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ITEMS OF NOTE FROM THE NORTHWEST PUBLIC POWER ASSOCIATION
Power Supply Conference – December 5, 2023, in Portland, OR
Conference Overview: The NWPPA Power Supply Conference provides the expertise and insight to inform power supply decisions.
Who Should Attend: Power supply professionals; policymakers; general managers and CEOs; and finance, rate, and risk department managers.
HOTSHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Feds OK Natural Gas
Pipeline Expansion in Pacific Northwest Over Environmentalist Protests
(Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/natural-gas-pipeline-pacific-northwest-5e9c79c412b407ddc9bcb21c1ff8ee26
Exploding Lithium
Batteries Are Causing Fires in Oregon’s Landfills (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/10/21/exploding-lithium-batteries-landfill-fires/
WA State: Yakima
County Commissioner Concerned Over Water Use for Horse Heaven Wind Farm Project
(KAPP-TV, Yakima, WA)
Why Are Gas Prices
Rising at Stations Unaffected by Cap-And-Trade? (Crosscut Seattle)
https://crosscut.com/politics/2023/10/why-are-gas-prices-rising-stations-unaffected-cap-and-trade
The First Major
Arctic Air Blast of the Season for the Pacific Northwest (Cliff Mass Weather
Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-first-major-arctic-air-blast-of.html
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. Feds
OK Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion in Pacific Northwest Over Environmentalist
Protests
2. Oregon
& Washington Senators Write in Opposition to Proposed FERC Gas Expansion.
3. Alaska:
Railbelt Energy Infrastructure Gets a $206.5 Million Bump from Infrastructure
Bill Appropriations
4. WA
State: Chelan PUD’s 10-Year Modernization Plan Sees Progress with Generator
Removal
5. WA
State: Lewis County PUD to Begin Rollout of Advanced Meters Next Week
6. Democratic
Governors – Illinois/North Carolina – Block Bills for New Nuclear Power Plants
7. Southwest
Power Pool Expanding with Seven New Members
8. Wildfire
Risk & Public Safety Power Shutoffs
9. Exploding
Lithium Batteries Are Causing Fires in Oregon’s Landfills
10. WA
State: Yakima County Commissioner Concerned Over Water Use for Horse Heaven
Wind Farm Project
11. Horse
Heaven Wind & Solar Project Seen as Threat to Tribal Properties
12. High
Upfront Costs Are the Top Barriers to Solar Panel Adoption, Despite Interest to
Save on Bills
13. WA
State: Snohomish PUD Gets Huge Grant to Improve System Reliability
14. Unusual
Deaths of Hundreds of West Coast Gray Whales Linked to Lack of Arctic Ice
15. Funding
Fisheries Enhancement: Coalition Urges Congress to Back Work
16. WA
State: Sockeye Salmon Return to the Cedar River
17. Removing
the Klamath Dams Is Good News for Salmon — And Bat Researchers
18. As
Drought Dries Up B.C. Rivers, Conservationists Turn to Beavers for Help
19. Why
Are Gas Prices Rising at Stations Unaffected by Cap-And-Trade?
20. Even
with Carbon Emissions Cuts, a Key Part of Antarctica Is Doomed to Slow
Collapse, Study Says
21. WA
State: CenturyLink Phone Outages in Brinnon Prompt Concern
22. FCC
Moves Forward with Its Plan to Restore Obama-Era Net Neutrality Protections
23. Comcast
Takes Heat for Misleading ‘10G’ Cable Broadband Branding
24. Utilities,
Charging Companies Battle Over Electric Vehicle Fast Chargers, Slowing
Deployment Amid Massive Needs
25. Elon
Musk Says Feds Issued Subpoenas Over Tesla Autopilot Crash Probe
26. Astronomers
Say Starlink, Amazon Light Pollution Keeps Getting Worse
27. Industrial
Lobbyists Say Montana Environmental Laws Too Burdensome
28. American
Work-From-Home Rates Drop to Lowest Since the Pandemic
29. Employee
Profile: Meet Anna Wills, Energy Trader & Real-Time Scheduler
30. The
First Major Arctic Air Blast of the Season for the Pacific Northwest
31. Seasonal
Outlook Shows Oncoming Cascade Snow, Lowland Rain
32. A
Seasonal Viral Stew Is Brewing with Flu, RSV, COVID & More
33. Guest
Essay: The Carbon Tax on Gas Is Burdening WA Families. How We Can Lighten the
Load
34. Columnist:
Electrifying Almost Everything Means Much More Nuclear Energy
35.
Guest Essay: Hydrogen Hubs Could Hasten Switch
from Diesel in Big Rigs
WORD OF THE DAY
Guerdon /GURR-dun/ Noun – Reward, recompense.
See instant karma
Pee on an electric fence
A painful guerdon
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
Feds OK Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion in Pacific
Northwest Over Environmentalist Protests (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/natural-gas-pipeline-pacific-northwest-5e9c79c412b407ddc9bcb21c1ff8ee26
2.
Oregon & Washington Senators Write in
Opposition to Proposed FERC Gas Expansion. (KNDO/KNDU-TV, Yakima/Tri-Cities, WA)
3.
Alaska: Railbelt Energy Infrastructure Gets a $206.5
Million Bump from Infrastructure Bill Appropriations (KSRM Radio, Soldotna, AK)
4.
WA State: Chelan PUD’s 10-Year Modernization
Plan Sees Progress with Generator Removal (NCW Life, East Wenatchee, WA)
5.
WA State: Lewis County PUD to Begin Rollout of Advanced
Meters Next Week (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
6.
