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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
WA State Utility Disconnection Moratorium Extended Until
July 31 (Associated Press)
California Utility Customers $1.25 Billion Behind on Bills
(San Diego Union-Tribune, CA)
Public Broadband Act Passes Washington State House – PUD
Authority Expanded (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)
http://masonwebtv.com/archives/42943
WA State: County Leaders Speak Out Against Congressman
Simpson’s Salmon Proposal (Lewiston Tribune, ID)
Four ERCOT Board Members Who Live Outside of Texas Resign in
the Aftermath of the Power Outage (Beaumont Enterprise, TX)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1.
Four ERCOT Board Members Who Live Outside of
Texas Resign in the Aftermath of the Power Outage
2.
Thousands of Texas Electric Customers Will Be
Involuntarily Switched to New Providers as Companies Fail
3.
Who's Really Left Holding the Bag for Those
Sky-High Electricity Bills in Texas?
4.
Mother Whose 11-Year-Old Son Died in Texas
Freeze Sues for $100 Million
5.
Energy Deregulation Worsened the Texas Crisis —
And Enron Is Partly to Blame
6.
Op/Ed: The Real Problem in Texas: Deregulation
7.
Editorial: Texas Energy Leadership Lays an Egg
8.
WA State Utility Disconnection Moratorium
Extended Until July 31
9.
California Utility Customers $1.25 Billion
Behind on Bills
10.
Pacific Gas & Electric Wildfire Victims Sue
Former Management for Neglect
11.
Engineer: Mass Power Outage in Idaho Due to
Winter Weather ‘Unlikely’
12.
Opinion: Are Rolling Blackouts Becoming the New
Normal?
13.
California's Electricity Prices Are So High That
Researchers Worry People Won't Ditch Fossil Fuel
14.
Arizona Utility to Pay Customers Over $24
Million in Settlement over Online Rate Tool
15.
Former South Carolina Utility CEO Pleads Guilty
to Nuclear Plant Fraud
16.
The Activists Who Embrace Nuclear Power
17.
Avista Posts Fourth Quarter Earnings of $58
Million
18.
New Orleans, LA: Utility: Much More Power Cut
Than Necessary Mardi Gras Night
19.
Kentucky: Co-Op Lineman Falls 27 Feet, Serious
Injuries; 7,000 Still Without Power
20.
A New Generation of Linemen
21.
Renewable Energy Advocates Bristle at Biden's
Move to Preserve California Desert Land Use Plan
22.
WA State: County Leaders Speak Out Against
Congressman Simpson’s Salmon Proposal
23.
Scientists Say Removing Snake River Dams ‘Is
Necessary’ to Restore Salmon Population
24.
Alaska: Op/Ed – President Biden Must Quickly
Reinstate Protections for ‘America’s Salmon Forest’
25.
British Columbia Salmon Farmers Ask Ottawa for
More Time Before Closing Fish Farms
26.
Oregon Fines Private Lake Community $429,000 for
Draining Reservoir, Allegedly Killing 30,000 Fish
27.
Electrical Transmission Lines Have Power to
Enhance Habitat Connectivity for Wildlife
28.
U.S. Energy Regulator to Examine Climate
Change's Threat to Power Reliability
29.
As Cities Grapple with Climate Change, Gas
Utilities Fight to Stay in Business
30.
Public Broadband Act Passes Washington State
House – PUD Authority Expanded
31.
Montana: Democratic Broadband Bill Gets Hearing
in House Committee
32.
Net Neutrality Law to Take Effect in California
after Judge Deals Blow to Telecom Industry
33.
Washington State Advances Bill to Ban Gas Cars
by 2030, One-Upping California
34.
WA State Gov. Inslee’s ‘Clean Buildings’
Proposal Stalled in House Committee
35. Washington State Cap-And-Trade Bill Gets Overhaul
WORD OF THE DAY
Propitiate • \pro-PISH-ee-yate\ • Verb - To gain or regain the favor or goodwill of: appease, conciliate
The famous “turkey drop” from ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ was no match for the “Ferret Drop” promotion of KFER radio one bleak, wintry day in December. The promotion, meant to propitiate listeners who had been stiffed by the limited edition “ball of sisal twine” give-away, went horribly wrong when the helicopter pilot misread his instructions and hovered 1,000 feet above the mall parking lot (instead of the ten feet as directed in the crumpled and smudged instruction sheet.) Fortunately for the apparently ill-fated weasels, their leader fashioned a makeshift parachute from a discarded mascot costume…which delivered the lucky ferrets into a briar patch from which the fabled “Ferret Foundation” grew.
DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS
1.
Four ERCOT Board Members Who Live Outside of Texas
Resign in the Aftermath of the Power Outage (Beaumont Enterprise, TX)
2.
Thousands of Texas Electric Customers Will Be
Involuntarily Switched to New Providers as Companies Fail (Dallas Business
Journal, TX)
https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2021/02/22/texas-electric-customers.html
3.
Who's Really Left Holding the Bag for Those
Sky-High Electricity Bills in Texas? (NBC News)
4.
Mother Whose 11-Year-Old Son Died in Texas Freeze
Sues for $100 Million (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather-texas-lawsuit-idUSKBN2AM27W
5.
