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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Hydropower Withers in
Drought, Boosting Fossil-Fuel Generation (Scientific American)
NERC Report: North
American Bulk Power System Retains Reliability in Face of Attacks, Weather
& Resource Changes (Daily Energy Insider)
As the Colorado River
Dries Up, Phoenix Will Have to Survive on Less Water (Bloomberg News)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-08-21/one-of-phoenix-s-main-water-sources-is-drying-up
Wind Project Would
Double Idaho’s Turbine Energy Output (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-and-nature-idaho-fede377fe97b623f5c7573074c11d248
Seattle Mayor’s Office
Knew for Months Durkan’s Phone Setting Caused Texts to Vanish, Emails Show
(Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. Hydropower
Withers in Drought, Boosting Fossil-Fuel Generation
2. California
Just Approved 5 Temporary Gas Plants as Drought Cripples Hydropower
3. Western
U.S. Drought Conditions May Complicate Hydropower
4. NERC
Report: North American Bulk Power System Retains Reliability in Face of
Attacks, Weather & Resource Changes
5. Can
Burying Power Lines Prevent California’s Next Big Wildfire?
6. FERC
Should Reject Co-Ops’ Claim Seeking $77.1 Million After February Freeze:
Southwest Power Pool
7. WA
State: Mayors Urge Lewis County PUD to Keep Rates Flat
8. Oregon:
Rate Adjustment – Columbia River PUD Customers to See Rate Increases
9. The
Year Bonneville Power Administration Was Born: 1937
10. Republican
to Depart Energy Commission, Leaving It Evenly Divided
11. Wind
Project Would Double Idaho’s Turbine Energy Output
12. An
Anchorage Man Spent More Than a Decade Planning & Building a
Micro-Hydropower Project in His Backyard. Now, It Can Power More Than 300
Homes.
13. Small
Hydropower Proves to be an Ally for Rural Communities
14. Wind-Turbine
Makers Struggle to Profit from Renewable-Energy Boom
15. U.S.
Energy Secretary Meets with Navajo Nation Leaders to Discuss Renewable Energy
Initiatives
16. Steelhead
Slump Could Be a Record Low, Worrying Idaho Fisheries Managers
17. Could
a New Fish Passage System Help Snake River Salmon?
18. How
the Puget Sound Region Is Reckoning with Disappearing Salmon
19. As
the Colorado River Dries Up, Phoenix Will Have to Survive on Less Water
20. Thousands
of Household Wells Go Dry amid California Drought: ‘Without Water, You’re
Nothing’
21. WA
State: Clallam PUD Issues Water Alerts for Six Systems
22. The
West’s Megadrought Is So Bad, Authorities Are Airlifting Water for Animals
23. Lawmakers
Question California Cap & Trade Policies, Citing ProPublica Report
24. WA
State: Broadband Projects in Discussions for Brinnon- JeffCo PUD, Mason PUDs 1
& 3
25. He
Predicted the Dark Side of the Internet 30 Years Ago. Why Did No One Listen?
26. Chelan
PUD - Rocky Reach Dam’s Discovery Center Set to Reopen Wednesday After $7.7
Million Remodel Project
27. An
Idea Ahead of Its Time: How Shyvers Multiphones Brought On-Demand Music to
Bremerton Decades Before Streaming
28. Poop
Wars – The Strange History of an American Obsession.
29. Seattle Mayor’s Office Knew for Months Durkan’s Phone Setting Caused Texts to Vanish, Emails Show
WORD OF THE DAY
Crepuscular \kruh-PUS-kyoo-ler\ Adjective – 1: of, relating to, or resembling twilight: dim 2: occurring or active during twilight.
“In the dim, crepuscular light, your features soften, almost to a beautiful form,” Ambrose whispered to his date. His efforts to beautify her hideous visage failed miserably, as with one stroke of her magic wand, he was turned into a toad. “That will teach you to use such language,” she shouted, her long, green nose quivering with anger.
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1. Hydropower
Withers in Drought, Boosting Fossil-Fuel Generation (Scientific American)
2.
California Just Approved 5 Temporary Gas Plants
as Drought Cripples Hydropower (Gizmodo)
https://gizmodo.com/california-just-approved-5-temporary-gas-plants-as-drou-1847538224
3.
Western U.S. Drought Conditions May Complicate
Hydropower (Western Area Power Administration)
5.
Can Burying Power Lines Prevent California’s Next
Big Wildfire? (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/wildfires/can-burying-power-lines-prevent-california-next-wildfire-pge/
6.
