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HOTSHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Aging Columbia River
Treaty with Canada Is Out of Date. Here’s What’s at Stake (Yakima
Herald-Republic, WA – Paywall Advisory)
Feds Add a Day of Snake
River Dam Input to Meeting (Lewiston Morning Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)
Amazon Fights Oregon
Data Center Clean Energy Bill (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
Federal Leaders Finally
Increase Money for Hatcheries, But Tribes Say It’s Nowhere Near Enough (Oregon
Public Broadcasting)
Utilities: Improved
Transformer Efficiency Is Important, But Goal Could Threaten Grid Reliability
(Utility Dive)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. Aging
Columbia River Treaty with Canada Is Out of Date. Here’s What’s at Stake
2. April
19: Virtual Listening Session following the 16th Round of Negotiations to
Modernize the Columbia River Treaty Regime
3. Feds
Add a Day of Snake River Dam Input to Meeting
4. Idaho
U.S. Sen. Risch Backs Bill to Protect Snake River Dams from ‘Unwarranted’
Removal
5. WA
Senate Democrats Propose More Snake River Dam Studies
6. As
the Colorado River Shrinks, Federal Officials Consider Overhauling Glen Canyon
Dam
7. WA
State: $1 Billion Richland Fertilizer Plant Will Need the Power of 132K Homes.
Where Will It Come From?
8. Reuse
of Coal Plants Can Cut Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Development Costs by 35%:
Report
9. Idaho
Power’s Cost-of-Living Adjustments Will Lower Rates for Customers
10. Local
Power Linemen Bring Power to a Village in Guatemala
11. California
Skydiver Crash-Lands into Power Lines
12. Guest
Essay: Hydro Remains Key to Our Next ‘Great Electrification’
13. Guest
Essay: Skilled Worker Shortage Could Derail Electrification Goals
14. Mexico
Is Moving to Power California & Arizona. Who Will Pay for It?
15. Renewable
Generation Surpassed Coal & Nuclear in the U.S. Electric Power Sector in 2022
16. Wind
Industry Predicts Bounceback & Rapid Growth in 2023
17. Which
States Get the Highest Percentage of Their Energy from Clean Sources?
18. Utilities:
Improved Transformer Efficiency Is Important, But Goal Could Threaten Grid
Reliability
19. EIA
Releases Consumption & Expenditures Data from the Residential Energy
Consumption Survey
20. United
Kingdom: Households Face Net Zero Penalty for Sticking with Gas
21. Federal
Leaders Finally Increase Money for Hatcheries, But Tribes Say It’s Nowhere Near
Enough
22. Herring
Spawn Off Northern Vancouver Island Dazzles Residents & Animals
23. Dead
Smelt Wash Ashore in Vancouver, WA
24. Orca
In Captivity in Miami for 5 Decades May Be Returning Home to Washington State
25. WA
State: Rep. Chapman Says Farmers Are Getting a Raw Deal with Cap-And-Trade Law
26. ‘The
Sound of Made in America’: Fiber Makers Increase Production Ahead of Delivery
of Billions in Federal Funds
27. WA
State: U.S. Department of Agriculture Loan Helping Jefferson County PUD Rollout
Broadband, AMI
28. Amazon
Fights Oregon Data Center Clean Energy Bill
29. Moses
Lake, WA: ‘The New Cape Canaveral’
30. Where
the Pacific NW — And the Rest of the U.S. — Stands on Crypto Mining
31. How
the Social Media Team at Washington’s DNR Makes the Mundane Go Viral
32. Royal
City Robotics Team Has Chance to Compete in California
33. Fort Peck Tribes, Energy Coalition Propose Multi-Billion Montana Hydrogen Project
WORD OF THE DAY – HORRIBLE HAIKU EDITION
Unctuous \UNK-chuh-wus\ Adjective – 1a: fatty, oily b: smooth and greasy in texture or appearance 2: plastic 3: insincerely smooth in speech and manner
See crocodile tears
Unctuous lizard response
“Sorry to eat you”
ENERGY
& UTILITY ISSUES
2.
April 19: Virtual Listening Session following
the 16th Round of Negotiations to Modernize the Columbia River Treaty Regime
(U.S. State Department)
4.
Idaho U.S. Sen. Risch Backs Bill to Protect Snake
River Dams from ‘Unwarranted’ Removal (Yahoo! News)
https://news.yahoo.com/idaho-sen-risch-backs-bill-192633265.html
5.
WA Senate Democrats Propose More Snake River Dam
Studies (Capital Press)
6.
As the Colorado River Shrinks, Federal Officials
Consider Overhauling Glen Canyon Dam (Los Angeles Times, CA – Paywall Advisory)
7.
