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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Hoover Dam, Symbol of
the Modern West, Faces a New Test with an Epic Water Shortage (Arizona
Republic, Phoenix, AZ)
U.S. Supreme Court
Asked to Not Consider Wyoming Coal Lawsuit Against Washington State (Associated
Press)
Western Utilities,
States Battle California Over Summer Power-Sharing Plan (S&P Global)
Farmed Fish the Source
of Virus Spread Among Wild Salmon, British Columbia Study Suggests (Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-salmon-virus-study-1.6041776?cmp=rss
Washington: Puget
Sound Energy to Buy Power from Montana Tribal Group (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/04c1b57a5d48289af73fee11deb41ef6
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. U.S.
Supreme Court Asked to Not Consider Wyoming Coal Lawsuit Against Washington
State
2. Western
Utilities, States Battle California Over Summer Power-Sharing Plan
3. Two
Washington Electric Utilities Opt Out of Power Shut-Offs to Prevent Wildfires
in 2021
4. Puget
Sound Energy’s Electric Customer Rates Increasing Slightly
5. Utility
Disconnection Moratorium to End in Oregon
6. Montana
Climate Activists Challenge Pre-Approval of NorthWestern Energy Gas Plant
7. Plan
to Replace Maine’s Private Utilities Moves Forward
8. Private
Company Takes Over Puerto Rico Power Utility Service
9. Coal
Substitutes Touted as Way to Keep Coal-Fired Power Plants Open
10. In
Our View: Inslee, Lawmakers Make Digital Divide Wider
11. The
Pacific Northwest Agrees: Keep Your Hands Off Our Dams
12. Op/Ed:
Marching Towards a Decarbonized Future without Leaving Communities Behind
13. Washington:
Puget Sound Energy to Buy Power from Montana Tribal Group
14. WA
State: June 10th Deadline for Comments on Horse Heaven Wind Farm
15. Construction
Set to Begin This Month on Oregon State’s Wave Energy Testing Facility
16. Hydrogen,
Renewable Natural Gas ‘Not Ready for Prime Time’ in Gas Grid – WA, NY, MA, ID
State Policymakers
17. Cranberry
Farmers Look to Sweeten Income by Pairing Crop with Solar Panels
18. Small
Hydropower Plants Do More Harm Than Good: Conflicting Goals in European
Environmental & Energy Policy
19. United
Kingdom: Do Smart Meters Save Money? I Ran the Numbers After Getting One
Installed
20. Farmed
Fish the Source of Virus Spread Among Wild Salmon, British Columbia Study
Suggests
21. Genetically
Modified Salmon Head to U.S. Dinner Plates
22. Where
Did All the Salmon Go? An Old Orca Has Seen a Lot of Changes in More Than 90
Years
23. Biden
Era Brings Legal Disappointments for Environmental Groups
24. Hoover
Dam, Symbol of the Modern West, Faces a New Test with an Epic Water Shortage
25. This
Map Lets You Fly Along the Path of a Drop of Water from Any Place in the U.S.
26. Cannabis
Has a Carbon Problem
27. Australian
Power Generator Takes Greenpeace to Court
28. Extreme
Carbon Dioxide Buildup Could Explain Skyrocketing Temperatures During Earth’s
Early Years
29. Montana:
Ravalli Electric Cooperative Acquires Grizzly Broadband
30. The
WA State Legislature Passed Two Bills to Help Improve Rural Broadband, But
There Is a Problem
31. South
Carolina: Santee Cooper Is Ready to Offer Broadband on Its Extra Lines
32. Broadband
Industry Keeps (Falsely) Claiming U.S. Broadband Prices Are Dropping
33. U.S.
Says Ransomware Attack on Meatpacker JBS Likely from Russia
34. Iran
Bans Crypto Mining After Months of Blackouts
35. Alaska:
Utilities Propose Changes to Make Vehicle Charging Stations More Affordable
36. Canada:
Electric Cars Are Booming. But What Are the Environmental Costs of All Those
Batteries?
