The Energy News Digest for June 2, 2021

The Energy News Digest is sponsored by the Northwest Public Power Association. 

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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)

https://www.azcentral.com/in-depth/news/local/arizona-environment/2021/05/27/hoover-dam-drought-water-levels-lake-mead/5134031001/

U.S. Supreme Court Asked to Not Consider Wyoming Coal Lawsuit Against Washington State (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/mt-state-wire-us-supreme-court-wyoming-lawsuits-environment-and-nature-a6acfaea2a7e93a04038031414e76449

Western Utilities, States Battle California Over Summer Power-Sharing Plan (S&P Global)

https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/western-utilities-states-battle-california-over-summer-power-sharing-plan-64431338

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

1.      U.S. Supreme Court Asked to Not Consider Wyoming Coal Lawsuit Against Washington State (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/mt-state-wire-us-supreme-court-wyoming-lawsuits-environment-and-nature-a6acfaea2a7e93a04038031414e76449

2.      Western Utilities, States Battle California Over Summer Power-Sharing Plan (S&P Global)

https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/western-utilities-states-battle-california-over-summer-power-sharing-plan-64431338

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)

https://1190kex.iheart.com/featured/portland-local-news/content/2021-05-25-utility-disconnection-moratorium-to-end-in-oregon/

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)

https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/empirepress/the-pacific-northwest-agrees-keep-your-hands-off-our-dams/article_6024cd16-b991-11eb-9528-afb0e9421501.html

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)

https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/construction-set-begin-month-oregon-state%E2%80%99s-wave-energy-testing-facility

16.   Hydrogen, Renewable Natural Gas ‘Not Ready for Prime Time’ in Gas Grid – WA, NY, MA, ID State Policymakers (S&P Global)

https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/hydrogen-rng-not-ready-for-prime-time-in-gas-grid-8211-state-policymakers-64792110

17.   Cranberry Farmers Look to Sweeten Income by Pairing Crop with Solar Panels (Energy News Network)

https://energynews.us/2021/05/28/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 (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

20.   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

21.   Genetically Modified Salmon Head to U.S. Dinner Plates (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/whole-foods-market-inc-lifestyle-health-coronavirus-pandemic-technology-a4ef4f24801f62ac65918e4560d7eb8a

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)

https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/where-did-all-the-salmon-go-an-old-orca-has-seen-a-lot-of-changes-in-more-than-90-years/

ENVIRONMENTAL AFFLATUS – CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE

23.   Biden Era Brings Legal Disappointments for Environmental Groups (Bloomberg News)

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/biden-era-brings-legal-disappointments-for-environmental-groups

WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?

24.   Hoover Dam, Symbol of the Modern West, Faces a New Test with an Epic Water Shortage (Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ)

https://www.azcentral.com/in-depth/news/local/arizona-environment/2021/05/27/hoover-dam-drought-water-levels-lake-mead/5134031001/

25.   This Map Lets You Fly Along the Path of a Drop of Water from Any Place in the U.S. (Fast Company)

https://www.fastcompany.com/90641430/this-map-lets-you-fly-along-the-path-of-a-drop-of-water-from-any-place-in-the-u-s

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)

https://www.courthousenews.com/extreme-co2-buildup-could-explain-skyrocketing-temperatures-during-earths-early-years/

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

29.   Montana: Ravalli Electric Cooperative Acquires Grizzly Broadband (Ravalli Republic, Hamilton, MT)

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)

https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/the-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 (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/technology-health-coronavirus-pandemic-business-8c1c227332422f4e6e5e3f4d55b27b1b

32.   Broadband Industry Keeps (Falsely) Claiming U.S. Broadband Prices Are Dropping (TechDirt)

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20210601/06544446902/broadband-industry-keeps-falsely-claiming-us-broadband-prices-are-dropping.shtml

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY

33.   U.S. Says Ransomware Attack on Meatpacker JBS Likely from Russia (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/some-us-meat-plants-stop-operating-after-jbs-cyber-attack-2021-06-01/

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)

https://www.ktoo.org/2021/06/01/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? (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whatonearth/electric-cars-are-booming-but-what-are-the-environmental-costs-of-all-those-batteries-1.6041893?cmp=rss

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

https://www.nme.com/news/music/library-of-congress-to-add-kermit-the-frogs-the-rainbow-connection-to-archives-of-important-recordings-2907621

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. 

In Our View: Inslee, Lawmakers Make Digital Divide Wider (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

The coronavirus pandemic has clearly demonstrated the importance of broadband internet access. For students engaged in remote learning and adults working from home and isolated retirees simply trying to remain connected to the world, fast and reliable service has been a lifeline.

For too many Washington residents, particularly in rural areas, that service is unavailable or prohibitively expensive. Broad measures at both the state and federal levels are necessary to make high-speed internet accessible for everybody.

