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HOTSHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Maine Voters Reject
Public Takeover of CMP, Versant Utilities (Utility Dive)
Nation at Risk of
Winter Blackouts as Power Grid Remains Under Strain (Washington Post – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/11/08/power-grid-blackouts-texas/
With Internet
Subsidies Drying Up, Eastern Washington Broadband Users Call on Congress to
Replenish Funds (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/nov/07/with-internet-subsidies-drying-up-eastern-washingt/
This Year
‘Virtually Certain’ to Be Warmest in 125,000 Years, EU Scientists Say (Reuters)
Seismologists See
Spike in Mount St. Helens Earthquakes (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. Maine
Voters Reject Public Takeover of CMP, Versant Utilities
2. Years-Long
Campaign for Consumer-Owned Utility Defeated After Deluge of Opposition
Spending
3. Nation
at Risk of Winter Blackouts as Power Grid Remains Under Strain
4. U.S.
House Chairs Rodgers, Duncan, & Johnson Warn FERC about Grid Security Ahead
of Commission’s Reliability Conference
5. California:
San Jose Engineer Peter Karasev Arraigned for Allegedly Bombing Pacific Gas
& Electric Transformers
6. California:
San Diego Gas & Electric Income-Based Billing Structure Met with Pushback
During Utility Commission Meeting
7. Arizona
Congressional Lawmakers Usher Bill Promoting Hydropower Through U.S. House
8. Texas
Voters Approve $10 Billion Energy Fund, with Most Going to Build Gas-Fired
Power Plants
9. The
U.S. Offshore Wind Industry Faces a Moment of Reckoning
10. WA
State: Klickitat County Moves Closer to Stopping Large-Scale Solar in Some
Areas
11. EIA
Expects U.S. Annual Solar Electricity Generation to Surpass Hydropower in 2024
12. Geothermal:
A New Type of Climate-Friendly Energy Is Coming Online in the U.S. Southwest
13. Survey
Finds Many Consumers Not Ready to Electrify Their Homes
14. Heat
Pumps Are Not Fair-Weather Friends Any More
15. A
Pod of Orcas Have Sunk a Yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar
16. Orca-Strated
Chaos: Understanding a Summer of Orca Drama
17. British
Columbia Indigenous Leaders Lobby for Transition from Open-Net Salmon Farms
18. ‘Pollinator-Friendly’
Solar Farms Can Be a Boon for Bees. In Mass., They’re Not Always Easy
19. This
Year ‘Virtually Certain’ to Be Warmest in 125,000 Years, EU Scientists Say
20. With
Internet Subsidies Drying Up, Eastern Washington Broadband Users Call on
Congress to Replenish Funds
21. Montana:
Legislative Committee Moves Forward with Broadband Rollout
22. Chelan
PUD Considering Next Step with Internet Fiber Network
23. USDA
Report Analyzes Three of Its Rural Broadband Programs & Their Reach
24. Four
Prompt Tactics to Make Artificial Intelligence Work for Your Utility
25. Seismologists
See Spike in Mount St. Helens Earthquakes
26. Turkey
Prices Have Dropped by a Lot as Thanksgiving Planning Ramps Up
27. Guest
Essay: State Rep. Mary Dye - Return Excessive Carbon Tax Profits to Washington
Motorists Struggling with High Gas Prices
28. Guest
Essay: Could You Live without Internet? In Rural Pierce County, People Are.
That Must Change
29. Guest
Essay: Oregon – Beacon Broadband’s Recipe for Curry County Small Businesses
30. Guest Essay: How America’s Grid Modernization Stakes Echo Eisenhower’s Interstate Revolution
WORD OF THE DAY
Ichthyomania \ick-thee-oh-MANE-ee-yah/ oun - An excessive fascination with fish.
Ichthyomancy 1. Divination by means of the heads or entrails of fishes. 2. Divination by examining the heads and/or entrails of fish for prophetic signs or processing the next fish caught.
Bradford was in heaven. As a rabid ichtyomnaniac, working in the fish processing plant let him play with his semi-frozen charges as if they were ventriloquist dummies. “Hi, Folks!” He would exclaim while working the little fish mouths at lunch. When he started using ichthyomancy to predict the annual salmon runs in the Columbia River, his co-workers started to avoid him like a week-old chum.
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
Maine Voters Reject Public Takeover of CMP, Versant
Utilities (Utility Dive)
2.
Years-Long Campaign for Consumer-Owned Utility
Defeated After Deluge of Opposition Spending (Maine Morning Star)
3.
Nation at Risk of Winter Blackouts as Power Grid
Remains Under Strain (Washington Post – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/11/08/power-grid-blackouts-texas/
4.
U.S. House Chairs Rodgers, Duncan, & Johnson
Warn FERC about Grid Security Ahead of Commission’s Reliability Conference
(U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee)
5.
California: San Jose Engineer Peter Karasev Arraigned
for Allegedly Bombing Pacific Gas & Electric Transformers (KPIX-TV, San
Francisco, CA)
6.