WA State: $1 Billion Richland Fertilizer Plant
Will Need the Power of 132K Homes. Where Will It Come From? (Tri-City Herald,
WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/business/article272984575.html
8.
Reuse of Coal Plants Can Cut Small Modular
Nuclear Reactor Development Costs by 35%: Report (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/coal-plants-retire-advanced-nuclear-reactors-smr/645974/
9.
Idaho Power’s Cost-of-Living Adjustments Will
Lower Rates for Customers (Daily Energy Insider)
10.
Local Power Linemen Bring Power to a Village in
Guatemala (KNDO/KNDU-TV, Yakima/Tri-Cities, WA)
11.
California Skydiver Crash-Lands into Power Lines
(TMZ)
https://www.tmz.com/2023/03/28/california-skydiver-rescued-after-crash-landing-into-power-lines/
SOAPBOX
SERENADE – VOX POPULI
12.
Guest Essay: Hydro Remains Key to Our Next ‘Great
Electrification’ (Everett Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-hydro-remains-key-to-our-next-great-electrification/
13.
Guest Essay: Skilled Worker Shortage Could
Derail Electrification Goals (Snoqualmie Valley Record, WA)
RENEWABLE
ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
14.
Mexico Is Moving to Power California &
Arizona. Who Will Pay for It? (The Hill, Washington, DC)
15.
Renewable Generation Surpassed Coal & Nuclear
in the U.S. Electric Power Sector in 2022 (U.S. Energy Information
Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=55960
16.
Wind Industry Predicts Bounceback & Rapid
Growth in 2023 (Associated Press)
17.
Which States Get the Highest Percentage of Their
Energy from Clean Sources? (Sunpower)
https://us.sunpower.com/home-solar/solar-energy-report
CONSERVATION
& EFFICIENCY
19.
EIA Releases Consumption & Expenditures Data
from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey (U.S. Energy Information
Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/pressroom/releases/press530.php
20.
United Kingdom: Households Face Net Zero Penalty
for Sticking with Gas (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/households-face-net-zero-penalty-230100685.html
FISH
& WILDLIFE
22.
Herring Spawn Off Northern Vancouver Island Dazzles
Residents & Animals (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/herring-spawn-port-mcneill-1.6795626?cmp=rss
23.
Dead Smelt Wash Ashore in Vancouver, WA
(Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.columbian.com/news/2023/mar/28/dead-smelt-wash-ashore-in-vancouver/
24.
Orca In Captivity in Miami for 5 Decades May Be
Returning Home to Washington State (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
CLIMATE
CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
25.
WA State: Rep. Chapman Says Farmers Are Getting
A Raw Deal with Cap-And-Trade Law (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
LONDON
CALLING –TELECOMMUNICATIONS
26.
‘The Sound of Made in America’: Fiber Makers
Increase Production Ahead of Delivery of Billions in Federal Funds (Broadband
Breakfast)
27.
WA State: U.S. Department of Agriculture Loan
Helping Jefferson County PUD Rollout Broadband, AMI (American Public Power
Association)
BEAM
ME UP, SCOTTY - THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY & CYBERSECURITY
28. Amazon
Fights Oregon Data Center Clean Energy Bill (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
29.
Moses Lake, WA: ‘The New Cape Canaveral’
(Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2023/mar/29/new-cape-canaveral/
30.
Where the Pacific NW — And the Rest of the U.S.
— Stands on Crypto Mining (Crosscut Seattle)
https://crosscut.com/news/2023/03/where-pnw-and-rest-us-stands-crypto-mining
PUBLIC
RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA
31.
How the Social Media Team at Washington’s DNR Makes
the Mundane Go Viral (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
32.
Royal City Robotics Team Has Chance to Compete
in California (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2023/mar/28/royal-city-robotics-team-has-chance-compete-califo/
BARREL
O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE
33.
Fort Peck Tribes, Energy Coalition Propose
Multi-Billion Montana Hydrogen Project (The Daily Montanan)
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Competitive Fishermen
Plead Guilty in Walleye Cheating Scandal
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65106997
Giant Meatball with
Woolly Mammoth DNA Unveiled by Cultured Meat Startup
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/mammoth-meatball-cultivated-meat-1.6794390?cmp=rss
How Do You Eat Your
Chocolate Bunny? Vast Majority Prefer to Start with the Ears
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170404090032.htm
Astronomers Discover
One of Biggest Black Holes Ever Recorded
https://news.yahoo.com/astronomers-discover-one-biggest-black-121031462.html
SONG OF THE DAY
Mark Mothersbaugh – ‘Introducing
Flint’ (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – Soundtrack)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SFb9I2cbyU
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