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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Storms Push Washington’s Statewide Snowpack to 122% of
Long-Term Averages (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
More Than 3,000 Pacific Gas & Electric Customers Still
Waiting on Power Two Weeks After Sierra Nevada Storm (Sacramento Bee, CA –
Paywall Advisory)
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article257173217.html
NOAA Fisheries Completes 5-Year Review of Endangered
Southern Resident Killer Whales (National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration)
PacifiCorp Eyes Pumped Storage Hydropower Project in
Southern Oregon (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2022/01/10/pumped-storage-hydropower-lake-county-oregon/
President Biden Approves Federal Disaster Funding for
Flood-Hit Areas of Washington (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1.
More Than 3,000 Pacific Gas & Electric
Customers Still Waiting on Power Two Weeks After Sierra Nevada Storm
2.
California: Utility Workers Fall About 50 Feet
While Repairing Lines in Nevada County
3.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Denies Oklo
Power’s Plan to Construct 1.5 MW Advanced Nuclear Reactor in Idaho
4.
Pacific Power Submits Clean Energy Plan to State
5.
Seattle City Light Double-Bills Some Residents,
Charging 2021 & 2022 Rates
6.
White House Highlights Effort to Cover Winter
Heating Bills
7.
Feds Find Idaho Utility Contractor Put Workers
at Risk by Failing to Provide Lifesaving Training on Excavation Hazards
8.
Clash of the Kitchens: California Leads the Way
in a New Climate Battleground
9.
WA State: Kirk Hudson Takes Over as Manager of
Chelan PUD
10.
WA State: Retiring Chelan PUD Manager Steve
Wright Reflects on Almost a Decade of Service
11.
Northwest Public Power Association’s Corwin to
Testify January 11 on Hydropower Opportunities
12.
Electricity Prices Surge Across U.S. Northeast
as Cold Sets In
13.
Guest Essay: Cloud Seeding Can Aid Other
Collaborative Efforts to Restore Idaho’s Salmon Runs
14.
PacifiCorp Eyes Pumped Storage Hydropower
Project in Southern Oregon
15.
U.S. Judge Blocks Work at Nevada Geothermal
Plant for 90 Days
16.
Public Critical of Environmental Analysis for
Morro Bay Wind Energy Area
17.
Ashland, OR Approves Solar for New Wastewater
Treatment Plant
18.
Washington Renewable Energy Advocates Support
Community Solar Incentive Bill
19.
Solar Power Will Account for Nearly Half of New
U.S. Electric Generating Capacity in 2022
20.
WA State: Richland Improves Metering Efficiency,
Renewable Energy Use
21.
President Biden Faces Delays in Undoing Trump’s
War on Efficient Dishwashers, Dryers & Lightbulbs That Made Him ‘Look
Orange’
22.
How to Keep Cold Snaps from Ballooning Your
Energy Bill
23.
The Future of Heating Homes
24.
January 10 is National Cut Your Energy Costs Day
25.
NOAA Fisheries Completes 5-Year Review of
Endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales
26.
Save At-Risk Owls by Culling Rivals? Tough
Choices in U.S. Pacific Northwest.
27.
Storms Push Washington’s Statewide Snowpack to
122% of Long-Term Averages
28.
Spokane River’s Snowpack Is Solid This Year, But
Climate Trends Still Worry Experts
29.
Drought-Stricken Oregon Farmers Embark on Water
Bank Pilot Program
30.
How Lake Oroville’s Hydropower Is Reducing
California’s Carbon Emissions
31.
U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Jumped in 2021, A
Threat to Climate Goals
32.
Agriculture Grant to Boost Internet in Rural
Oregon
33.
Eagle, Idaho, Might Build an Open Access Broadband
Network
34.
UTOPIA Fiber Pushes into Southern Utah
35.
WA State: Abbarno Backs Bill Cutting Taxes on
Satellite Broadband Infrastructure
36.
In-Depth: Can Utah’s Power Grid Keep Up with
Electric Vehicle Growth?
37.
President Biden Approves Federal Disaster
Funding for Flood-Hit Areas of Washington
38.
Washington State Lawmakers Set to Kick Off
Mostly Remote Session
39.
Seven Things WA Legislature Is Expected to
Address in 2022
40.
Generator Safety – Two Brothers Die Trying to
Stay Warm During Power Outage in Maryland
41.
