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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Snow & Irrigation: Water Content of Snowpack in Upper
Columbia Basin Is at 116% of Average (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2021/jan/04/officials-expect-wetter-year-more-snow/
WA State: Grant PUD Priest Rapids Dam Workers Released from
Sequestration (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2021/jan/04/priest-rapids-workers-released-sequestration-after/
WA State: Violet Power to Build Solar Panel Plant at Port of
Moses Lake (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2021/jan/04/violet-power-build-port-moses-lake/
Montana’s Largest Wind Farm Will Be Built Near Colstrip
Beginning in 2021 (Billings Gazette, MT)
https://energynewsfeed.blogspot.com/2021/01/montanas-largest-wind-farm-will-be.html
WA State: Lake Washington Sockeye Hit Record Low, Another
Signature Seattle Fish at Brink of Extinction (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/jan/01/lake-washington-sockeye-hit-record-low-another-sig/
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. WA State: Grant PUD Priest Rapids Dam Workers Released from Sequestration
2. Natural Gas – The Cleanest Fossil Fuel Is Set for a Post-Pandemic Rebound
3. Clark Public Utilities, Salt River Project, FPL & PPL Among Top Utilities in J.D. Power Residential Satisfaction Study
4. Snohomish County PUD’s Water Utility Marks 75th Anniversary
5. How Hydropower Can Help the Grid Recover from Extreme Events
6. Hydropower to the People: Mathematician Brings Energy to New Position
7. Awash in Renewable Energy, Nordics Beckon to Power-Guzzling Data Centers
8. News Release: USDA Builds Rural American Prosperity with Record Levels of Investment in 2020
9. WA State: Violet Power to Build Solar Panel Plant at Port of Moses Lake
10. Montana’s Largest Wind Farm Will Be Built Near Colstrip Beginning in 2021
11. Renewables Giant NextEra Wants to Build a Massive Solar Power Plant in Oregon
12. A Monster Wind Turbine Is Upending an Industry
13. WA State: Lake Washington Sockeye Hit Record Low, Another Signature Seattle Fish at Brink of Extinction
14. After Idaho Salmon Workgroup, a Push for Regional Recovery
15. Op/Ed: We Can Do Better on Salmon Discussion
16. Montana: Judge Rules Groups Can’t Challenge Endangered Species Plans
17. President Trump Vetoes California Fishing Bill Over Seafood Trade Deficit
18. WA State: Puyallup Tribe Sues Electron Dam Owner Over Artificial Turf Pollution
19. Snow & Irrigation: Water Content of Snowpack in Upper Columbia Basin Is at 116% of Average
20. Climate’s Toll on the Colorado River: ‘We Can Weather Maybe a Couple of Years’
21. Column: Wall Street Can Now Bet on the Price of California Water – Watch Out
22. 2020 Saw a Record Drop in Emissions—But It’s Not the Climate Win It Should Be
23. Montana: Missoula’s Deadline for Carbon Neutrality Looms as Climate Change Presses In
24. T-Mobile Says Hackers Accessed Some Customer Call Records in Data Breach
25. In 2020, We Reached Peak Internet. Here’s What Worked — And What Flopped.
26. Thanks to Congress, The FCC Can Now Update America’s Broadband Maps
27. Five Best States to Get High-Speed Broadband Internet
28. Flir, One of Oregon’s Last Homegrown Technology Companies, Sells for $8 Billion
29. Portland General Electric, PacifiCorp to Spend $8 Million in Clean Fuels Program Earnings to Boost Electric Vehicles
30. WA State: Skagit County Receives Almost $1 Million for Guemes Island Electric Ferry Project
31. Distillers That Made Hand Sanitizer Won’t Face Federal Fine
32. USPS Delays Are Threatening Small-Town Newspapers. So Is a Postage Price Increase.
33. EIA Releases New U.S. Energy Atlas with Updated Maps & Enhanced Navigation
WORD OF THE DAY
Fictioneer \fik-shuh-NEER\ Noun – One who writes fiction especially in quantity & without high standards.
Alejandro bristled at having his astounding output florid romance novels branding him as “a fictioneer.” “I prefer to be called a common hack,” he sniffed. “At least that provides some level of respect for my craft”.
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
WA State: Grant PUD Priest Rapids Dam Workers
Released from Sequestration (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2021/jan/04/priest-rapids-workers-released-sequestration-after/
2.
Natural Gas – The Cleanest Fossil Fuel Is Set
for a Post-Pandemic Rebound (Bloomberg News)
https://gcaptain.com/the-cleanest-fossil-fuel-is-set-for-a-post-pandemic-rebound/
3.
Clark Public Utilities, Salt River Project, FPL
& PPL Among Top Utilities in J.D. Power Residential Satisfaction Study
(Power Engineering)
4.
Snohomish County PUD’s Water Utility Marks 75th
Anniversary (Everett Herald, WA)
https://www.heraldnet.com/life/snohomish-county-puds-water-utility-marks-75th-anniversary/
5.
How Hydropower Can Help the Grid Recover from
Extreme Events (East Idaho News, Idaho Falls, ID)
https://www.eastidahonews.com/2021/01/how-hydropower-can-help-the-grid-recover-from-extreme-events/
6.
