with Five All-Electric Medium-Duty Work
Trucks
27.
Wealthy Couple Chartered a Plane to the Yukon,
Took Vaccines Meant for Indigenous Elders, Authorities Said
28. Chatterjee Calls on Congress to Update Federal Energy Policy to Alleviate Burden on FERC
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
FirstEnergy, Duke Challenge Sierra Club Claims of ‘Greenwashing’
on Climate Goals (Utility Dive)
Bye-Bye, Gas Heat? Proposals for Washington Seek to Phase
Out Fossil Fuel Heating in Buildings (Northwest News Network)
WA State: Cryptocurrency Rates Subject of Grant PUD
Commission Discussion (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2021/jan/26/cryptocurrency-rates-subject-grant-pud-commission-/
Arizona Regulators OK’d Carbon-Free Energy Rules; Now the
Legislature Could Strip Their Powers (Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ)
Empty Seas: Oceanic Shark Populations Dropped 71% Since 1970
(Associated Press)
WORD OF THE DAY
Penchant \PEN-chunt\ Noun - A strong and continued inclination; broadly: liking.
Fredo’s penchant for the nose-jolting flavor of wasabi almonds created a buzz throughout the cubicles. One enterprising secretary started a secret pool to guess how long it would take for flames to start shooting from the nostrils of the nut-obsessed gourmand.
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
FirstEnergy, Duke Challenge Sierra Club Claims of
‘Greenwashing’ on Climate Goals (Utility Dive)
2.
Bye-Bye, Gas Heat? Proposals for Washington Seek
to Phase Out Fossil Fuel Heating in Buildings (Northwest News Network)
3.
California Regulators Express ‘Deep Concern’ over
Southern California Edison 2020 Power Shutoff Practices (Utility Dive)
4.
SoCal Edison Reaches $2.2 Billion Settlement for
Woolsey Fire (Bloomberg News)
5.
Op/Ed: What the New Energy Act Will Bring to the
Pacific Northwest (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/what-the-new-energy-act-will-bring-to-the-northwest/
6.
Op/Ed: Hydropower Needs to Have a Place in Our
Clean Energy Vision (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)
https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/01/oped-hydropower-needs-to-have-place-in.html
7.
The Energy 202: Biden Under Pressure to Stop
Utility Shutoffs during Pandemic (Washington Post)
8.
WA State: Clark Public Utilities – Moody’s Announces
Completion of a Periodic Review of Ratings (Moody’s Investor Service)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/clark-county-public-utility-district-203808261.html
9.
Western Area Power Administration Announces
Revised Mission & Vision (Western Area Power Administration)
https://www.wapa.gov/newsroom/NewsReleases/2021/Pages/wapa-announces-revised-mission-and-vision.aspx
10.
Construction of Rock Island Dam on the Columbia
River Begins on January 27, 1930 (HistoryLink)
https://www.historylink.org/File/21173
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
11.
Arizona Regulators OK’d Carbon-Free Energy
Rules; Now the Legislature Could Strip Their Powers (Arizona Republic, Phoenix,
AZ)
12.
Can Pumped-Hydro Help Colorado Utilities
Integrate More Renewables? (Mountain Town News, Arvada, CO)
https://mountaintownnews.net/2021/01/26/pumped-storage-hydro/
13.
Wyoming: New Studies Show Pronghorn Avoid Wind
Turbines. But More Work Is Being Done to Determine the Exact Toll & Wind
Development Expands. (Casper Star-Tribune, WY)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
14.
Chelan PUD Offers Winery Energy Efficiency
Program (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://www.kpq.com/chelan-pud-offers-winery-energy-efficiency-program/
FISH & WILDLIFE
15.
Empty Seas: Oceanic Shark Populations Dropped
71% Since 1970 (Associated Press)
16.
Op/Ed: Dams – Can’t Afford to ‘Breach First &
Answer Questions Later’ (Idaho County Free Press, Grangeville, ID)
17.
Op/Ed: Treaty Rights Demand Bold Action to Save
Salmon (Tri-City Herald, WA)
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article248760015.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
18.
Portland Mayor Seeks to Delay Proposed Carbon
Tax after Businesses Complain (Oregonian, Portland, OR)
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
19.
FCC’S Acting Chair Says Agency Reviewing Reports
of U.S. East Coast Internet Outages (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-internet-idUSKBN29V29T
20.
California: Wave Broadband Acquires Digital West
(Telecompetitor)
https://www.telecompetitor.com/wave-broadband-acquires-digital-west/
21.
How The Biden Administration Plans To Expand
Broadband (Forbes Magazine)
22.
Cable, Internet Costs Are Heading Higher; Even
Cord-Cutters Will Take a Hit as More Are Homebound (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY
23.
WA State: Cryptocurrency Rates Subject of Grant
PUD Commission Discussion (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2021/jan/26/cryptocurrency-rates-subject-grant-pud-commission-/
24.
Microsoft Profits Jump 33 Percent as Pandemic
Continues Shift to Cloud Computing (NY Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/business/microsoft-earnings.html
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
25.
Biden Plan to Electrify Federal Fleet Will Boost
EV Market, But Many Questions Remain, Experts Say (Utility Dive)
26.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District Accelerates
Fleet Electrification with Five All-Electric Medium-Duty Work Trucks (Green Car
Congress)
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/01/20210127-smud.html
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA
27.
Wealthy Couple Chartered a Plane to the Yukon,
Took Vaccines Meant for Indigenous Elders, Authorities Said (Seattle Times, WA
– Paywall Advisory)
GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT
28.
Chatterjee Calls on Congress to Update Federal
Energy Policy to Alleviate Burden on FERC (Utility Dive)
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Inaugural Poet Amanda Gorman to Perform at Super Bowl
Oklahoma Lawmaker Proposes ‘Bigfoot’ Hunting Season
The Inside of This Rock Looks Just Like Cookie Monster, And
It’s Worth a Lot of Dough
After 17 Years Underground, A Swarm of Cicadas Is Set to
Descend on America
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/17-years-underground-swarm-of-cicadas_n_601053c6c5b6c5586aa45b47
SONG OF THE DAY
Les Crane – Desiderata
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDFBMuXxXHM
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.
