Wednesday, June 21, 2023

The Energy News Digest for June 21, 2023

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

The News Digest on Facebook and Twitter will bring you breaking news throughout the week.

Subscribe to The Energy News Digest.

ITEM OF NOTE FROM THE NORTHWEST PUBLIC POWER ASSOCIATION

This year is the 30th anniversary of the Excellence in Communications Awards contest! Help us celebrate by entering your utility’s best communications efforts from 2022. For more details about the contest and to enter, visit www.nwppa.org/awards-nominations. The deadline is Friday, June 30, 2023.

HOTSHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

The Pacific NW’s Only Nuclear Power Plant Is Back on the Grid After a Longer Than Expected Refueling Outage (Tri-City Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article276560031.html

Oregon: Pacific Power Potentially Wants Its Customers to Pay $90 Million In Wildfire Liability (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2023/06/16/pacific-power-pacificorp-lawsuit-wildfire-2020-public-utility-damages/

U.S. Rep. Newhouse (WA) to Help Lead Field Hearing on Lower Snake River Dams (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2023/jun/20/newhouse-help-lead-field-hearing-lower-snake-river/

Summer Chinook Fishing on Premier WA Rivers Called Off as Salmon Struggle (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/summer-chinook-fishing-on-premier-wa-rivers-called-off-as-salmon-struggle/

Washington Has the Most Expensive Gas in the Country, AAA Says (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

https://keprtv.com/news/local/gas-prices-washington-state-seattle-king-county-tacoma-everett-bellevue-yakima-spokane-pump-inflation-oregon-california-hawaii-regular-unleaded-midgrade-premium-diesel-road-trip-travel-summer-economy-united-states

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)

1.      The Pacific NW’s Only Nuclear Power Plant Is Back on the Grid After a Longer Than Expected Refueling Outage

2.      Oregon: Pacific Power Potentially Wants Its Customers to Pay $90 Million In Wildfire Liability

3.      U.S. Rep. Newhouse (WA) to Help Lead Field Hearing on Lower Snake River Dams

4.      Idaho: Hells Canyon Dam Complex Readies for Crucial Relicensing

5.      Build Begins on Wyoming-to-California Power Line amid Growing Wind Power Concern

6.      A California Legal Battle Over Gas Stoves Stirs Uncertainty for Energy Policies Across the West

7.      Eugene Water & Electric Board Explores Low-Carbon Power Options to Meet Rising Electricity Demand

8.      California Wants to Make Electricity More Affordable for Poor People by Charging Rich More

9.      Public Power Battle: Maine Power Companies Are Spending Millions to Defeat a Vote to Dethrone Them

10.   Tribal Advocates Oppose Nevada Mine – Key to Biden’s Clean Energy Plan – As ‘Green Colonialism’

11.   As Solar Capacity Grows, Duck Curves Are Getting Deeper in California

12.   Agrivoltaics Finds New Fans in U.S. Senate

13.   Buying Renewable Energy Doesn’t Mean What You Think

14.   Space Heating Consumed the Most Energy of Any End Use in Homes, According to Latest Data

15.   U.S. House Member’s Bill Would Halt DOE’s Distribution Transformer Efficiency Rule

16.   Summer Chinook Fishing on Premier WA Rivers Called Off as Salmon Struggle

17.   Tribes Seek Greater Involvement in Talks on Colorado River Water Crisis

18.   See This California Reservoir Completely Full Again After Record Low During 2021 Drought

19.   Mount Rainier Is Melting. Can Anything Be Done to Stop It?

20.   Young Plaintiffs’ Attorney Closes Montana Climate Change Trial with Call for Action

21.   NRECA CEO to Congress: Improve Broadband Programs Crucial to Rural America

22.   Low-Income Americans Benefit from Cheap Internet. So Do Comcast & Charter

23.   ISPs Say U.S. Should Force Big Tech Firms to Pay for Broadband Construction

24.   Updated BEAD State Allocations Estimates: How Much Money Will Your State Get?

25.   WA State: Clark County Cryptocurrency Businesses Face Lawsuit

26.   WA State: Tri-Cites Sees First STEM Career Academy

27.   The Best WA Public Service Music Made for (And Paid By) the Masses

28.   Washington Has the Most Expensive Gas in the Country, AAA Says

29.   Dangerous Fire Weather Conditions Becoming More Common Across U.S.

30.   Titanic Sub: Rescuers Race Against Time After Hearing Undersea Sounds

31.   129-Year-Old Oregon Coast Lighthouse Vandalized; Police Searching for Suspects

32.   Guest Essay: Snake River ‘Whac-A-Mole’ Needs to Stop

33.   California’s Regionally Isolated Power Grid Leaves State Vulnerable to Failure

34.   Guest Essay: Don’t Accept a Future of Mega-Wildfires: Here Are Five High-Impact Personal Actions

WORD OF THE DAY

Frenetic \frih-NET-tick\ Adjective - Frenzied, frantic.