California: San Diego Gas & Electric Income-Based
Billing Structure Met with Pushback During Utility Commission Meeting (KSWB-TV,
San Diego, CA)
7.
Arizona Congressional Lawmakers Usher Bill
Promoting Hydropower Through U.S. House (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/arizona/article_230d804a-7d92-11ee-baa3-5fda6236aa20.html
8.
Texas Voters Approve $10 Billion Energy Fund, with
Most Going to Build Gas-Fired Power Plants (Utility Dive)
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
9.
The U.S. Offshore Wind Industry Faces a Moment
of Reckoning (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/wind/the-us-offshore-wind-industry-faces-a-moment-of-reckoning
10.
WA State: Klickitat County Moves Closer to Stopping
Large-Scale Solar in Some Areas (Gorge Radio, Hood River, OR)
https://gorgeradio.com/?pg=34752&post=true
11.
EIA Expects U.S. Annual Solar Electricity
Generation to Surpass Hydropower in 2024 (U.S. Energy Information
Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=60922
12.
Geothermal: A New Type of Climate-Friendly
Energy Is Coming Online in the U.S. Southwest (National Public Radio)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
13.
Survey Finds Many Consumers Not Ready to
Electrify Their Homes (American Public Power Association)
14.
Heat Pumps Are Not Fair-Weather Friends Any More
(Clean Technica)
https://cleantechnica.com/2023/11/07/heat-pumps-are-not-fair-weather-friends-any-more/
FISH & WILDLIFE
15.
A Pod of Orcas Have Sunk a Yacht in the Strait of
Gibraltar (National Public Radio)
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/11/07/a-pod-of-orcas-have-sunk-a-yacht-in-the-strait-of-gibraltar/
16.
Orca-Strated Chaos: Understanding a Summer of Orca
Drama (Psychology Today)
17.
British Columbia Indigenous Leaders Lobby for
Transition from Open-Net Salmon Farms (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/open-net-salmon-farms-transition-1.7021807?cmp=rss
18.
‘Pollinator-Friendly’ Solar Farms Can Be a Boon
for Bees. In Mass., They’re Not Always Easy (WBUR Radio, Boston, MA)
https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/11/06/pollinator-friendly-solar-massachusetts
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
19.
This Year ‘Virtually Certain’ to Be Warmest in 125,000
Years, EU Scientists Say (Reuters)
LONDON CALLING –TELECOMMUNICATIONS
20.
With Internet Subsidies Drying Up, Eastern
Washington Broadband Users Call on Congress to Replenish Funds (Spokesman-Review,
Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/nov/07/with-internet-subsidies-drying-up-eastern-washingt/
21.
Montana: Legislative Committee Moves Forward with
Broadband Rollout (KECI-TV – Missoula, MT)
https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/legislative-committee-moves-forward-with-broadband-rollout
22.
Chelan PUD Considering Next Step with Internet
Fiber Network (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/chelan-pud-considering-next-step-with-internet-fiber-network/
23.
USDA Report Analyzes Three of Its Rural
Broadband Programs & Their Reach (The Daily Yonder)
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA
24.
Four Prompt Tactics to Make Artificial
Intelligence Work for Your Utility (Pioneer Utility Resources)
https://www.pioneerutilityresources.com/aiprompts/
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY
25.
Seismologists See Spike in Mount St. Helens Earthquakes
(KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
26.
Turkey Prices Have Dropped by a Lot as Thanksgiving
Planning Ramps Up (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/turkey-prices-dropped-lot-thanksgiving-120103122.html
SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI
27.
Guest Essay: State Rep. Mary Dye - Return Excessive
Carbon Tax Profits to Washington Motorists Struggling with High Gas Prices (Spokesman-Review,
Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/nov/08/rep-mary-dye-return-excessive-carbon-tax-profits-t/
28.
Guest Essay: Could You Live without Internet? In
Rural Pierce County, People Are. That Must Change (Tacoma News-Tribune, WA –
Paywall Advisory)
https://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/article281367203.html
29.
Guest Essay: Oregon – Beacon Broadband’s Recipe
for Curry County Small Businesses (Linkedin)
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/beacon-broadbands-recipe-curry-county-small-businesses-rbnwc/
30.
Guest Essay: How America’s Grid Modernization
Stakes Echo Eisenhower’s Interstate Revolution (Utility Dive)
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Man Solves Rubik’s Cube
in 9.29 Seconds While Underwater
Massachusetts Student’s
Message in a Bottle Found in France 26 Years Later
Man Paddles Pumpkin
Boat More Than 40 Miles to Break Record
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2023/11/08/Guinness-World-Records-pumpkin-boat/2921699460138/
Irish Chef Breaks
Two Cooking Marathon Records Days Apart
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2023/11/07/japan-Guinness-World-Records-cooking-marathon/3911699373438/
SONG OF THE DAY
Alexandre Desplat –
Julie & Julia – Soundtrack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi_JJTorDnI&list=PL81543948AFA585B1
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