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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
An Historical Heat
Wave with Record-Breaking Temperatures over the Pacific Northwest (Cliff Mass
Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2021/06/an-historical-heat-wave-with-record.html
Global Power Grids
Pushed to Breaking Point (Bloomberg News)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-16/power-prices-rising-temperatures-risk-blackouts
Endangered Orcas
Missing from Their Home Waters for Ten Weeks (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/endangered-orcas-missing-from-their-home-waters-for-10-weeks
Snake River Spring
Chinook Returns Increase 27% (Washington Policy Center)
https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/snake-river-spring-chinook-returns-increase-27
Many, but Not All,
Major U.S. Utilities Saw Their Average Emissions Rate Fall Between 2019 &
2020 (Morning Consult)
https://morningconsult.com/2021/06/22/utilities-emissions-resource-mixes-analysis/
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. An
Historical Heat Wave with Record-Breaking Temperatures over the Pacific
Northwest
2. A
‘Record-Breaking & Dangerous’ Heat Wave Is About to Hit the West Coast
3. Western
Heat Wave Threatens Health in Vulnerable Communities
4. Global
Power Grids Pushed to Breaking Point
5. Canada:
BC Hydro Says It Will Weather Heat Wave, Customers Won’t See Outages Like in
Some U.S. States
6. Experts
Say Utah Not Prepared for Large-Scale Blackouts
7. WA
State: Kite-Flyer Critically Injured When Kite Hits Power Lines
8. Canada:
British Columbia Will Have a Decade-Long Surplus of Electricity
9. Nuclear
Power Just Doesn’t Need Much Fuel
10. New
York Scrutiny: National Grid Faces Bribery Investigation; Revenues Docked for
Con Edison, NYSEG, RG&E
11. Human
Error Blamed for Outage, Fire at Top Polish Power Unit
12. Vegetation
Management: Bonneville Power Administration Clears the Path for Power
13. The
Largest Dams in the World — By Water Capacity
14. Guest
Essay: New Energy Storage Project Near Goldendale, WA Will Help Pacific NW
Power Needs
15. Coal-Fired
Carbon Capture Projects Are a Waste of Tax Dollars
16. California:
Will Offshore Wind Hurt the Morro Bay Fishing Industry? ‘We’re Basically
Screwed’
17. California:
Shasta County Panel Considers Big Fountain Wind Farm Project at Tuesday Hearing
18. President
Biden Weighs Ban on China’s Solar Material Over Forced Labor
19. Oregon:
Hillsboro Poised to Require Home Energy Score for Sellers
20. News
Release: Energy-Saving Infrastructure Investments Could Boost Jobs by 400,000
for Years
21. Endangered
Orcas Missing from Their Home Waters for Ten Weeks
22. Snake
River Spring Chinook Returns Increase 27%
23. News
Release: WA State U.S. Reps McMorris Rodgers, Newhouse Celebrate Strong Salmon
Returns, Seek to Build on Progress to Restore Chinook
24. Scientists,
Homalco First Nation Team Up to Probe Massive British Columbia Landslide — And
Its Impact on Salmon
25. Federal
Court: Puyallup River Dam in WA State Needs Permits Under Endangered Species
Act Before It Can Restart
26. This
Giant ‘Inland Ocean’ Is Southern California’s Last Defense Against Drought
27. Many,
but Not All, Major U.S. Utilities Saw Their Average Emissions Rate Fall Between
2019 & 2020
28. Canada:
BC Hydro to Drop Two Gas-Powered Plants as It Seeks to Reduce Carbon Emissions
29. U.S.
Lawmakers Launch Republicans-Only Climate Change Caucus
30. Spokane’s
5G Technology Is Expanding Fast to Create ‘A New Ecosystem’ for Wireless Users
31. TDS
Expands 1 Gbps Broadband in Washington State
32. Digital
Divide Persists Even as Americans with Lower Incomes Make Gains in Tech
Adoption
33. Glitches
& Greed Mar Effort to Bring COVID Relief to U.S. Broadband Users
34. Microsoft
Warns Hackers Using Call Centers to Trick Users into Downloading Ransomware
35. Facebook
Says It Has Reached Carbon Neutrality, Uses 100% Renewable Energy
36. Bipartisan
$973 Billion Infrastructure Proposal Alarms Electric Vehicle Advocates with
Annual Surcharge on Vehicles
37. Canada:
Where Will We Get Electricity for Electric Vehicles?
