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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Hot, Gusty Weather
Could Mean Explosive Fire Growth in West (Associated Press)
Power Shutoffs Should
Be Last Resort to Prevent Wildfires, Regulators Warn California Utilities
(KQED-Radio, San Francisco, CA)
Drought Socks
Hydroelectricity, Putting California in a Power Pinch (San Diego Union-Tribune,
CA)
California Farmers to
Lose Access to the State’s Largest Watershed as Drought Worsens (Courthouse
News Service)
Federal Infrastructure
Bill Excludes Provisions Encouraging Sale of Public Utilities (American Public
Power Association)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. Hot,
Gusty Weather Could Mean Explosive Fire Growth in West
2. Power
Shutoffs Should Be Last Resort to Prevent Wildfires, Regulators Warn California
Utilities
3. Drought
Socks Hydroelectricity, Putting California in a Power Pinch
4. Hoover
Dam Reservoir at 35% Capacity, Raising Concerns About Hydroelectric Power
5. Washington
State Indian Tribe Calls on Seattle City Light to Remove the Gorge Dam on
Skagit River
6. Electric
Grid in Idaho Tested by Summer Drought, But Holding Firm
7. WA
State: Fire Danger Halts Work on Okanogan-Brewster Transmission Line Rebuild
8. Bonneville
Power Administration’s First Rate Cut in Decades May Not Affect Cowlitz PUD’s
Local Costs
9. Crop
Duster Strikes Arizona Transmission Line
10. Arizonans
Warned About Scammers Seeking Gift Cards as Utility Payments
11. Guest
Essay: Pacific Northwest Climate Goals Are at Odds with a Few State Energy
Efficiency Rules
12. Two
U.S. Companies Seek Extension of Trump-Era Solar Tariffs
13. Energy
Department Targets Trump Rollbacks on Appliance Efficiency
14. Bird
Safety a Concern in National Push to Build More Power Lines
15. Washington
State’s Orca Whale Pods Lose a Member as Oldest Male, Cappuccino, Presumed Dead
16. California
Farmers to Lose Access to the State’s Largest Watershed as Drought Worsens
17. Oregon:
Eugene Water & Electric Board Fells More Than 250 Trees Before State Order
Halts South Eugene Water Reservoir Project
18. Central
Oregon Glaciers, Snowpack Feeling the Heat of Climate Change
19. Utilities
Eye Mini Nuclear Reactors as Climate Concerns Grow
20. Seattle
Meteorologist Cliff Mass Sparks Controversy by Diving into Heat Wave Climate
Science
21. New
Climate Ads Trot Out Young People to Make a Case That CEOs Have Been Ignoring
for Years
22. Redfin
to Include ‘Climate Risk’ in All Listings as Americans Consider Climate Change
When Buying
23. SpaceX
Says Starlink Has About 90,000 Users as the Internet Service Gains Subscribers
24. While
They Were Asleep, Their Teslas Burned in the Garage. It’s a Risk Many
Automakers Are Taking Seriously.
25. Public
Health Communicators Have Tough Task Monitoring Social Media Misinformation
26. AP,
Reuters to Help Twitter Elevate More Credible Info
27. Federal
Infrastructure Bill Excludes Provisions Encouraging Sale of Public Utilities
28. Why
the Crypto Industry Is Having a Meltdown Over the Infrastructure Bill
29. FACT
SHEET: President Biden Announces Support for the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Framework
30. The Infrastructure Bill Includes Upgrades to Roads, Bridges And... Salmon Recovery?
WORD OF THE DAY
Anecdote • \AN-ik-doht\ • noun - A usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident
The mad scientist drummed his fingers together with glee after injecting his unfortunate subject with the thick viscous fluid that was intended to induce invisibility. “While we wait for the compound to take effect, let me tell you an amusing anecdote about the antidote that I’ve whipped up for this experiment…There is none!” guffawed the wizened scientist.
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1. Hot,
Gusty Weather Could Mean Explosive Fire Growth in West (Associated Press)
3. Drought
Socks Hydroelectricity, Putting California in a Power Pinch (San Diego Union-Tribune,
CA)
4.