The three o’clock return of the office staff from the nearby “Jitters” coffee stand was a constant source of entertainment for the floor supervisor. From his massive cubicle on the tenth floor of the glass and metal corporate castle, the boss watched his staff’s frenetic work as they bounced between the cubicles like the miniature football players on those Tudor Tru-Action Electric Football Games of his youth…only to crash and burn at 4:30.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.      The Pacific NW’s Only Nuclear Power Plant Is Back on the Grid After a Longer Than Expected Refueling Outage (Tri-City Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article276560031.html

2.      Oregon: Pacific Power Potentially Wants Its Customers to Pay $90 Million In Wildfire Liability (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2023/06/16/pacific-power-pacificorp-lawsuit-wildfire-2020-public-utility-damages/

3.      U.S. Rep. Newhouse (WA) to Help Lead Field Hearing on Lower Snake River Dams (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2023/jun/20/newhouse-help-lead-field-hearing-lower-snake-river/

4.      Idaho: Hells Canyon Dam Complex Readies for Crucial Relicensing (Blue Mountain Eagle, John Day, OR)

https://www.bluemountaineagle.com/news/hells-canyon-dam-complex-readies-for-crucial-relicensing/article_a05ea0da-7fa7-515d-a82b-21efff4e3eca.html

5.      Build Begins on Wyoming-to-California Power Line amid Growing Wind Power Concern (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/wind-power-transmission-haaland-turbines-0bcde521d60bb6f75d9f5ffbb24c5a69

6.      A California Legal Battle Over Gas Stoves Stirs Uncertainty for Energy Policies Across The West (Northwest News Network)

https://www.nwnewsnetwork.org/government-and-politics/2023-06-20/a-california-legal-battle-over-gas-stoves-stirs-uncertainty-for-energy-policies-across-the-west

7.      Eugene Water & Electric Board Explores Low-Carbon Power Options To Meet Rising Electricity Demand (KMTR-TV, Eugene, OR)

https://nbc16.com/news/local/eugene-water-and-electric-board-explores-low-carbon-power-options-to-meet-rising-electricity-demand

8.      California Wants to Make Electricity More Affordable for Poor People by Charging Rich More (USA Today)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2023/06/20/california-electricity-bills-income-based/70331875007/

9.      Public Power Battle: Maine Power Companies Are Spending Millions to Defeat a Vote to Dethrone Them (Portland Press-Herald, ME)

https://www.pressherald.com/2023/06/18/maine-power-companies-are-spending-millions-to-defeat-a-vote-to-dethrone-them/

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

10.   Tribal Advocates Oppose Nevada Mine – Key to Biden’s Clean Energy Plan – As ‘Green Colonialism’ (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/lithium-mine-nevada-biden-tribes-electric-cars-fb6ae27060b4772f672dd94f160f4761

11.   As Solar Capacity Grows, Duck Curves Are Getting Deeper in California (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=56880

12.   Agrivoltaics Finds New Fans in U.S. Senate (Canary Media)

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/agrivoltaics-finds-new-fans-in-us-senate?utm_medium=email

13.   Buying Renewable Energy Doesn’t Mean What You Think (Washington Post, DC – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/06/21/renewable-energy-credits-certificates-greenwashing/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

14.   Space Heating Consumed the Most Energy of Any End Use in Homes, According to Latest Data (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

https://www.eia.gov/pressroom/releases/press535.php

15.   U.S. House Member’s Bill Would Halt DOE’s Distribution Transformer Efficiency Rule (American Public Power Association)

https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/house-members-bill-would-halt-does-distribution-transformer-efficiency-rule

FISH & WILDLIFE

16.   Summer Chinook Fishing on Premier WA Rivers Called Off as Salmon Struggle (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/summer-chinook-fishing-on-premier-wa-rivers-called-off-as-salmon-struggle/

WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?