37. Washington
Supreme Court Rules That YouTube Channel Isn’t Legally a News Media Outlet
38. Tesla
Failed to Stop Musk Tweets, Says Regulator
39. Whoever
Runs Wendy’s Twitter Account Is a Damn Comedic Genius
40. Think
You Know the World’s Most Popular Websites? Think Again
41. Legal Cannabis Sales Shot Up to $17.5 Billion During the Pandemic as Dispensaries Helped Americans Stock Up on Marijuana
WORD OF THE DAY
Anfractuous /ann-FRACK-chuh-wuss/ Adjective – Full of windings and intricate turnings; tortuous.
In the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” it was shown that the most intelligent beings on earth were, in fact, white lab mice. It is explained that while human beings thought they were conducting experiments on mice – with anfractuous mazes, cheese and all the squeaking – it was the mice who were running experiments on humans. “…they’re protrusions into our dimension of hyper-intelligent beings. I don’t know this cheese of which you speak, but they were there on Earth as mice experimenting on you…”
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
2. Western
Utilities, States Battle California Over Summer Power-Sharing Plan (S&P
Global)
3.
Two Washington Electric Utilities Opt-Out of Power
Shut-Offs to Prevent Wildfires in 2021 (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/jun/01/two-washington-electric-utilities-opt-out-of-power/
4.
Puget Sound Energy’s Electric Customer Rates
Increasing Slightly (Kent Reporter, WA)
https://www.kentreporter.com/northwest/pses-electric-customer-rates-increasing-slightly/
5.
Utility Disconnection Moratorium to End in Oregon
(KEX Radio, Portland, OR)
6.
Montana Climate Activists Challenge Pre-Approval
of NorthWestern Energy Gas Plant (Missoula Current)
https://missoulacurrent.com/outdoors/2021/06/climate-northwestern-energy/
7.
Plan to Replace Maine’s Private Utilities Moves
Forward (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/maine-business-utilities-e3be5494d7e76522ba6bd3eda1fccb83
8.
Private Company Takes Over Puerto Rico Power
Utility Service (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-puerto-rico-business-135b9ec52e130f3716f8862021a524d4
9.
Coal Substitutes Touted as Way to Keep
Coal-Fired Power Plants Open (Power Magazine)
https://www.powermag.com/coal-substitutes-touted-as-way-to-keep-coal-fired-power-plants-open/
SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI
10.
In Our View: Inslee, Lawmakers Make Digital
Divide Wider (Vancouver Columbian, WA)
https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/06/in-our-view-inslee-lawmakers-make.html
11.
The Pacific Northwest Agrees: Keep Your Hands
Off Our Dams (Wenatchee World, WA – Paywall Advisory)
12.
Op/Ed: Marching Towards a Decarbonized Future without
Leaving Communities Behind (Energy Central)
https://energycentral.com/c/gr/marching-forward-without-leaving-communities-behind
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
13. Washington:
Puget Sound Energy to Buy Power from Montana Tribal Group (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/04c1b57a5d48289af73fee11deb41ef6
14.
WA State: June 10th Deadline for Comments on Horse
Heaven Wind Farm (KFLD Radio, Pasco, WA)
https://newstalk870.am/june-10th-deadline-for-comments-on-horse-heaven-wind-farm/
15.
Construction Set to Begin This Month on Oregon
State’s Wave Energy Testing Facility (Oregon State University)
16.
Hydrogen, Renewable Natural Gas ‘Not Ready for Prime
Time’ in Gas Grid – WA, NY, MA, ID State Policymakers (S&P Global)
17.
Cranberry Farmers Look to Sweeten Income by
Pairing Crop with Solar Panels (Energy News Network)
18.
Small Hydropower Plants Do More Harm Than Good: Conflicting
Goals in European Environmental & Energy Policy (Phys.Org)
https://phys.org/news/2021-05-small-hydropower-good-conflicting-goals.amp
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
19.