FERC Should Reject Co-Ops’ Claim Seeking $77.1
Million After February Freeze: Southwest Power Pool (S&P Global)
7. WA
State: Mayors Urge Lewis County PUD to Keep Rates Flat (The Chronicle,
Centralia, WA)
https://www.chronline.com/stories/mayors-urge-lewis-county-pud-to-keep-rates-flat,270933
8. Oregon:
Rate Adjustment – Columbia River PUD Customers to See Rate Increases (St Helens
Chronicle, OR)
9.
The Year Bonneville Power Administration Was
Born: 1937 (Bonneville Power Administration)
https://www.bpa.gov/news/newsroom/Pages/The-year-BPA-was-Born-1937.aspx
10.
Republican to Depart Energy Commission, Leaving
It Evenly Divided (The Hill, Washington, DC)
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
11. Wind
Project Would Double Idaho’s Turbine Energy Output (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-and-nature-idaho-fede377fe97b623f5c7573074c11d248
12.
An Anchorage Man Spent More Than a Decade
Planning & Building a Micro-Hydropower Project in His Backyard. Now, It Can
Power More Than 300 Homes. (Anchorage Daily News, AK)
13.
Small Hydropower Proves to be an Ally for Rural
Communities (Idaho Falls Magazine, ID)
https://www.idahofallsmagazine.com/2021/08/small-hydropower-proves-to-be
14.
Wind-Turbine Makers Struggle to Profit from
Renewable-Energy Boom (Wall Street Journal)
15.
U.S. Energy Secretary Meets with Navajo Nation
Leaders to Discuss Renewable Energy Initiatives (Associated Press)
FISH & WILDLIFE
16.
Steelhead Slump Could Be a Record Low, Worrying Idaho
Fisheries Managers (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)
https://www.idahostatesman.com/outdoors/fishing/article253672248.html
17.
Could a New Fish Passage System Help Snake River
Salmon? (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
https://www.nwnewsnetwork.org/2021-08-18/could-a-new-fish-passage-system-help-snake-river-salmon
18.
How the Puget Sound Region Is Reckoning with Disappearing
Salmon (Science Friday)
https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/orca-salmon-disappearing/
WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?
19. As
the Colorado River Dries Up, Phoenix Will Have to Survive on Less Water (Bloomberg
News)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-08-21/one-of-phoenix-s-main-water-sources-is-drying-up
20.
Thousands of Household Wells Go Dry amid California
Drought: ‘Without Water, You’re Nothing’ (Los Angeles Times, CA)
21.
WA State: Clallam PUD Issues Water Alerts for
Six Systems (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/clallam-pud-issues-water-alerts-for-six-systems/
22.
The West’s Megadrought Is So Bad, Authorities
Are Airlifting Water for Animals (Vox)
https://www.vox.com/2021/8/20/22630551/colorado-river-shortage-drought-wildlife
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
23.
Lawmakers Question California Cap & Trade
Policies, Citing ProPublica Report (ProPublica)
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/broadband-projects-in-disscussions-for-brinnon/
THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY
25.
He Predicted the Dark Side of the Internet 30
Years Ago. Why Did No One Listen? (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA
26.
Chelan PUD - Rocky Reach Dam’s Discovery Center Set
to Reopen Wednesday After $7.7 Million Remodel Project (Wenatchee World, WA –
Paywall Advisory)
27.
An Idea Ahead of Its Time: How Shyvers
Multiphones Brought On-Demand Music to Bremerton Decades Before Streaming (Kitsap
Sun, Bremerton, WA – Paywall Advisory)
BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE
28.
Poop Wars – The Strange History of an American Obsession.
GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Skiing in Africa? Tourists
Hit Lesotho Slopes Despite COVID-19 Woes
Don Everly, of Harmonizing
Rock ‘N’ Roll Duo The Everly Brothers, Dies at 84
https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/23/entertainment/don-everly-death-obit/index.html
Afghan Robotics Team
Arrives Safely in Doha: ‘The Girls Rescued Themselves’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/08/20/afghan-girls-robotics-team/
An Apple II Manual
Signed by Steve Jobs Just Sold for Nearly $800,000
https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/22/us/steve-jobs-autograph-manual-trnd/index.html
SONG OF THE DAY
The Everly Brothers –
The Very Best
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRyrWN-fftE&list=PLKu3bME8hBFDLi2CQLOYQuGzs1TEiZnEV