17.   Tribes Seek Greater Involvement in Talks on Colorado River Water Crisis (Los Angeles Times, CA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/tribes-seek-greater-involvement-in-talks-on-colorado-river-water-crisis/ar-AA1cDvup

18.   See This California Reservoir Completely Full Again After Record Low During 2021 Drought (Yahoo! News)

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/see-california-reservoir-completely-full-204658361.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

19.   Mount Rainier Is Melting. Can Anything Be Done to Stop It? (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mt-rainier-is-melting-can-anything-be-done-to-stop-it/

20.   Young Plaintiffs’ Attorney Closes Montana Climate Change Trial with Call for Action (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/youth-climate-lawsuit-montana-1ae9a45e0207276c75f976a6b68eb5f8

LONDON CALLING –TELECOMMUNICATIONS

21.   NRECA CEO to Congress: Improve Broadband Programs Crucial to Rural America (National Rural Electric Cooperative Association)

https://www.electric.coop/nreca-ceo-to-congress-improve-broadband-programs-crucial-to-rural-america

22.   Low-Income Americans Benefit from Cheap Internet. So Do Comcast & Charter (Yahoo! News)

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/low-income-americans-benefit-cheap-140000753.html

23.   ISPs Say U.S. Should Force Big Tech Firms to Pay for Broadband Construction (Ars Technica)

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/att-verizon-lobby-group-pushes-for-payments-from-big-tech/

24.   Updated BEAD State Allocations Estimates: How Much Money Will Your State Get? (Telecompetitor)

https://www.telecompetitor.com/updated-bead-state-allocations-estimates-how-much-money-will-your-state-get/

BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY - THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY & CYBERSECURITY

25.   WA State: Clark County Cryptocurrency Businesses Face Lawsuit (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.columbian.com/news/2023/jun/20/clark-county-cryptocurrency-businesses-face-lawsuit/

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

26.   WA State: Tri-Cites Sees First STEM Career Academy (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

https://keprtv.com/news/local/tri-cites-sees-first-stem-career-academy

27.   The Best WA Public Service Music Made for (And Paid By) the Masses (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

https://mynorthwest.com/3901129/the-best-washington-public-service-music-made-for-the-masses/

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY

28.   Washington Has the Most Expensive Gas in the Country, AAA Says (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

https://keprtv.com/news/local/gas-prices-washington-state-seattle-king-county-tacoma-everett-bellevue-yakima-spokane-pump-inflation-oregon-california-hawaii-regular-unleaded-midgrade-premium-diesel-road-trip-travel-summer-economy-united-states

29.   Dangerous Fire Weather Conditions Becoming More Common Across U.S. (Axios)

https://www.axios.com/2023/06/14/fire-weather-expanding-across-us-west-southwest

30.   Titanic Sub: Rescuers Race Against Time After Hearing Undersea Sounds (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/world/searchers-detect-undersea-sounds-hunt-missing-titanic-sub-2023-06-21/

31.   129-Year-Old Oregon Coast Lighthouse Vandalized; Police Searching for Suspects (Oregonian, Portland, OR)

https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2023/06/129-year-old-oregon-lighthouse-vandalized-police-searching-for-suspects.html

SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI

32.   Guest Essay: Snake River ‘Whac-A-Mole’ Needs to Stop (Tacoma Weekly, WA)

https://tacomaweekly.com/snake-river-whacamole-needs-to-stop-p5475-197.htm

33.   California’s Regionally Isolated Power Grid Leaves State Vulnerable to Failure (CalMatters)

https://calmatters.org/commentary/2023/06/california-isolated-power-grid-vulnerable/

34.   Guest Essay: Don’t Accept a Future of Mega-Wildfires: Here Are Five High-Impact Personal Actions (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/dont-accept-a-future-of-mega-wildfires-here-are-5-high-impact-personal-actions/

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Happy First Day of Summer – Longest Day of the Year

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/summer-begins-june-21/

Follow Up File: Worker Was Paid with 91,500 Oily Pennies, Feds Say. Now Company Owes Him Much More

https://www.yahoo.com/news/worker-paid-91-500-oily-185652913.html

As ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ Turns 30, We Revisit Its Famous Seattle Locations

https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/as-sleepless-in-seattle-turns-30-we-revisit-its-famous-seattle-locations/

Blood-Red Crickets Invade Nevada Town, Residents Fight Back with Brooms, Leaf Blowers, Snow Plows

https://apnews.com/article/mormon-crickets-invasion-infestation-elko-nevada-3563fbe67c7ff25960e8c66a90ad3885

SONG OF THE DAY

Joe Cocker – Bye Bye Blackbird

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx93FuiGv7U

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

Links in The Energy News Digest are for current stories. I try to choose stories that are accessible without paying a subscription. Individual experiences may vary. Media attribution includes information about possible paywall restrictions. Regular clearing of your browser’s history and cookie files may help in accessing some paywall sites.

Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links.