Wednesday, May 4, 2022

The Energy News Digest for May 4, 2022

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

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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.

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Bonneville Power Administration Joins Western Energy Imbalance Market (Bonneville Power Administration)

https://www.bpa.gov/about/newsroom/news-articles/20220503-bpa-joins-western-energy-imbalance-market

Oregon Nuclear Reactor Company NuScale Begins Trading on Wall Street (Oregonian, Portland, OR)

https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2022/05/oregon-nuclear-reactor-company-nuscale-begins-trading-on-wall-street.html

Lake Powell Officials Take Unprecedented, Emergency Steps to Delay Water Releases as Level Plummets (Cable News Network)

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/03/us/lake-powell-emergency-steps-drought-climate/index.html

A Bright Future for Upriver Coho Salmon (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA)

https://www.union-bulletin.com/lifestyles/a-bright-future-for-upriver-coho-salmon/article_0e05dd40-a4e6-11ec-bdce-f75a98a99136.html

New Orca Born to K Pod Family of Southern Residents (Associated Press)

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/washington/articles/2022-05-04/new-orca-born-to-k-pod-family-of-southern-residents

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)

1.      Bonneville Power Administration Joins Western Energy Imbalance Market

2.      Oregon Nuclear Reactor Company NuScale Begins Trading on Wall Street

3.      Lake Powell Officials Take Unprecedented, Emergency Steps to Delay Water Releases as Level Plummets

4.      Rates for Portland General Electric Customers Set to Rise Again

5.      NW Natural Requesting 11% Rate Hike

6.      Get Ready for Another Energy Price Spike: High Electric Bills

7.      The Fight for a National Clean Energy Transmission System Emerges on Three Fronts

8.      DOE Official: Agency Wants to Work with Co-ops on Supply Chain Issues

9.      Front Groups & Trade Associations Funded by Gas Utilities Fight Electrification Policies

10.   News Release: Public Power/Farmers Roll Out Campaign to Protect Clean Energy, Fight Climate Change

11.   Guest Essay: Internet Fiber Is Here in Tillamook County!

12.   Guest Essay: Alaska’s Energy Future Is in Your Hands

13.   Golden Hills Wind Farm in Oregon Achieves Commercial Operation

14.   ‘The Sound of Money’: Wind Energy Is Booming in Deep-Red Republican States

15.   Did California Actually Hit 97% Renewables in April? Yes & No

16.   A Bellingham-Based Company Is Building a Large Solar Project on This Non-Traditional Site – Landfill

17.   Wood Pellet Industry May Be Falsely Marketing Itself as a Green Renewable Energy Source, Critics Say

18.   Is This the End for the Traditional British Watermill?

19.   Should You Be Pumped About Heat Pumps?

20.   A Bright Future for Upriver Coho Salmon

21.   New Orca Born to K Pod Family of Southern Residents

22.   New Summer Measures Coming to Protect British Columbia’s Southern Resident Killer Whales

23.   Condors Soar Again Over Northern California Coastal Redwoods

24.   WA State: How Climate Change Stresses Sewer Systems in King County

25.   Scientists Believe Beavers Can Build Resilience in Northwest Waterways

26.   Public Power Utilities Well Positioned to Weather Cyberattacks: Fitch Ratings

27.   Scaling Hydrogen in North America Will Require Policy Support Beyond Infrastructure Funding, Panel Says

28.   Why Rural Communities Struggle to Bring in Much-Needed Federal Grants

WORD OF THE DAY – HORRIBLE HAIKU EDITION

Something /SUM-thing/ pronoun – 1a: some indeterminate or unspecified thing b: some indeterminate amount more than a specified number 2: a person or thing of consequence 3: one having more or less the character, qualities, or nature of something different

It is strong with this one

So, May the Fourth be with you

Or something like that

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.      Bonneville Power Administration Joins Western Energy Imbalance Market (Bonneville Power Administration)

https://www.bpa.gov/about/newsroom/news-articles/20220503-bpa-joins-western-energy-imbalance-market

2.      Oregon Nuclear Reactor Company NuScale Begins Trading on Wall Street (Oregonian, Portland, OR)

https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2022/05/oregon-nuclear-reactor-company-nuscale-begins-trading-on-wall-street.html

3.      Lake Powell Officials Take Unprecedented, Emergency Steps to Delay Water Releases as Level Plummets (Cable News Network)

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/03/us/lake-powell-emergency-steps-drought-climate/index.html

4.      Rates for Portland General Electric Customers Set to Rise Again (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)

https://katu.com/news/local/rates-for-pge-customers-set-to-rise-again

5.      NW Natural Requesting 11% Rate Hike (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/nw-natural-requesting-rate-hike/283-46e225bc-370a-4504-a7ae-4e03ba56ae62

6.      Get Ready for Another Energy Price Spike: High Electric Bills (NY Times – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/03/business/energy-environment/high-electric-bills-summer.html

7.      The Fight for a National Clean Energy Transmission System Emerges on Three Fronts (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/the-fight-for-a-national-clean-energy-transmission-system-emerges-on-three/621720/