Alas, the Legislature this year may have made the situation more untenable. Two pieces of legislation — House Bill 1336 and Senate Bill 5383 — that give public utility districts and ports the authority to offer broadband internet were passed and signed into law. The idea is to allow public entities to provide service in remote areas where private companies do not operate because it is not cost effective.

One problem is that the bills might conflict. The House bill provides broader authority, allowing public entities to serve areas already served by private companies, such as CenturyLink or Comcast.

Another problem is that Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bills simultaneously last week — one with his right hand and one with his left. Crosscut reports: “Confusion is mounting about whether the two laws can coexist. And that debate may end up in court. … If the bills do conflict with one another, the order in which they were signed into law becomes of paramount importance. In theory, the last bill signed would take precedence over the other.”

The conflict adds unnecessary difficulty to a pressing situation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 735,000 Washington residents — roughly 10 percent of the population — do not have internet access in their homes; an additional 500,000 rely on limited cellphone data plans, and thousands more still use slower dial-up services.

For a state that is home to some of the world’s largest and most innovative high-tech companies, this is unacceptable. Inslee could have avoided confusion by signing one bill and vetoing the other.

Nationally, the situation is not much different. In 2010, the Federal Communications Commission declared that every American should have access to broadband service by 2020; but an estimated 42 million Americans remain without access, and an additional 100 million cannot afford to hook into local service. A Microsoft study last year determined that half the country was not connecting at broadband speed.

Broadband access is essential for equal access to education, jobs, health care and other linchpins of modern society. It also is essential to economic growth and productivity, and President Joe Biden’s infrastructure proposal calls for $100 billion in digital investments with a goal of making broadband access universal.

Last week, the FCC launched a federal plan to assist low-income households with monthly internet bills. But discounts are available only through providers that choose to offer them, and they will expire six months after the end of the pandemic. In addition, schools and libraries can benefit from a $7 billion infusion for another FCC program, one championed by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

Patchwork solutions, however, cannot close America’s digital divide. Nor can they keep up with China, where roughly 90 percent of the 1 billion internet users have broadband access.

Vast investments and creative solutions are necessary, not confusion promulgated by legislators and Gov. Inslee.

 

Montana: Ravalli Electric Cooperative Acquires Grizzly Broadband (Ravalli Republic, Hamilton, MT)

Ravalli Electric Cooperative (REC) announced Monday it has acquired Grizzly Broadband, formerly known as Cybernet1, one of the area’s top internet and fiber solutions provider.

The partnership will allow the two organizations to combine their resources and decades of experience to offer affordable and reliable high-speed internet and technology services to members and customers throughout the Bitterroot Valley.

The decision to acquire Grizzly Broadband came after several months of research and discussion with Grizzly Broadband Owner’s Jason and Tashara Pond.

With the events of 2020 resulting in an increased need for high-speed Internet, both groups viewed this no longer as a luxury, but a necessity.

“We had a significant increase in calls and requests for internet service this past year, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down,” said Pond. “So many people are relying on the internet for their day-to-day tasks and in the area we live in, and sometimes being able to provide that quality service to them can be difficult.”

Electric co-ops brought electricity to rural areas around the U.S. in the 1930’s with the help of the Rural Electrification Act (REA). Quality high-speed Internet in REC’s rural service territory is hard to come by.

With the growing need for reliable internet in the valley, REC General Manager, Mark Grotbo, feels the cooperative can help solve this lack of broadband availability just as they did with the rural electricity movement in the 1930s.

“We operate on seven cooperative principles, the seventh being ‘Concern for Community’,” stated Grotbo. “Access to reliable, high-speed Internet is essential for all of us here in rural Montana, but it is not always a given where we live. Finding a way to fulfill this need for our members and community has been a topic of discussion for a long time, and I believe the cooperative can help solve this problem.”

The collaboration of the two local companies who share common values, was fueled by the idea of working together to provide an improved broadband solution for local area consumers. With the knowledge and expertise of Grizzly Broadband, and large support of tools and infrastructure from the co-op, the idea of combining resources seemed a win-win situation for all.

REC’s Board of Directors unanimously approved to purchase the local Internet company at their monthly board meeting.

“The core of REC’s service has always been innovation, affordability and value,” stated REC Board President Rex Griffin. “By combining our two entities together, we believe we can extend our mission to better serve our members, homes, businesses, schools and the entire community with reliable high-speed internet and fiber optic communication as the latest extension of our commitment to REC’s mission.”

While the task at hand will be beneficial to all, it is also extremely challenging and will require months of planning and preparation. Both Grizzly Broadband and REC will keep consumers informed of improvements and available fiber options through their websites and consumer newsletters.

“Just as it took time to run electricity throughout the valley, it will take time to plan and install fiber,” said Grotbo. “While we are all excited to take on this opportunity, we ask for patience from the community as we move forward.”

Ravalli Electric officially took over ownership on May 27, 2021 and the Internet company will remain Grizzly Broadband at this time. Grizzly Broadband is located at 222 N. 2nd St., in Hamilton.