United Kingdom: Do Smart Meters Save Money? I Ran
the Numbers After Getting One Installed (Love Money)
https://www.lovemoney.com/news/111828/have-i-saved-money-with-a-smart-meter
FISH & WILDLIFE
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-salmon-virus-study-1.6041776?cmp=rss
21.
Genetically Modified Salmon Head to U.S. Dinner
Plates (Associated Press)
22.
Where Did All the Salmon Go? An Old Orca Has
Seen a Lot of Changes in More Than 90 Years (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
ENVIRONMENTAL AFFLATUS – CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE
23.
Biden Era Brings Legal Disappointments for
Environmental Groups (Bloomberg News)
WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
26.
Cannabis Has a Carbon Problem (High Country News)
https://www.hcn.org/issues/53.6/infographic-marijuana-cannabis-has-a-carbon-problem
27.
Australian Power Generator Takes Greenpeace to Court
(Associated Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Australian-power-generator-takes-Greenpeace-to-16218178.php
28.
Extreme Carbon Dioxide Buildup Could Explain
Skyrocketing Temperatures During Earth’s Early Years (Courthouse News Service)
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/06/montana-ravalli-electric-cooperative.html
30.
The WA State Legislature Passed Two Bills to Help
Improve Rural Broadband, But There Is a Problem (Washington Policy Center)
31.
South Carolina: Santee Cooper Is Ready to Offer
Broadband on Its Extra Lines (Associated Press)
32.
Broadband Industry Keeps (Falsely) Claiming U.S.
Broadband Prices Are Dropping (TechDirt)
THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY
33.
U.S. Says Ransomware Attack on Meatpacker JBS Likely
from Russia (Reuters)
34.
Iran Bans Crypto Mining After Months of
Blackouts (Gizmodo)
https://gizmodo.com/iran-bans-crypto-mining-after-months-of-blackouts-1846991039
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
35.
Alaska: Utilities Propose Changes to Make
Vehicle Charging Stations More Affordable (KTOO Radio, Juneau, AK)
36.
Canada: Electric Cars Are Booming. But What Are the
Environmental Costs of All Those Batteries? (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA
37.
Washington Supreme Court Rules That YouTube
Channel Isn’t Legally a News Media Outlet (KIRO News, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/2933831/washington-supreme-court-youtube-channel-isnt-news-media-outlet/
38.
Tesla Failed to Stop Musk Tweets, Says Regulator
(British Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57332399
39.
Whoever Runs Wendy’s Twitter Account Is a Damn
Comedic Genius (Scary Mommy)
https://www.scarymommy.com/wendys-twitter-account-pure-gold/
40.
Think You Know the World’s Most Popular
Websites? Think Again (Fast Company)
https://www.fastcompany.com/90642252/think-you-know-the-worlds-most-popular-websites-think-again
GOVERNANCE, BUSINESS, AND MANAGEMENT
41.
Legal Cannabis Sales Shot Up to $17.5 Billion
During the Pandemic as Dispensaries Helped Americans Stock Up on Marijuana (Business
Insider)
https://www.businessinsider.com/legal-cannabis-sales-skyrocketed-during-pandemic-2021-5
BUGS IN YOUR GUT – DIVERSIONS
Library of Congress to
Add Kermit the Frog’s ‘The Rainbow Connection’ to Archives of “Important”
Recordings
Woman Donates Kidney to
Hubby’s Ex-Wife Days After Wedding
https://apnews.com/article/woman-donates-kidney-husband-ex-wife-3b7cbc45e8ba3842149b2f1fbc54b438
Cicadas: The U.S. Chef
Cooking Up the Insect ‘Flavour Bombs’
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-57273056
Liberty Orchards Finds
a Buyer to Keep Aplets & Cotlets Production Going
https://mynorthwest.com/2940935/liberty-orchards-finds-buyer-aplets-cotlets/
SONG OF THE DAY
Kermit the Frog – Rainbow
Connection (Soundtrack: The Muppet Movie)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69PQuw0r3oM
Willie Nelson -
Rainbow Connection
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kih6sGyxCQ
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.