Wednesday, April 28, 2021

The Energy News Digest for April 28, 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

Salmon Have Shrunk So Much That Whole Foods Redid Its Guidelines (Bloomberg News)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-27/salmon-have-shrunk-so-much-that-whole-foods-redid-its-guidelines

Japan Utility Gets OK to Restart Three Old Nuclear Reactors (Associated Press)

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Japan-utility-gets-OK-to-restart-3-old-nuclear-16135140.php

Federal Pumped Storage Hydropower Bill Could Add 500 Megawatts, 1,000 Jobs (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

https://www.kpq.com/pumped-storage-hydropower-bill-could-add-500-megawatts-1000-jobs/

Scientist: Extent of DDT Dumping in Pacific Is ‘Staggering’ (ABC News)

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/scientists-25000-barrels-ddt-dump-site-pacific-77328586

California’s ‘White Gold’ Rush: Lithium in Demand Amid Surge in Electric Vehicles (National Public Radio)

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/28/990867075/californias-white-gold-rush-lithium-in-demand-amid-surge-in-electric-vehicles

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)

1.      Japan Utility Gets OK to Restart Three Old Nuclear Reactors

2.      Montana: Two Nuclear Power Bills Clear Legislative Hurdles

3.      Biden Administration Offers $8.25 Billion in Loans for Power Grid

4.      WA State: GM Steve Wright Leaving Chelan PUD at End of Year

5.      Report: Public Power in San Diego Would Cost Taxpayers $8.9 Billion and Entail Major Risks

6.      Maine Legislators Announce Plan to Convert State’s Investor-Owned Utilities to Consumer Ownership

7.      Arizona: Miss a Payment? New Rules Could Keep Your Power On, Especially When It’s Hot

8.      This 29-Year-Old Dangles from Helicopters to Supply Electricity to Cities Across America

9.      FERC Chair Glick Might Be Right on Transmission Incentives, But His Timing Is Not

10.   Opinion: Simpson’s Salmon Proposal Allows Idahoans Control Their Own Destinies

11.   Federal Pumped Storage Hydropower Bill Could Add 500 Megawatts, 1,000 Jobs

12.   A Major New Facility in Oregon Could Help Transform the Prospects of Wave Energy

13.   New Federal Program to Help Remote Alaska Communities with Renewable Energy Infrastructure

14.   WA State Gov. Inslee Visits Snohomish PUD’s Microgrid Project

15.   Wyoming’s Window to Capitalize on Wind Energy Is Closing, Experts Warn

16.   How Green Is Wind Power, Really? A New Report Tallies Up the Carbon Cost of Renewables

17.   Musk Touts Tesla’s Move to Only Sell Home Solar & Storage Together, Admits Mistakes with Solar Roof

18.   The Exxon of Green Power: A Spanish Company & Its Boss Set Sky-High Goals

19.   EIA Expects Commercial Energy Use to Grow More Slowly Than Floorspace

20.   Salmon Have Shrunk So Much That Whole Foods Redid Its Guidelines

21.   Bill to Kill Up to 90% of Idaho Wolves Heads to Governor

22.   New Research Shows Continued Habitat Loss Will Drive Caribou to Extinction in British Columbia

23.   Scientist: Extent of DDT Dumping in Pacific Is ‘Staggering’

24.   Water Level Raised in Lower Snake River, Fish Advocates Cry Foul

25.   Column: Water Created California and the West. Will Drought Finish Them Off?

26.   After A Decade of Failures, Washington State Passes a Cap on Carbon Emissions

27.   Rural Washington Lawmakers Fear Cap & Trade Will Create Additional Challenges for Ag Businesses

28.   Forecasting California’s Fire Season: What We Know & Don’t Know

29.   White House Backs 2030 Milestone on Path to Net Zero Grid

30.   Clallam County, Port of Port Angeles to Form Broadband Authority

31.   Broadband Proposal to Help Fund, Activate Connectivity in Rural Montana

32.   California: Supervisors Award $500,000 in Last-Mile Broadband Grants

33.   Microsoft Profits Soar as Cloud Demand Continues in Pandemic

34.   Washington Is Seventh Most ‘Catfished’ State, Losing $14 Million to Romance Scammers Last Year

35.   Washington Girls Learn Cyber Safety from PNW Company as Risks Increase

36.   California’s ‘White Gold’ Rush: Lithium in Demand Amid Surge in Electric Vehicles

37.   News Release: Utility Pole-Mounted Electric Vehicle Chargers are Revving Up Clean Energy Initiatives

38.   Microsoft Wants Your Help Picking the Next Default Font in Office

39.   Coronavirus: Outdoor Mask Guidance Echoes What Many Americans Already Do

40.   Census Results Show Above-Average Population Growth in Northwest as Oregon, Montana Gain Congressional Seats

41.   Key Republican Energy Regulator Looks to Stay Past End of Term

42.   Why Dead Trees Are ‘the Hottest Commodity on the Planet’

WORD OF THE DAY

Bogart /BOE-gart/ Verb – 1: to cause (someone) to do something by means of force or coercion: bully 2: to use the entirety of or consume without sharing.