38. Justices
Rule for Cursing Cheerleader Over Snapchat Post
39. Prescribed
Burns Reduce Wildfire Risk – Landowners Remain Wary
40. This
Map Shows in Real Time How Many Fires Are Burning in the West
41. Weyerhaeuser CEO Devin Stockfish on the Housing Boom, Inflation and Monetizing Forests in the Battle Against Climate Change
WORD OF THE DAY
Piebald • \PYE-bawld\ • adjective - 1: of different colors; especially: spotted or blotched with black and white *2: composed of incongruous parts.
Expecting to see a sleek, streamlined example of a deregulated electricity market, the fresh-faced energy regulator was shocked by what he had wrought. Instead of lower prices for electricity; customers that had become better dancers (as well as taller and slimmer), he was delivered a piebald amalgam of disjointed service territories, high prices and a VERY angry Grandma Millie.
WE’RE HAVIN’ A HEAT WAVE – CALL MARILYN MONROE!
1.
An Historical Heat Wave with Record-Breaking
Temperatures over the Pacific Northwest (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2021/06/an-historical-heat-wave-with-record.html
2.
A ‘Record-Breaking & Dangerous’ Heat Wave Is
About to Hit the West Coast (Gizmodo)
https://gizmodo.com/a-record-breaking-and-dangerous-heat-wave-is-about-to-h-1847157954
3.
Western Heat Wave Threatens Health in Vulnerable
Communities (ABC News)
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
4.
Global Power Grids Pushed to Breaking Point (Bloomberg
News)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-16/power-prices-rising-temperatures-risk-blackouts
5.
Canada: BC Hydro Says It Will Weather Heat Wave,
Customers Won’t See Outages Like in Some U.S. States (Vancouver Sun, BC)
6.
Experts Say Utah Not Prepared for Large-Scale
Blackouts (KUTV-TV – Salt Lake City, UT)
https://kutv.com/news/local/experts-say-utah-not-prepared-for-large-scale-blackouts
7.
WA State: Kite-Flyer Critically Injured When
Kite Hits Power Lines (Associated Press)
8.
Canada: British Columbia Will Have a Decade-Long
Surplus of Electricity (FR24 News)
9.
Nuclear Power Just Doesn’t Need Much Fuel (Forbes
Magazine)
10.
New York Scrutiny: National Grid Faces Bribery
Investigation; Revenues Docked for Con Edison, NYSEG, RG&E (Utility Dive)
11.
Human Error Blamed for Outage, Fire at Top Polish
Power Unit (Associated Press)
12.
Vegetation Management: Bonneville Power
Administration Clears the Path for Power (Bonneville Power Administration)
https://www.bpa.gov/news/newsroom/Pages/BPA-clears-the-path-for-power.aspx
13.
The Largest Dams in the World — By Water Capacity
(ZME Science)
https://www.zmescience.com/other/feature-post/the-largest-dams-in-the-world-by-water-capacity/
SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI
14.
Guest Essay: New Energy Storage Project Near Goldendale,
WA Will Help Pacific NW Power Needs (Tri-City Herald, WA)
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/article252266623.html
15.
Coal-Fired Carbon Capture Projects Are a Waste of
Tax Dollars (Utility Dive)
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
16.
California: Will Offshore Wind Hurt the Morro
Bay Fishing Industry? ‘We’re Basically Screwed’ (San Luis Obispo Tribune, CA)
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/environment/article252197563.html
17.
California: Shasta County Panel Considers Big Fountain
Wind Farm Project at Tuesday Hearing (Redding Record-Searchlight, CA)
18.
President Biden Weighs Ban on China’s Solar
Material Over Forced Labor (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/06/21/biden-solar-ban-china-forced-labor-495330
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
19.
Oregon: Hillsboro Poised to Require Home Energy
Score for Sellers (Pamplin Media Group, Portland, OR)
20.
News Release: Energy-Saving Infrastructure
Investments Could Boost Jobs by 400,000 for Years (American Council for Energy
Efficient Economy)
FISH & WILDLIFE
21.
