The Energy News Digest for February 24, 2021

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

WA State Utility Disconnection Moratorium Extended Until July 31 (Associated Press)

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/washington/articles/2021-02-23/utility-disconnection-moratorium-extended-until-july-31

California Utility Customers $1.25 Billion Behind on Bills (San Diego Union-Tribune, CA)

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/story/2021-02-23/california-utility-customers-more-than-1-billion-behind-on-bills

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)

https://lmtribune.com/northwest/county-leaders-speak-out-against-simpson-s-proposal/article_c62fda23-0df3-5d4e-8eb6-d96926755853.html

Four ERCOT Board Members Who Live Outside of Texas Resign in the Aftermath of the Power Outage (Beaumont Enterprise, TX)

https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/texas/article/Four-ERCOT-board-members-resign-15973404.php

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)

https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/texas/article/Four-ERCOT-board-members-resign-15973404.php

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)

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/who-s-really-left-holding-bag-those-sky-high-electricity-n1258678

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)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/02/23/energy-deregulation-worsened-texas-crisis-enron-is-partly-blame/

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)

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/washington/articles/2021-02-23/utility-disconnection-moratorium-extended-until-july-31

9.      California Utility Customers $1.25 Billion Behind on Bills (San Diego Union-Tribune, CA)

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/story/2021-02-23/california-utility-customers-more-than-1-billion-behind-on-bills

10.   Pacific Gas & Electric Wildfire Victims Sue Former Management for Neglect (Associated Press)

https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2021-02-24/pg-e-wildfire-victims-sue-former-management-for-neglect

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)

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2021-02-24/former-sc-utility-executive-to-plead-guilty-in-two-courts

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)

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2021-02-23/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 (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)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/biden-interior-preserve-california-desert-land-use-plan-disappoints-wind-developers/595584/

FISH & WILDLIFE

22.   WA State: County Leaders Speak Out Against Congressman Simpson’s Salmon Proposal (Lewiston Tribune, ID)

https://lmtribune.com/northwest/county-leaders-speak-out-against-simpson-s-proposal/article_c62fda23-0df3-5d4e-8eb6-d96926755853.html

23.   Scientists Say Removing Snake River Dams ‘Is Necessary’ to Restore Salmon Population (Lewiston Tribune, ID)

https://lmtribune.com/northwest/scientists-say-removing-snake-river-dams-is-necessary-to-restore-salmon-population/article_968f82ef-e213-5710-89a4-daf6d946bade.html

24.   Alaska: Op/Ed – President Biden Must Quickly Reinstate Protections for ‘America’s Salmon Forest’ (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/biden-must-quickly-reinstate-protections-for-americas-salmon-forest/

25.   British Columbia Salmon Farmers Ask Ottawa for More Time Before Closing Fish Farms (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-salmon-farmers-ask-ottawa-for-more-time-1.5925440?cmp=rss

26.   Oregon Fines Private Lake Community $429,000 for Draining Reservoir, Allegedly Killing 30,000 Fish (Oregonian, Portland, OR)

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2021/02/oregon-fines-private-lake-community-429k-for-draining-reservoir-allegedly-killing-30000-fish.html

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)

https://www.nprillinois.org/post/cities-grapple-climate-change-gas-utilities-fight-stay-business#stream/0

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)

https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/democratic-broadband-bill-gets-hearing-in-house-committee/article_dc89faa0-b3a6-5025-a61a-f5f11dbb52b6.html

32.   Net Neutrality Law to Take Effect in California after Judge Deals Blow to Telecom Industry (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/02/23/net-neutrality-law-take-effect-california-after-judge-deals-blow-telecom-industry/

I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC

33.   Washington State Advances Bill to Ban Gas Cars by 2030, One-Upping California (Electrek)

https://electrek.co/2021/02/23/washington-state-advances-bill-to-ban-gas-cars-by-2030-one-upping-california/

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

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/she-went-to-seattle-thrift-shop-for-crochet-supplies-and-left-with-a-kilogram-of-cocaine/

TikTok Users Spread Conspiracy That Texas Snow Was Manufactured by the Government

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/539995-tiktok-users-spread-conspiracy-that-texas-snow-was-manufactured?rl=1

78 Pounds of Wool Sheared from Sheep Found Living in the Wild

https://www.upi.com/Odd_news/2021/02/24/australia-Baarack-sheep-overgrown-fleece-78-pounds/2231614192920/

SONG OF THE DAY

Eric Clapton – Cocaine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdDhV45lYHU

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.

California's Electricity Prices Are So High That Researchers Worry People Won't Ditch Fossil Fuel (San Francisco Chronicle, CA)

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) - - California’s electricity prices are growing so high that they threaten the state’s ability to convince enough people to ditch fossil fuel-powered cars and appliances, new research says.

The state’s electric rates are now two to three times what it costs to provide power, a paper released by the energy institute at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and the nonprofit think tank Next 10 reported.

As much as 77% of what investor-owned electric companies recover through rates are related to fixed costs that don’t change based on consumption, the paper says. That includes generation, transmission and distribution costs but also subsidies for low-income households and public programs such as increasing energy efficiency, the authors concluded.

Low- and average-income residents are disproportionately burdened by the state’s high electricity prices because they use only modestly less power than people with higher incomes. High-income households are also more likely to install solar panels on their roofs, reducing their utility bills, the paper said.

Severin Borenstein, a UC Berkeley energy economist who spearheaded the paper, said he’s concerned that California is saddling its electric rates with too many things that are divorced from the direct cost of powering homes and businesses. Investments to reduce wildfire risk are one example, as are bill subsidies and funding for various other public programs.

He said the state should look at paying for some of those extra programs and policies through income or sales taxes instead. Another option could be allowing California utilities to implement fixed charges that vary based on income, meaning wealthier households would pay a higher monthly fee.

Otherwise, the state could end up in a situation where electric rates are “vastly higher than the true cost of using electricity,” Borenstein said. “At the same time, we’re going to have rates that are going to be so high that it will be a huge discouragement to using electricity for things that we need people to adopt if we’re going to decarbonize the economy.”

California has some of the highest electric rates in the country, though the specifics vary by utility. Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s residential electric rates are about 80% higher than the national average, while San Diego Gas & Electric charges about double the national average and Southern California Edison’s are 45% higher, according to Borenstein’s paper.

Monthly bills for California customers have historically been relatively low thanks to the state’s temperate climate. Still, Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network consumer group, agreed that Californians pay for too much through their electric rates.

“There are too many costs that have nothing to do with providing safe, reliable clean energy,” Toney said. “That’s really what ratepayers should be paying. We got no business paying for things like electric vehicles and home electrification — other sectors need to pay for that.”

Borenstein will present his findings Wednesday at a special California Public Utilities Commission hearing that will focus on electricity prices.

In advance of that hearing, the commission released its own paper projecting steady increases in electricity rates for the three major power companies over the next 10 years. The paper warned that upward pressure on rates could “trigger equity and affordability concerns for vulnerable customer populations” if not handled properly.