Hoover Dam Reservoir at 35% Capacity, Raising
Concerns About Hydroelectric Power (Scriber News)
5.
Washington State Indian Tribe Calls on Seattle
City Light to Remove the Gorge Dam on Skagit River (Crosscut Seattle, WA)
https://crosscut.com/environment/2021/08/washington-tribe-calls-seattle-city-light-remove-gorge-dam
6.
Electric Grid in Idaho Tested by Summer Drought,
But Holding Firm (Idaho Falls Post-Register, ID)
7.
WA State: Fire Danger Halts Work on Okanogan-Brewster
Transmission Line Rebuild (Quad City Herald, Brewster, WA)
https://www.qcherald.com/public-utility-dist/work-okanogan-brewster-transmission-line-rebuild-halted
9.
Crop Duster Strikes Arizona Transmission Line (Western
Area Power Administration)
https://www.wapa.gov/newsroom/NewsFeatures/2021/Pages/Crop-duster-strikes-Arizona-T-line.aspx
10.
Arizonans Warned About Scammers Seeking Gift
Cards as Utility Payments (KTAR-Radio, Glendale, AZ)
SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI
11.
Guest Essay: Pacific Northwest Climate Goals Are
at Odds with a Few State Energy Efficiency Rules (Sightline)
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
12.
Two U.S. Companies Seek Extension of Trump-Era
Solar Tariffs (Reuters)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
13.
Energy Department Targets Trump Rollbacks on Appliance
Efficiency (The Hill, Washington, DC)
FISH & WILDLIFE
14.
Bird Safety a Concern in National Push to Build
More Power Lines (Audubon Society)
https://www.audubon.org/news/bird-safety-concern-national-push-build-more-power-lines
15.
Washington State’s Orca Whale Pods Lose a Member
as Oldest Male, Cappuccino, Presumed Dead (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA)
WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?
17.
Oregon: Eugene Water & Electric Board Fells
More Than 250 Trees Before State Order Halts South Eugene Water Reservoir
Project (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/aug/03/eweb-fells-more-than-250-trees-before-state-order-/
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
18.
Central Oregon Glaciers, Snowpack Feeling the Heat
of Climate Change (Bend Bulletin, OR)
19.
Utilities Eye Mini Nuclear Reactors as Climate
Concerns Grow (Wall Street Journal – Paywall Advisory)
20.
Seattle Meteorologist Cliff Mass Sparks
Controversy by Diving into Heat Wave Climate Science (Seattle Times, WA –
Paywall Advisory)
21.
New Climate Ads Trot Out Young People to Make a Case
That CEOs Have Been Ignoring for Years (Fast Company)
22.
Redfin to Include ‘Climate Risk’ in All Listings
as Americans Consider Climate Change When Buying (GeekWire)
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
23. SpaceX
Says Starlink Has About 90,000 Users as the Internet Service Gains Subscribers
(CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/03/spacex-starlink-satellite-internet-has-about-90000-users.html
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
24.
While They Were Asleep, Their Teslas Burned in
the Garage. It’s a Risk Many Automakers Are Taking Seriously. (Washington Post)
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA
25.
Public Health Communicators Have Tough Task
Monitoring Social Media Misinformation (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
26.
AP, Reuters to Help Twitter Elevate More
Credible Info (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-f50de92cdce456a34f78f56440e7517b
GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT
28.
Why the Crypto Industry Is Having a Meltdown
Over the Infrastructure Bill (Slate Magazine)
https://slate.com/business/2021/08/infrastructure-bill-crypto-bitcoin-senate.html?via=rss
29.
FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Support
for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (The White House)
30.
The Infrastructure Bill Includes Upgrades to
Roads, Bridges And... Salmon Recovery? (National Public Radio)
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Visitors to U.S. Titanic
Museum Injured by Replica Iceberg
Sumo Scare? Olympics Riders
Say Horses Might Be Spooked by Statue
Dog Missing for Two
Years Reunited with Owner After Spotted on TV News Segment
https://news.yahoo.com/dog-missing-two-years-reunited-191400069.html
‘Watermelon Snow’
Turning Snow Pink at Mount St. Helens
SONG OF THE DAY
Peaches & Herb –
Reunited