“Stop bogarting those letters of transit,” growled Rick Blaine to the weasily Ugarte.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.      Japan Utility Gets OK to Restart Three Old Nuclear Reactors (Associated Press)

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Japan-utility-gets-OK-to-restart-3-old-nuclear-16135140.php

2.      Montana: Two Nuclear Power Bills Clear Legislative Hurdles (Helena Independent-Republic, MT)

https://helenair.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/2-nuclear-power-bills-clear-legislative-hurdles/article_02d0568b-582e-5451-8bc2-a442cb6b9ea7.html

3.      Biden Administration Offers $8.25 Billion in Loans for Power Grid (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-energy-grid-loans-idUSKBN2CE2KG

4.      WA State: GM Steve Wright Leaving Chelan PUD at End of Year (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

https://www.kpq.com/gm-steve-wright-leaving-chelan-pud-at-end-of-year/

5.      Report: Public Power in San Diego Would Cost Taxpayers $8.9 Billion and Entail Major Risks (Times of San Diego, CA)

https://timesofsandiego.com/business/2021/04/27/report-public-power-in-san-diego-would-cost-taxpayers-8-9-billion-and-entail-major-risks/

6.      Maine Legislators Announce Plan to Convert State’s Investor-Owned Utilities to Consumer Ownership (American Public Power Association)

https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/maine-legislators-announce-plan-convert-states-ious-consumer-ownership

7.      Arizona: Miss a Payment? New Rules Could Keep Your Power On, Especially When It’s Hot (Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ)

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2021/04/28/corporation-commission-should-make-power-disconnection-rules-permanent/7357332002/

8.      This 29-Year-Old Dangles from Helicopters to Supply Electricity to Cities Across America (Yahoo Finance)

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/29-old-dangles-helicopters-supply-154108055.html

SOAPBOX SERENADE – EDITORIALS & “ESSAYS”

9.      FERC Chair Glick Might Be Right on Transmission Incentives, But His Timing Is Not (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-chair-glick-might-be-right-on-transmission-incentives-but-his-timing/599167/

10.   Opinion: Simpson’s Salmon Proposal Allows Idahoans Control Their Own Destinies (Idaho Falls Post Register, ID)

https://www.postregister.com/opinion/guest_column/opinion-simpsons-salmon-proposal-allows-idahoans-control-their-own-destinies/article_43e0081e-779f-5716-8d38-0f0c7364dc02.html

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

11.   Federal Pumped Storage Hydropower Bill Could Add 500 Megawatts, 1,000 Jobs (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

https://www.kpq.com/pumped-storage-hydropower-bill-could-add-500-megawatts-1000-jobs/

12.   A Major New Facility in Oregon Could Help Transform the Prospects of Wave Energy (CNBC)

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/28/major-project-in-oregon-could-help-transform-prospects-of-wave-energy.html

13.   New Federal Program to Help Remote Alaska Communities with Renewable Energy Infrastructure (KCAW Radio, Sitka, AK)

https://www.kcaw.org/2021/04/26/new-federal-program-to-help-remote-alaska-communities-with-renewable-energy-infrastructure/

14.   WA State Gov. Inslee Visits Snohomish PUD’s Microgrid Project (North County Outlook, Marysville, WA)

https://www.northcountyoutlook.com/news/gov-inslee-visits-microgrid-project/article_c5f7d326-a777-11eb-bdb4-a323121240ea.html

15.   Wyoming’s Window to Capitalize on Wind Energy Is Closing, Experts Warn (Casper Star-Tribune, WY)

https://trib.com/business/energy/wyomings-window-to-capitalize-on-wind-energy-is-closing-experts-warn/article_5bc6a971-5ff5-5408-895d-2883a5c86c28.html

16.   How Green Is Wind Power, Really? A New Report Tallies Up the Carbon Cost of Renewables (Forbes Magazine)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2021/04/28/how-green-is-wind-power-really-a-new-report-tallies-up-the-carbon-cost-of-renewables/?sh=5c89a77473cd

17.   Musk Touts Tesla’s Move to Only Sell Home Solar & Storage Together, Admits Mistakes with Solar Roof (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/musk-touts-teslas-move-to-only-sell-home-solar-and-storage-together-admit/599084/

18.   The Exxon of Green Power: A Spanish Company & Its Boss Set Sky-High Goals

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/28/business/wind-power-industry-iberdrola.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

19.   EIA Expects Commercial Energy Use to Grow More Slowly Than Floorspace (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=47736

FISH & WILDLIFE

20.   Salmon Have Shrunk So Much That Whole Foods Redid Its Guidelines (Bloomberg News)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-27/salmon-have-shrunk-so-much-that-whole-foods-redid-its-guidelines

21.   Bill to Kill Up to 90% of Idaho Wolves Heads to Governor (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/bills-idaho-wolves-environment-and-nature-lifestyle-7e18d06ccff0705ca4282e2b097040a9

22.   New Research Shows Continued Habitat Loss Will Drive Caribou to Extinction in British Columbia (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/caribou-population-at-risk-1.6004413?cmp=rss

ENVIRONMENTAL AFFLATUS – CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE

23.   Scientist: Extent of DDT Dumping in Pacific Is ‘Staggering’ (ABC News)

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/scientists-25000-barrels-ddt-dump-site-pacific-77328586

WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?