Democratic Governors – Illinois/North Carolina –
Block Bills for New Nuclear Power Plants (Huffington Post)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/democrats-nuclear-energy_n_6532accce4b00f9a71cc5381
7.
Southwest Power Pool Expanding with Seven New
Members (KMOR Radio Scottsbluff, NE)
https://ruralradio.com/kmor/news/southwest-power-pool-expanding-with-seven-new-members/
8.
Wildfire Risk & Public Safety Power Shutoffs
(Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/spons/wildfire-risk-and-public-safety-power-shutoffs/697228/
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
9.
Exploding Lithium Batteries Are Causing Fires in
Oregon’s Landfills (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/10/21/exploding-lithium-batteries-landfill-fires/
10.
WA State: Yakima County Commissioner Concerned
Over Water Use for Horse Heaven Wind Farm Project (KAPP-TV, Yakima, WA)
11.
Horse Heaven Wind & Solar Project Seen as Threat
to Tribal Properties (Capital Press)
12.
High Upfront Costs Are the Top Barriers to Solar
Panel Adoption, Despite Interest to Save on Bills (Morning Consult)
https://pro.morningconsult.com/analysis/drivers-barriers-solar-panel-adoption
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
13.
WA State: Snohomish PUD Gets Huge Grant to Improve
System Reliability (My Everett News, WA)
https://myeverettnews.com/2023/10/22/snohomish-pud-gets-huge-grant-to-improve-system-reliability/
FISH & WILDLIFE
14.
Unusual Deaths of Hundreds of West Coast Gray
Whales Linked to Lack of Arctic Ice (Coastal Curry Pilot, Brookings, OR)
15.
Funding Fisheries Enhancement: Coalition Urges Congress
to Back Work (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
16.
WA State: Sockeye Salmon Return to the Cedar
River (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/sockeye-salmon-return-to-the-cedar-river/
17.
Removing the Klamath Dams Is Good News for Salmon
— And Bat Researchers (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/10/23/klamath-dam-removal-bat-research/
WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?
18.
As Drought Dries Up B.C. Rivers,
Conservationists Turn to Beavers for Help (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/drought-b-c-rivers-beavers-1.6996190
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
19.
Why Are Gas Prices Rising at Stations Unaffected
by Cap-And-Trade? (Crosscut Seattle)
https://crosscut.com/politics/2023/10/why-are-gas-prices-rising-stations-unaffected-cap-and-trade
20.
Even with Carbon Emissions Cuts, a Key Part of Antarctica
Is Doomed to Slow Collapse, Study Says (Associated Press)
LONDON CALLING –TELECOMMUNICATIONS
21.
WA State: CenturyLink Phone Outages in Brinnon
Prompt Concern (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/phone-outages-in-brinnon-prompt-concern/
22.
FCC Moves Forward with Its Plan to Restore Obama-Era
Net Neutrality Protections (Engadget)
23.
Comcast Takes Heat for Misleading ‘10G’ Cable
Broadband Branding (TechDirt)
https://www.techdirt.com/2023/10/20/comcast-takes-heat-for-misleading-10g-cable-broadband-branding/
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
24.
Utilities, Charging Companies Battle Over Electric
Vehicle Fast Chargers, Slowing Deployment Amid Massive Needs (Utility Dive)
25.
Elon Musk Says Feds Issued Subpoenas Over Tesla
Autopilot Crash Probe (New York Post, NY)
BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE
26.
Astronomers Say Starlink, Amazon Light Pollution
Keeps Getting Worse (TechDirt)
MANAGEMENT & GOVERNANCE
27.
Industrial Lobbyists Say Montana Environmental
Laws Too Burdensome (Billings Gazette, MT – Paywall Advisory)
28.
American Work-From-Home Rates Drop to Lowest
Since the Pandemic (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-home-rates-drop-lowest-172033881.html
29.
Employee Profile: Meet Anna Wills, Energy Trader
& Real-Time Scheduler (Bonneville Power Administration)
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY
30.
The First Major Arctic Air Blast of the Season
for the Pacific Northwest (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-first-major-arctic-air-blast-of.html
31.
Seasonal Outlook Shows Oncoming Cascade Snow,
Lowland Rain (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/3936252/seasonal-outlook-look-towards-oncoming-cascade-snow-lowland-rain/
32.
A Seasonal Viral Stew Is Brewing with Flu, RSV, COVID
& More (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/10/21/seasonal-viral-stew-is-brewing-with-flu-rsv-covid-and-more/
SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI
33.
Guest Essay: The Carbon Tax on Gas Is Burdening WA
Families. How We Can Lighten the Load (Tacoma News-Tribune, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/article280696660.html
34.
Columnist: Electrifying Almost Everything Means
Much More Nuclear Energy (Forbes Magazine)
35.
Guest Essay: Hydrogen Hubs Could Hasten Switch
from Diesel in Big Rigs (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Tim Burton-Inspired
Pumpkin Mosaic Sets World Record
https://news.yahoo.com/tim-burton-inspired-pumpkin-mosaic-075224007.html
Woman Returns from Vacation
to Find Atlanta Home Demolished
https://apnews.com/article/house-demolished-atlanta-mistake-8aabf0c39f201ace9848e801d14d3101
Cypriot Balances
319 Wine Glasses on His Head -- While Dancing
Runaway Tortoise
Found Five Miles from Home, 3 1/2 Years Later
SONG OF THE DAY
Emmylou Harris – Two
More Bottles of Wine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4Z2MGv7DLU
LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY
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