Energy Deregulation Worsened the Texas Crisis —
And Enron Is Partly to Blame (Washington Post)
6.
Op/Ed: The Real Problem in Texas: Deregulation (Utility
Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/the-real-problem-in-texas-deregulation/595564/
7.
Editorial: Texas Energy Leadership Lays an Egg
(Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/texas-leadership-lays-an-egg/
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
8.
WA State Utility Disconnection Moratorium
Extended Until July 31 (Associated Press)
9.
California Utility Customers $1.25 Billion
Behind on Bills (San Diego Union-Tribune, CA)
10.
Pacific Gas & Electric Wildfire Victims Sue
Former Management for Neglect (Associated Press)
11.
Engineer: Mass Power Outage in Idaho Due to Winter
Weather ‘Unlikely’ (KMTV-TV, Twin Falls, ID)
https://www.kmvt.com/2021/02/24/engineer-mass-power-outage-in-idaho-due-to-winter-weather-unlikely/
12.
Opinion: Are Rolling Blackouts Becoming the New
Normal? (Pamplin Media Group, Portland, OR)
https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/02/opinion-are-rolling-blackouts-becoming.html
13.
California's Electricity Prices Are So High That
Researchers Worry People Won't Ditch Fossil Fuel (San Francisco Chronicle, CA)
https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/02/californias-electricity-prices-are-so.html
14.
Arizona Utility to Pay Customers Over $24
Million in Settlement over Online Rate Tool (KTAR News, Phoenix, AZ)
https://ktar.com/story/4080151/arizona-utility-to-pay-customers-over-24-million-in-settlement/
15.
Former South Carolina Utility CEO Pleads Guilty
to Nuclear Plant Fraud (Associated Press)
16.
The Activists Who Embrace Nuclear Power (New
Yorker Magazine)
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-activists-who-embrace-nuclear-power
17.
Avista Posts Fourth Quarter Earnings of $58 Million
(Vancouver Columbian, WA)
https://www.columbian.com/news/2021/feb/24/avista-posts-q4-earnings-of-58m/
18.
New Orleans, LA: Utility: Much More Power Cut
Than Necessary Mardi Gras Night (Associated Press)
19.
Kentucky: Co-Op Lineman Falls 27 Feet, Serious
Injuries; 7,000 Still Without Power (WTVQ-TV, Lexington, KY)
https://www.wtvq.com/2021/02/23/electric-co-op-lineman-falls-27-feet-serious-injuries/
20.
A New Generation of Linemen (KFYR-TV, Bismarck, ND)
https://www.kfyrtv.com/2021/02/23/a-new-generation-of-linemen/
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
21.
Renewable Energy Advocates Bristle at Biden's Move
to Preserve California Desert Land Use Plan (Utility Dive)
FISH & WILDLIFE
22.
WA State: County Leaders Speak Out Against Congressman
Simpson’s Salmon Proposal (Lewiston Tribune, ID)
23.
Scientists Say Removing Snake River Dams ‘Is
Necessary’ to Restore Salmon Population (Lewiston Tribune, ID)
24.
Alaska: Op/Ed – President Biden Must Quickly
Reinstate Protections for ‘America’s Salmon Forest’ (Seattle Times, WA –
Paywall Advisory)
25.
British Columbia Salmon Farmers Ask Ottawa for More
Time Before Closing Fish Farms (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
26.
Oregon Fines Private Lake Community $429,000 for
Draining Reservoir, Allegedly Killing 30,000 Fish (Oregonian, Portland, OR)
27.
Electrical Transmission Lines Have Power to
Enhance Habitat Connectivity for Wildlife (Phys.Org)
https://phys.org/news/2021-02-electrical-transmission-lines-power-habitat.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
28.
U.S. Energy Regulator to Examine Climate
Change's Threat to Power Reliability (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-weather-texas-ferc-idUSKBN2AM2J2
29.
As Cities Grapple with Climate Change, Gas
Utilities Fight to Stay in Business (National Public Radio)
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
30.
Public Broadband Act Passes Washington State House
– PUD Authority Expanded (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)
http://masonwebtv.com/archives/42943
31.
Montana: Democratic Broadband Bill Gets Hearing in
House Committee (Billings Gazette, MT)
32.
Net Neutrality Law to Take Effect in California after
Judge Deals Blow to Telecom Industry (Washington Post)
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
33.
Washington State Advances Bill to Ban Gas Cars by
2030, One-Upping California (Electrek)
GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT
34.
WA State Gov. Inslee’s ‘Clean Buildings’
Proposal Stalled in House Committee (Olympian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.theolympian.com/news/state/washington/article249438665.html
35.
Washington State Cap-And-Trade Bill Gets
Overhaul (The Lens, Business Institute of Washington)
https://thelens.news/2021/02/23/cap-and-trade-bill-gets-overhaul/
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Space Fans Crack Secret Message on NASA's
Mars Parachute
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/secret-message-parachute-1.5925673?cmp=rss
She Went to Seattle Thrift Shop for Crochet Supplies &
Left with a Kilogram of Cocaine
TikTok Users Spread Conspiracy That Texas Snow Was
Manufactured by the Government
78 Pounds of Wool Sheared from Sheep Found Living in the
Wild
SONG OF THE DAY
Eric Clapton – Cocaine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdDhV45lYHU
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