8.      DOE Official: Agency Wants to Work with Co-ops on Supply Chain Issues (National Rural Electric Cooperative Association)

https://www.electric.coop/doe-official-agency-wants-to-work-with-co-ops-on-supply-chain-issues

9.      Front Groups & Trade Associations Funded by Gas Utilities Fight Electrification Policies (Energy & Policy Institute)

https://www.energyandpolicy.org/gas-utilities-greenwashing-to-expand-fossil-fuels-rng-hydrogen/front-groups-and-trade-associations-funded-by-gas-utilities-fight-electrification-policies/

SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI

10.   News Release: Public Power/Farmers Roll Out Campaign to Protect Clean Energy, Fight Climate Change (Northwest RiverPartners, Vancouver, WA – PDF File)

https://nwriverpartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-NWRP-CleanEnergy-Campaign-PressStatement.pdf

11.   Guest Essay: Internet Fiber Is Here in Tillamook County! (Tillamook County Pioneer, OR)

https://www.tillamookcountypioneer.net/op-ed-internet-fiber-is-here-in-tillamook-county/

12.   Guest Essay: Alaska’s Energy Future Is in Your Hands (Anchorage Daily News, AK)

https://www.adn.com/opinions/2022/04/28/opinion-alaskas-energy-future-is-in-your-hands/

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

13.   Golden Hills Wind Farm in Oregon Achieves Commercial Operation (Yahoo! News)

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/golden-hills-wind-farm-oregon-172500730.html

14.   ‘The Sound of Money’: Wind Energy Is Booming in Deep-Red Republican States (Cable News Network)

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/22/politics/wind-energy-oklahoma-republican-states-climate/index.html

15.   Did California Actually Hit 97% Renewables in April? Yes & No (Canary Media)

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/did-california-actually-hit-97-renewables-in-april-yes-and-no

16.   A Bellingham-Based Company Is Building a Large Solar Project on This Non-Traditional Site – Landfill (Tacoma News Tribune, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/article260873152.html

17.   Wood Pellet Industry May Be Falsely Marketing Itself as a Green Renewable Energy Source, Critics Say (CBS News)

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wood-pellets-renewable-energy-source-critics/

18.   Is This the End for the Traditional British Watermill? (The Guardian, UK)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/30/is-this-the-end-for-the-traditional-british-watermill

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

19.   Should You Be Pumped About Heat Pumps? (Alaska Highway News, BC)

https://www.alaskahighwaynews.ca/fort-st-john/should-you-be-pumped-about-heat-pumps-5195751

FISH & WILDLIFE

20.   A Bright Future for Upriver Coho Salmon (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA)

https://www.union-bulletin.com/lifestyles/a-bright-future-for-upriver-coho-salmon/article_0e05dd40-a4e6-11ec-bdce-f75a98a99136.html

21.   New Orca Born to K Pod Family of Southern Residents (Associated Press)

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/washington/articles/2022-05-04/new-orca-born-to-k-pod-family-of-southern-residents

22.   New Summer Measures Coming to Protect British Columbia’s Southern Resident Killer Whales (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/killer-whales-protection-measures-1.6440323?cmp=rss

23.   Condors Soar Again Over Northern California Coastal Redwoods (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/travel-california-wildlife-parks-national-fefbd6b9ed15698c0b6507fa6f60317d

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

24.   WA State: How Climate Change Stresses Sewer Systems in King County (Crosscut Seattle)

https://crosscut.com/environment/2022/05/how-climate-change-stresses-sewer-systems-king-county

25.   Scientists Believe Beavers Can Build Resilience in Northwest Waterways (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2022/05/03/beavers-climate-change-northwest-waterways/

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY

26.   Public Power Utilities Well Positioned to Weather Cyberattacks: Fitch Ratings (American Public Power Association)

https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/public-power-utilities-well-positioned-weather-cyberattacks-fitch-ratings

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

27.   Scaling Hydrogen in North America Will Require Policy Support Beyond Infrastructure Funding, Panel Says (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/scaling-hydrogen-in-north-america-will-require-policy-support-beyond-infras/622972/

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY

28.   Why Rural Communities Struggle to Bring in Much-Needed Federal Grants (Grist Online)

https://grist.org/accountability/why-rural-communities-struggle-to-bring-in-much-needed-federal-grants/

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

‘May the 4th Be with You’ Pun Inspired Annual Star Wars Day

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/05/04/Star-Wars-Day-May-the-Fourth-be-with-you/3601651611620/

Two Bear Cubs Rescued from Electrical Pole in Ontario

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/05/04/bear-cubs-rescued-pole-Ontario/2661651667704/

Daredevil Walks Slackline Between Hot Air Balloons, Breaks World Record

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/05/03/brazil-Guinness-World-Records-highest-slackline-Brazil/9501651608605/

Texas District’s Graduating Class Features 35 Pairs of Twins, One Set of Triplets

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/05/03/Mansfield-Independent-School-District-Texas-35-twins-one-triplets/2401651599491/

SONG OF THE DAY

John Williams - Star Wars (Main Theme)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNMSAIG0dfQ