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
WA State: Horse Heaven Wind Farm Proposal Brings Opposition
from Local Group (KVEW/KAPP-TV, Tri-Cities/Yakima, WA)
Texas Utility Commissioner Resigns After Leaked Call
Pledging to Help Banks Keep Blackout Profits (Gizmodo)
https://earther.gizmodo.com/texas-utility-commissioner-resigns-after-leaked-call-pl-1846493798
Lower Snake River Dam-Breaching Proposal a ‘Nonstarter’ for
More Than a Dozen Regional Environmental Groups (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/mar/17/lower-snake-river-dam-breaching-proposal-a-nonstar/
Officials: Detroit Dam in Oregon Could Fail in a Large
Earthquake (Associated Press)
New $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Plan Includes Additional $4.5
Billion for LIHEAP (American Public Power Association)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1.
Texas Utility Commissioner Resigns After Leaked
Call Pledging to Help Banks Keep Blackout Profits
2.
Texas PUC Chair Resigns, Following Pressure from
Governor, Refusal to Reprice $16 Billion ERCOT
3.
Texas Senate Fast-Tracks Rollback of Winter
Storm Electricity Prices
4.
Lower Snake River Dam-Breaching Proposal a
‘Nonstarter’ for More Than a Dozen Regional Environmental Groups
5.
Pacific Northwest Senators Urged to Reject Rep.
Simpson’s Disastrous Plan for Endangered Salmon
6.
Op/Ed: Simpson’s Dam-Breaching Plan Is No
Win-Win Scenario
7.
Officials: Detroit Dam in Oregon Could Fail in a
Large Earthquake
8.
Wyoming Lawmakers Back Fund to Sue Other States
(Including Washington) Over Coal
9.
California Republicans Push for Utility Bill
Forgiveness
10.
The World’s Three Biggest Coal Users Get Ready
to Burn Even More
11.
Fitch Affirms Utah Municipal Power Supply Bonds
at ‘AA-’; Outlook Stable
12.
WA State: Horse Heaven Wind Farm Proposal Brings
Opposition from Local Group
13.
WA State: Benton County Residents Voice Concerns
& Praise for Wind Farm Project
14.
Op/Ed: Wind Turbines Don’t Belong on
Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills
15.
California Utilities Propose Lower Payments on
Rooftop Solar
16.
Ellensburg WA: Affordable Housing Complex
Spurling Court Will Include Solar Power
17.
Solar Makes Up Majority of New Resource Additions
for 2nd Year in a Row, Reaching Record 19.2 GW
18.
States, California IOUs Urge Changes to Trump
Energy Efficiency Policies – Not Everyone Agrees
19.
Could Better Energy Efficiency Labels Help Cut
Your Electricity Bill?
20.
Plans Readied by British Columbia &
Washington State to Wipe Out Invasive Giant Hornet
21.
Dam Operator Sued After Turf Released in
Puyallup River
22.
Possible Deal for Washington State Low Carbon
Fuel Standard Bill?
23.
Op/Ed: Green Construction Can Play an Active
Role as Climate Action Accelerates
24.
Why Washington State Needs Public Broadband
25.
Bill to Offer Tax Relief for Broadband
Infrastructure Moves Forward in Montana House
26.
NRECA: $1 Billion Program Must Deliver Best
Possible Broadband on Tribal Lands
27.
Amazon Jumps into Health Care with Telemedicine
Initiative
28.
NRECA Rolling Out New Technology to Protect
Electric Co-Ops from Cybersecurity Threats
29.
Hydrogen Vehicle Support Hints at Larger Policy
Stance
30.
Leavenworth Cancels Oktoberfest Celebrations for
Second Year in a Row Amid COVID-19
31.
New $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Plan Includes
Additional $4.5 Billion for LIHEAP
32.
Oregon House Passes Bill to Ease Burden for
Low-Income Gas, Electricity Ratepayers
33.
U.S. House Republicans Pitch Nuclear, Natural
Gas as ‘Cleaner’ Energy Future
34.
American Public Power Association Opposes FEMA
Proposed Disaster Threshold
35. Why Congress Is Bringing Back ‘Pork’
WORD OF THE DAY – HORRIBLE HAIKU
Hoyden \HOY-dunn\ Noun - A girl or woman of saucy, boisterous, or carefree behavior
Amazonians
The ultimate hoyden clan
Don’t cross them, buddy!
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
Texas Utility Commissioner Resigns After Leaked
Call Pledging to Help Banks Keep Blackout Profits (Gizmodo)
https://earther.gizmodo.com/texas-utility-commissioner-resigns-after-leaked-call-pl-1846493798
2.
Texas PUC Chair Resigns, Following Pressure from
Governor, Refusal to Reprice $16 Billion ERCOT Overcharge (Utility Dive)
3.
Texas Senate Fast-Tracks Rollback of Winter
Storm Electricity Prices (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/texas-senate-fast-tracks-rollback-of-winter-storm-electricity-prices/
4.
Lower Snake River Dam-Breaching Proposal a ‘Nonstarter’
for More Than a Dozen Regional Environmental Groups (Spokesman-Review, Spokane,
WA)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/mar/17/lower-snake-river-dam-breaching-proposal-a-nonstar/
5.
Pacific Northwest Senators Urged to Reject Rep.