Hydropower to the People: Mathematician Brings
Energy to New Position (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service)
https://www.dvidshub.net/news/386159/hydropower-people-mathematician-brings-energy-new-position
7.
Awash in Renewable Energy, Nordics Beckon to
Power-Guzzling Data Centers (Forbes Magazine)
8.
News Release: USDA Builds Rural American
Prosperity with Record Levels of Investment in 2020 (U.S. Department of
Agriculture)
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
9.
WA State: Violet Power to Build Solar Panel
Plant at Port of Moses Lake (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2021/jan/04/violet-power-build-port-moses-lake/
10.
Montana’s Largest Wind Farm Will Be Built Near
Colstrip Beginning in 2021 (Billings Gazette, MT)
https://energynewsfeed.blogspot.com/2021/01/montanas-largest-wind-farm-will-be.html
11.
Renewables Giant NextEra Wants to Build a Massive
Solar Power Plant in Oregon (Portland Business Journal, OR)
https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/01/renewables-giant-nextera-wants-to-build.html
12.
A Monster Wind Turbine Is Upending an Industry
(The Business Journals)
https://energynewsfeed.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-monster-wind-turbine-is-upending.html
FISH & WILDLIFE
13.
WA State: Lake Washington Sockeye Hit Record
Low, Another Signature Seattle Fish at Brink of Extinction (Spokesman-Review,
Spokane, WA)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/jan/01/lake-washington-sockeye-hit-record-low-another-sig/
14.
After Idaho Salmon Workgroup, a Push for
Regional Recovery (Public News Service)
15.
Op/Ed: We Can Do Better on Salmon Discussion (San
Juan Islander, Friday Harbor, WA)
https://sanjuanislander.com/opinion/opinion-piece/32067/we-can-do-better-on-salmon-discussion
16.
Montana: Judge Rules Groups Can’t Challenge
Endangered Species Plans (Associated Press)
17.
President Trump Vetoes California Fishing Bill
Over Seafood Trade Deficit (Associated Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Trump-vetoes-Calif-fishing-bill-over-seafood-15840519.php
ENVIRONMENTAL AFFLATUS – CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE
18.
WA State: Puyallup Tribe Sues Electron Dam Owner
Over Artificial Turf Pollution (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?
19.
Snow & Irrigation: Water Content of Snowpack
in Upper Columbia Basin Is at 116% of Average (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses
Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2021/jan/04/officials-expect-wetter-year-more-snow/
20.
Climate’s Toll on the Colorado River: ‘We Can
Weather Maybe a Couple of Years’ (Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ)
21.
Column: Wall Street Can Now Bet on the Price of
California Water – Watch Out (Los Angeles Times, CA)
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-01-03/wall-street-california-water-futures
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
22.
2020 Saw a Record Drop in Emissions—But It’s Not
the Climate Win It Should Be (Fast Company)
23.
Montana: Missoula’s Deadline for Carbon
Neutrality Looms as Climate Change Presses In (Missoula Current, MT)
https://missoulacurrent.com/outdoors/2020/12/countdown-carbon-neutrality/
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
24.
T-Mobile Says Hackers Accessed Some Customer
Call Records in Data Breach (Tech Crunch)
https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/03/t-mobile-call-records-data-breach/
25.
In 2020, We Reached Peak Internet. Here’s What
Worked — And What Flopped. (Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/topics/road-to-recovery/2020/12/28/covid-19-tech/
26.
Thanks to Congress, The FCC Can Now Update
America’s Broadband Maps (Microsoft)
https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2020/12/28/fcc-congress-rural-broadband-digital-divide/
27.
Five Best States to Get High-Speed Broadband
Internet (The National Interest)
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/techland/5-best-states-get-high-speed-broadband-internet-175508
THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY
28.
Flir, One of Oregon’s Last Homegrown Technology
Companies, Sells for $8 Billion (Oregonian, Portland, OR)
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
29.
Portland General Electric, PacifiCorp to Spend
$8 Million in Clean Fuels Program Earnings to Boost Electric Vehicles (Portland
Business Journal, OR)
https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/01/portland-general-electric-pacificorp-to.html
30.
WA State: Skagit County Receives Almost $1
Million for Guemes Island Electric Ferry Project (Skagit Valley Herald, Mt
Vernon, WA)
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA
31.
Distillers That Made Hand Sanitizer Won’t Face
Federal Fine (Associated Press)
https://www.opb.org/article/2021/01/01/bc-wa-distillers-hand-sanitizer/
32.
USPS Delays Are Threatening Small-Town
Newspapers. So Is a Postage Price Increase. (Washington Post)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/01/04/usps-delays-newspapers/
GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT
33.
EIA Releases New U.S. Energy Atlas with Updated
Maps & Enhanced Navigation (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=45697
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
‘Among the Stars’: Ashes of James Doohan, Scotty from ‘Star
Trek,’ Hidden on International Space Station
Man Files Lawsuit Over ‘Hawaiian Rolls’ Not Being Made in Hawaii
‘Blood Everywhere’: Aggressive Squirrels Terrorizing,
Attacking NYC Residents for Weeks
https://seattle.cbslocal.com/2020/12/30/squirrel-attacks-rego-park-queens/
French Bulldog Wilbur Is Kentucky Town’s New ‘Mayor’
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article248219725.html
SONG OF THE DAY
Star Trek Mega Suite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfXhmdjOqGI
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.