24.   Water Level Raised in Lower Snake River, Fish Advocates Cry Foul (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

https://energynewsfeed.blogspot.com/2021/04/water-level-raised-in-lower-snake-river.html

25.   Column: Water Created California and the West. Will Drought Finish Them Off? (Los Angeles Times, CA)

https://energynewsfeed.blogspot.com/2021/04/column-water-created-california-and.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

26.   After A Decade of Failures, Washington State Passes a Cap on Carbon Emissions (Grist Online)

https://grist.org/economics/after-a-decade-of-failures-washington-state-passes-a-cap-on-carbon-emissions/

27.   Rural Washington Lawmakers Fear Cap & Trade Will Create Additional Challenges for Ag Businesses (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)

https://www.pnwag.net/2021/04/26/rural-washington-lawmakers-fear-cap-trade-will-create-additional-challenges-for-ag-businesses/

28.   Forecasting California’s Fire Season: What We Know & Don’t Know (Los Angeles Times, CA)

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-27/forecasting-californias-fire-season-what-we-know-and-dont-know

29.   White House Backs 2030 Milestone on Path to Net Zero Grid (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/exclusive-white-house-pushing-80-clean-us-power-grid-by-2030-2021-04-26/

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

30.   Clallam County, Port of Port Angeles to Form Broadband Authority (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/clallam-county-port-of-port-angeles-to-form-broadband-authority/

31.   Broadband Proposal to Help Fund, Activate Connectivity in Rural Montana (Fairfield Sun Times, MT)

https://www.fairfieldsuntimes.com/news/state/broadband-proposal-to-help-fund-activate-connectivity-in-rural-montana/article_95211a8a-a7d8-11eb-9a9c-bf07ae23dffe.html

32.   California: Supervisors Award $500,000 in Last-Mile Broadband Grants (YubaNet)

https://yubanet.com/regional/supervisors-award-500000-in-last-mile-broadband-grants/

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY

33.   Microsoft Profits Soar as Cloud Demand Continues in Pandemic (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/health-technology-business-coronavirus-d2af74bc8c77250ec9525793bf31e169

34.   Washington Is Seventh Most ‘Catfished’ State, Losing $14 Million to Romance Scammers Last Year (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washington-is-7th-most-catfished-state-losing-a-record-14m-to-romance-scammers-last-year/

35.   Washington Girls Learn Cyber Safety from PNW Company as Risks Increase (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/education/washington-girls-learn-cyber-safety-from-pnw-company-as-risks-increase/283-e9879ffa-ce85-479e-ab3d-0d41b652124c

I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC

36.   California’s ‘White Gold’ Rush: Lithium in Demand Amid Surge in Electric Vehicles (National Public Radio)

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/28/990867075/californias-white-gold-rush-lithium-in-demand-amid-surge-in-electric-vehicles

37.   News Release: Utility Pole-Mounted Electric Vehicle Chargers are Revving Up Clean Energy Initiatives (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/press-release/20210427-utility-pole-mounted-electric-vehicle-chargers-are-revving-up-clean-energy/

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

38.   Microsoft Wants Your Help Picking the Next Default Font in Office (Gizmodo)

https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-wants-your-help-picking-the-next-default-font-1846779392

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

39.   Coronavirus: Outdoor Mask Guidance Echoes What Many Americans Already Do (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-government-and-politics-health-science-religion-d68e628a3af72e2d73adb67fbaa5b396

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

40.   Census Results Show Above-Average Population Growth in Northwest as Oregon, Montana Gain Congressional Seats (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/apr/26/census-results-show-above-average-population-growt/

41.   Key Republican Energy Regulator Looks to Stay Past End of Term (Bloomberg News)

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/key-republican-energy-regulator-looks-to-stay-past-end-of-term

42.   Why Dead Trees Are ‘the Hottest Commodity on the Planet’ (Atlantic Magazine)

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/04/climate-origins-massive-lumber-shortage/618727/

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Photographed a Friend on Its Third Mars Flight

https://gizmodo.com/nasa-s-ingenuity-helicopter-photographed-a-friend-on-it-1846779388

Virginia Girls Scouts Making Cookie Deliveries Via Drone

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/04/28/Girl-Scouts-Virginia-Skyline-Council-Wing-drone-cookie-deliveries/3561619632607/

Forgotten Lottery Ticket Found in Purse Earns Maryland Woman $250,000

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/04/27/lotto-Maryland-Lottery-forgotten-scratch-off-purse-Westminster-Maryland/4311619554304/

Raccoon Rescued from Atop Massachusetts Turnpike Light Pole

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/04/27/raccoon-Massachusetts-Turnpike-light-pole-Newton-Fire-Department/9251619547590/

SONG OF THE DAY

Brooklyn Duo at Carnegie Hall – Take On Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHbLuIxw3y4

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.