Simpson’s Disastrous Plan for Endangered Salmon (The Center for Biological
Diversity)
6.
Op/Ed: Simpson’s Dam-Breaching Plan Is No
Win-Win Scenario (Lewiston Tribune, ID)
7.
Officials: Detroit Dam in Oregon Could Fail in a
Large Earthquake (Associated Press)
8.
Wyoming Lawmakers Back Fund to Sue Other States
(Including Washington) Over Coal (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/wyoming-bills-9bd6466e4161cad4db5821e80b9b0f0b
9.
California Republicans Push for Utility Bill
Forgiveness (Associated Press)
https://www.ksro.com/2021/03/17/california-republicans-push-for-utility-bill-forgiveness/
10.
The World’s Three Biggest Coal Users Get Ready
to Burn Even More (Bloomberg News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/world-three-biggest-coal-users-040100380.html
11.
Fitch Affirms Utah Municipal Power Supply Bonds
at ‘AA-’; Outlook Stable (Fitch Ratings)
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
12.
WA State: Horse Heaven Wind Farm Proposal Brings
Opposition from Local Group (KVEW/KAPP-TV, Tri-Cities/Yakima, WA)
13.
WA State: Benton County Residents Voice Concerns
& Praise for Wind Farm Project (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
14.
Op/Ed: Wind Turbines Don’t Belong on Washington’s
Horse Heaven Hills (Tri-City Herald, WA)
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article249948539.html
15.
California Utilities Propose Lower Payments on
Rooftop Solar (Bloomberg News)
16.
Ellensburg WA: Affordable Housing Complex Spurling
Court Will Include Solar Power (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)
17.
Solar Makes Up Majority of New Resource
Additions for 2nd Year in a Row, Reaching Record 19.2 GW (Utility Dive)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
18.
States, California IOUs Urge Changes to Trump Energy
Efficiency Policies – Not Everyone Agrees (Utility Dive)
19.
Could Better Energy Efficiency Labels Help Cut
Your Electricity Bill? (Good Housekeeping)
FISH & WILDLIFE
20.
Plans Readied by British Columbia & Washington
State to Wipe Out Invasive Giant Hornet (Victoria Times-Colonist, BC)
ENVIRONMENTAL AFFLATUS – CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE
21.
Dam Operator Sued After Turf Released in Puyallup
River (Associated Press)
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
22.
Possible Deal for Washington State Low Carbon
Fuel Standard Bill? (Business Institute of Washington)
https://thelens.news/2021/03/16/possible-deal-for-lcfs-bill/
23.
Op/Ed: Green Construction Can Play an Active
Role as Climate Action Accelerates (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
24.
Why Washington State Needs Public Broadband (Crosscut
Seattle, WA)
https://crosscut.com/opinion/2021/03/why-washington-state-needs-public-broadband
25.
Bill to Offer Tax Relief for Broadband
Infrastructure Moves Forward in Montana House (Montana Public Radio)
https://www.mtpr.org/post/bill-offer-tax-relief-broadband-infrastructure-moves-forward-montana-house
26.
NRECA: $1 Billion Program Must Deliver Best
Possible Broadband on Tribal Lands (National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association)
THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY
27.
Amazon Jumps into Health Care with Telemedicine Initiative
(Associated Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Amazon-jumps-into-health-care-with-telemedicine-16032097.php
28.
NRECA Rolling Out New Technology to Protect
Electric Co-Ops from Cybersecurity Threats (Daily Energy Insider)
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
29.
Hydrogen Vehicle Support Hints at Larger Policy
Stance (Business Institute of Washington)
https://thelens.news/2021/03/16/hydrogen-vehicle-support-hints-at-larger-policy-stance/
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA
30.
Leavenworth Cancels Oktoberfest Celebrations for
Second Year in a Row Amid COVID-19 (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA)
GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT
31.
New $1.9 Trillion COVID Relief Plan Includes
Additional $4.5 Billion for LIHEAP (American Public Power Association)
32.
Oregon House Passes Bill to Ease Burden for
Low-Income Gas, Electricity Ratepayers (Portland Business Journal, OR)
https://energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/2021/03/oregon-house-passes-bill-to-ease-burden.html
33.
U.S. House Republicans Pitch Nuclear, Natural
Gas as ‘Cleaner’ Energy Future (The Hill, Washington, DC)
34.
American Public Power Association Opposes FEMA Proposed
Disaster Threshold (American Public Power Association)
https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/appa-opposes-fema-proposed-disaster-threshold
35.
Why Congress Is Bringing Back ‘Pork’ (Yahoo
Finance)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-congress-is-bringing-back-pork-184519151.html
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
St Patrick’s Day: Countries Celebrate Ireland’s Patron Saint
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-56415778
This Teen Makes Tiny Bow Ties for Shelter Dogs to Help Them
Look Spiffy & Get Adopted
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/03/17/dog-bowtie-shelter/
Lost Dog Travels 100 Miles from Iowa to Nebraska in 23 Days
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/03/15/lost-dog-Iowa-Nebraska-100-miles-Ivy/1261615842402/
Baby Bottle Craze Sweeps Gulf Arab States, Sparks Backlash
SONG OF THE DAY
Van Morrison & The Chieftains – Star of the County Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sMZ2bUv9Q4
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.