Endangered Orcas Missing from Their Home Waters for
Ten Weeks (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/endangered-orcas-missing-from-their-home-waters-for-10-weeks
22.
Snake River Spring Chinook Returns Increase 27%
(Washington Policy Center)
https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/snake-river-spring-chinook-returns-increase-27
23.
News Release: WA State U.S. Reps McMorris
Rodgers, Newhouse Celebrate Strong Salmon Returns, Seek to Build on Progress to
Restore Chinook (U.S. Rep Cathy McMorris Rodgers, WA State)
24.
Scientists, Homalco First Nation Team Up to Probe
Massive British Columbia Landslide — And Its Impact on Salmon (Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation)
ENVIRONMENTAL AFFLATUS – CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE
25.
Federal Court: Puyallup River Dam in WA State
Needs Permits Under Endangered Species Act Before It Can Restart (KNKX Radio,
Tacoma, WA)
WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?
26.
This Giant ‘Inland Ocean’ Is Southern California’s
Last Defense Against Drought (Los Angeles Times, CA)
https://news.yahoo.com/giant-inland-ocean-southern-californias-130001153.html
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
27.
Many, but Not All, Major U.S. Utilities Saw
Their Average Emissions Rate Fall Between 2019 & 2020 (Morning Consult)
https://morningconsult.com/2021/06/22/utilities-emissions-resource-mixes-analysis/
28.
Canada: BC Hydro to Drop Two Gas-Powered Plants as
It Seeks to Reduce Carbon Emissions (Globe & Mail, Canada)
29.
U.S. Lawmakers Launch Republicans-Only Climate
Change Caucus (NBC News)
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
30.
Spokane’s 5G Technology Is Expanding Fast to Create
‘A New Ecosystem’ for Wireless Users (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spokanes-5g-technology-expanding-fast-150200529.html
31.
TDS Expands 1 Gbps Broadband in Washington State
(Telecompetitor)
https://www.telecompetitor.com/tds-expands-1-gbps-broadband-in-washington-state/
32.
Digital Divide Persists Even as Americans with Lower
Incomes Make Gains in Tech Adoption (Pew Research Center)
33.
Glitches & Greed Mar Effort to Bring COVID
Relief to U.S. Broadband Users (TechDirt)
THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY
34.
Microsoft Warns Hackers Using Call Centers to Trick
Users into Downloading Ransomware (Gizmodo)
https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-warns-hackers-using-call-centers-to-trick-use-1847157328
35.
Facebook Says It Has Reached Carbon Neutrality,
Uses 100% Renewable Energy (La Prensa Latina Media, Memphis, TN)
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
36.
Bipartisan $973 Billion Infrastructure Proposal
Alarms Electric Vehicle Advocates with Annual Surcharge on Vehicles (Utility
Dive)
37.
Canada: Where Will We Get Electricity for Electric
Vehicles? (Winnipeg Free Press, Manitoba)
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA
38.
Justices Rule for Cursing Cheerleader Over Snapchat
Post (NBC News)
BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE
39.
Prescribed Burns Reduce Wildfire Risk – Landowners
Remain Wary (Christian Science Monitor)
40.
This Map Shows in Real Time How Many Fires Are
Burning in the West (Vice)
GOVERNANCE, MANAGEMENT, AND BUSINESS
41.
Weyerhaeuser CEO Devin Stockfish on the Housing
Boom, Inflation and Monetizing Forests in the Battle Against Climate Change
(Time Magazine)
https://time.com/6074527/weyerhaeuser-devin-stockfish-housing-boom-inflation-climate-change/
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Missing Italian Toddler
Found by Reporter Sent to Cover Disappearance
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57579576
Australian Prison to
Be Evacuated After Mice Move In
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/australian-prison-evacuated-mice-move-78415592
NASA Sends Squid from
Hawaii into Space for Research
https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-squid-health-business-oddities-4dd935225d85dbe1000297032882863b
Far from Home? Spider-Man
Drops in at the Papal Audience
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/far-home-spiderman-drops-papal-audience-2021-06-23/
SONG OF THE DAY
Ella Fitzgerald – Heat
Wave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0rOMF9y2qI
Marilyn Monroe – Heat
Wave