Flooding Persists after Pacific Northwest Storms
42.
Another Atmospheric River on the Way to Seattle
Area, But a Dry Weekend Likely Around the Corner
43. Atmospheric River Packing Several Powerful Rainstorms Heading for Southern British Columbia
WORD OF THE DAY
Boycott \BOY-cott\ Verb – To engage in a concerted refusal to have dealings with (as a person, store, or organization) usually to express disapproval or to force acceptance of certain conditions
Ambrose’s global warming protest was less than successful. It seems that his idea to boycott his own carbon dioxide emissions by not breathing was a fatal mistake.
From Merriam-Webster online – Did you know? In the 1870s, Irish farmers faced an agricultural crisis that threatened to result in a repeat of the terrible famine and mass evictions of the 1840s. Anticipating financial ruin, they formed a Land League to campaign against the rent increases and evictions landlords were imposing as a result of the crisis. Retired British army captain Charles Boycott had the misfortune to be acting as an agent for an absentee landlord at the time, and when he tried to evict tenant farmers for refusing to pay their rent, he was ostracized by the League and community. His laborers and servants quit, and his crops began to rot. Boycott’s fate was soon well known, and his name became a byword for that particular protest strategy.
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
More Than 3,000 Pacific Gas & Electric Customers
Still Waiting on Power Two Weeks After Sierra Nevada Storm (Sacramento Bee, CA –
Paywall Advisory)
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article257173217.html
2.
California: Utility Workers Fall About 50 Feet
While Repairing Lines in Nevada County (KRCA-TV, Riverside, CA)
https://www.kcra.com/article/utility-workers-fall-repairing-linesrollins-lake/38690202#
3.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Denies Oklo Power’s
Plan to Construct 1.5 MW Advanced Nuclear Reactor in Idaho (Utility Dive)
4.
Pacific Power Submits Clean Energy Plan to State
(Yakima Herald-Republic, WA – Paywall Advisory)
5.
Seattle City Light Double-Bills Some Residents,
Charging 2021 & 2022 Rates (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
6.
White House Highlights Effort to Cover Winter
Heating Bills (Associated Press)
https://nbcmontana.com/news/nation-world/white-house-highlights-effort-to-cover-winter-heating-bills
7.
Feds Find Idaho Utility Contractor Put Workers at
Risk by Failing to Provide Lifesaving Training on Excavation Hazards (U.S.
Department of Labor)
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20220107
8.
Clash of the Kitchens: California Leads the Way in
a New Climate Battleground (Los Angeles Times, CA – Paywall Advisory)
9.
WA State: Kirk Hudson Takes Over as Manager of Chelan
PUD (KOZI Radio, Chelan, WA)
https://www.kozi.com/kirk-hudson-takes-over-at-chelan-county-pud/
10.
WA State: Retiring Chelan PUD Manager Steve
Wright Reflects on Almost a Decade of Service (Wenatchee World, WA – Paywall Advisory)
11.
Northwest Public Power Association’s Corwin to
Testify January 11 on Hydropower Opportunities (Northwest Public Power
Association)
https://energynewsfeed.blogspot.com/2022/01/northwest-public-power-associations.html
12.
Electricity Prices Surge Across U.S. Northeast
as Cold Sets In (Bloomberg News)
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/electricity-prices-surge-across-u-s-northeast-as-cold-sets-in-1.1704580
SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI
13.
Guest Essay: Cloud Seeding Can Aid Other
Collaborative Efforts to Restore Idaho’s Salmon Runs (Idaho Statesman, Boise,
ID)
https://www.idahostatesman.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article257143562.html
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
14.
PacifiCorp Eyes Pumped Storage Hydropower
Project in Southern Oregon (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2022/01/10/pumped-storage-hydropower-lake-county-oregon/
15.
U.S. Judge Blocks Work at Nevada Geothermal
Plant for 90 Days (Associated Press)
16.
Public Critical of Environmental Analysis for Morro
Bay Wind Energy Area (Santa Maria Times, CA)
17.
Ashland, OR Approves Solar for New Wastewater
Treatment Plant (Governing)
https://www.governing.com/next/ashland-approves-solar-for-new-wastewater-treatment-plant
18.
Washington Renewable Energy Advocates Support
Community Solar Incentive Bill (PV Magazine)
19.
Solar Power Will Account for Nearly Half of New U.S.
Electric Generating Capacity in 2022 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=50818
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
20.
WA State: Richland Improves Metering Efficiency,
Renewable Energy Use (Tri-Cities Business News, WA)
https://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/2021/12/richland-energy/
21.
President Biden Faces Delays in Undoing Trump’s War
on Efficient Dishwashers, Dryers & Lightbulbs That Made Him ‘Look Orange’ (Washington
Post, DC – Paywall Advisory)
22.
How to Keep Cold Snaps from Ballooning Your
Energy Bill (Everett Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.heraldnet.com/life/how-to-keep-cold-snaps-from-ballooning-your-energy-bill/
23.
The Future of Heating Homes (KFI Radio, Los
Angeles, CA)
24.
January 10 is National Cut Your Energy Costs Day
(National Day Calendar)
https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-cut-your-energy-costs-day-january-10/
FISH & WILDLIFE
25.
NOAA Fisheries Completes 5-Year Review of
Endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales (National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration)
26.
Save At-Risk Owls by Culling Rivals? Tough
Choices in U.S. Pacific Northwest. (Christian Science Monitor)
WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?
27.
Storms Push Washington’s Statewide Snowpack to 122%
of Long-Term Averages (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
28.
Spokane River’s Snowpack Is Solid This Year, But
Climate Trends Still Worry Experts (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/jan/10/spokanes-snowpack-is-solid-this-year-but-climate-t/
29.
Drought-Stricken Oregon Farmers Embark on Water
Bank Pilot Program (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2022/01/08/drought-stricken-oregon-farmers-embark-on-water-bank-pilot/
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
30.
How Lake Oroville’s Hydropower Is Reducing California’s
Carbon Emissions (KXTV-TV, Sacramento, CA)
31.
U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Jumped in 2021, A Threat
to Climate Goals (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
32.
Agriculture Grant to Boost Internet in Rural
Oregon (Government Technology)
https://www.govtech.com/network/agriculture-grant-to-boost-internet-in-rural-oregon
33.
Eagle, Idaho, Might Build an Open Access
Broadband Network (Government Technology)
https://www.govtech.com/network/eagle-idaho-might-build-an-open-access-broadband-network
34.
UTOPIA Fiber Pushes into Southern Utah
(Broadband Breakfast)
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/2022/01/utopia-fiber-pushes-into-southern-utah/
35.
WA State: Abbarno Backs Bill Cutting Taxes on
Satellite Broadband Infrastructure (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
36.
In-Depth: Can Utah’s Power Grid Keep Up with
Electric Vehicle Growth? (KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT)
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY
37.
President Biden Approves Federal Disaster
Funding for Flood-Hit Areas of Washington (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
38.
Washington State Lawmakers Set to Kick Off Mostly
Remote Session (Associated Press)
39.
Seven Things WA Legislature Is Expected to
Address in 2022 (Crosscut Seattle)
https://crosscut.com/politics/2022/01/7-things-wa-legislature-expected-address-2022
40.
Generator Safety – Two Brothers Die Trying to
Stay Warm During Power Outage in Maryland (KMTV-TV, Idaho Falls, ID)
https://www.kmvt.com/2022/01/07/two-brothers-die-trying-stay-warm-during-power-outage-maryland/
WHITHER THE WEATHER
41.
Flooding Persists after Pacific Northwest Storms
(Associated Press)
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-01-09/flooding-persists-after-pacific-northwest-storms
42.
Another Atmospheric River on the Way to Seattle Area,
But a Dry Weekend Likely Around the Corner (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
43.
Atmospheric River Packing Several Powerful
Rainstorms Heading for Southern British Columbia (Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/island-power-restored-1.6309576?cmp=rss
DOGGIES IN THE DRIFTS – DIVERSIONS
Dog That Ran Off During Caldor Fire Is Found Alive FOUR
MONTHS Later Stuck in Five-Foot Snowdrift
NFL – Clowns Descend on Jaguars Finale, Immediately Call for
Trent Baalke’s Job
https://sports.yahoo.com/clowns-descend-on-jaguars-finale-call-for-trent-baalkes-job-191451901.html
A Growing Global Potato Shortage Is Affecting French Fries, from
Japan to Kenya
This Man Wants a Wife, So He’s Running a Billboard Campaign to
Find Her
SONG OF THE DAY
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Tears of a Clown
