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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
Huge Spike in Costs
to Help Salmon Could Derail WA Transportation Budget (Seattle Times, WA –
Paywall Advisory)
WA State:
Republicans Blame Gov. Inslee, Ecology for Reported Salmon Loss (The Center
Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_688252d6-840e-11ee-bd56-4379809a66ab.html
A Massive U.S.-Led
Nuclear Power Pledge Could Be a Global Gamechanger (Huffington Post)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/us-nuclear-energy-2050-global-pledge-cop28_n_65568048e4b0e4767013797c
WA Raises $260
Million in Most-Recent Carbon-Pricing Auction (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
California Makes It
Harder for Schools, Farms & Rental Housing to Go Solar (Canary Media)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. A
Massive U.S.-Led Nuclear Power Pledge Could Be a Global Gamechanger
2. California
Utilities Commission OKs Pacific Gas & Electric Rate Increase
3. Pacific
Power Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Rate Increases
4. Technical
Hearing Scheduled for Idaho Power General Rate Case
5. Pacific
Northwest Prices Climb as Temperatures Drop; Hydro Remains Low
6. Fourth
Quarter Buoys Bonneville Power Administration Net Revenues Beyond Forecasts
7. California
Facing Electrical Transformer Troubles as New Homes Continue to Be Built
8. Montana
Coal Production Is Down in 2023
9. Two
Contractors Injured in Electrical Fire Near Atlantic Station Prompts Large
Police Presence
10. California:
Man Dies After Hitting Power Line with Aluminum Pole While Searching for Drone
in Lake County
11. California
Makes It Harder for Schools, Farms & Rental Housing to Go Solar
12. Arizona:
Solar Panels Will Cut Water Loss from Canals in Gila River Indian Community
13. Oregon’s
First Large-Scale Solar Park & Farm Hinges on 50-Year-Old Land Use Laws
14. Pumped
Storage Hydro Could be Key to the Clean Energy Transition. But Where Will the
Water Come From?
15. President
Biden’s Climate & Tribal Goals Conflict on California’s Coast
16. Huge
Spike in Costs to Help Salmon Could Derail WA Transportation Budget
17. WA
State: Republicans Blame Gov. Inslee, Ecology for Reported Salmon Loss
18. New
Study Uses ‘Environmental DNA’ to Assess Fish Passage Improvements
19. WA
State Refuses to Close Fisheries Despite Quinault Nation Citing ‘Alarmingly Low
Returns’ of Salmon
20. Western
Gray Squirrels Now Classified as Endangered Species in Washington State
21. What
the Flush? The Culprits Clogging King County Sewers
22. Idaho
Hosts Cloud Seeding Workshop to Help Educate Policymakers & Resource
Managers
23. WA
Raises $260 Million in Most-Recent Carbon-Pricing Auction
24. Climate
Change Is Hastening the Demise of Pacific Northwest Forests
25. Climate
Change Threatens Japan’s Cormorant Fishing Legacy
26. Grant
County to See Completion of 20+ Year Fiber Internet Buildout in 2024
27. Amazon’s
New Internet Service Successfully Completes Testing as It Gets Ready to Offer
Affordable Home Internet
28. United
Kingdom: Controversial Hull MS3 Broadband Poles Chopped Down
29. Electric
Vehicle-Owning Journalist Dismayed to Find Huge Number of Chargers Unusable
30. Who
Produces the Most Skillful Weather Forecasts?
31. Thurston
County Judge Rules That Washington Lawmakers Have Control Releasing Relative
Documents to the Public
32. Dogs
Are Getting Sick & Dying from a Mystery Illness in Several States
33. More
Than a Foot of Snow & 100 Mph Wind Gusts Possible as Storm Approaches
Sierra Nevada
34. This
Thanksgiving Could Be the Busiest Travel Season Ever
35. Rosalynn
Carter, Mental Health Activist, Humanitarian & Former First Lady, Dies at
96
36. Editorial:
Pacific Northwest Salmon Crisis Demands Nuanced Solutions, Not Just Wishful
Thinking
37.
The U.S. Should Take Warning from the Huge Costs
of British Floating Wind Power
WORD OF THE DAY
Incubus • \INN-kyuh-buss\ • - 1: an evil spirit that lies on persons in their sleep 2: nightmare 3: one that oppresses or burdens like a nightmare
“May you live in interesting times,” was the benediction from the elderly Chinese priest to the inattentive occidental tourist. The traveler didn’t get the meaning at first. However, after losing his luggage in Nanking, his fortune in a Hong Kong casino, and his tonsils in Canton, the parting phrase began to prey on the tourist’s mind like an incubus…pushing him close to the edge of snapping his reason.
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
A Massive U.S.-Led Nuclear Power Pledge Could Be
a Global Gamechanger (Huffington Post)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/us-nuclear-energy-2050-global-pledge-cop28_n_65568048e4b0e4767013797c
2.
California Utilities Commission OKs Pacific Gas
& Electric Rate Increase (Courthouse News Service)
3.
Pacific Power Seeks Public Comment on Proposed
Rate Increases (KONA Radio, Pasco, WA)
https://610kona.com/ixp/136/p/pacific-power-seeks-public-comment-on-proposed-rate-increases/
4.
Technical Hearing Scheduled for Idaho Power General
Rate Case (KIFI-TV, Idaho Falls, ID)
5.
Pacific Northwest Prices Climb as Temperatures
Drop; Hydro Remains Low (S&P Global)
6.
Fourth Quarter Buoys Bonneville Power
Administration Net Revenues Beyond Forecasts (Bonneville Power Administration)
7.
California Facing Electrical Transformer
Troubles as New Homes Continue to Be Built (KOVR-TV, Sacramento, CA)
8.
Montana Coal Production Is Down in 2023 (Billings
Gazette, MT – Paywall Advisory)
9.
Two Contractors Injured in Electrical Fire Near Atlantic
Station Prompts Large Police Presence (Yahoo! News)
https://news.yahoo.com/possible-explosion-reported-midtown-atlanta-214023970.html
10.
California: Man Dies After Hitting Power Line
with Aluminum Pole While Searching for Drone in Lake County (Santa Rosa Press-Democrat,
CA)
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
11.
California Makes It Harder for Schools, Farms &
Rental Housing to Go Solar (Canary Media)
12.
Arizona: Solar Panels Will Cut Water Loss from
Canals in Gila River Indian Community (Associated Press)
13.
Oregon’s First Large-Scale Solar Park & Farm
Hinges on 50-Year-Old Land Use Laws (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
14.
Pumped Storage Hydro Could be Key to the Clean
Energy Transition. But Where Will the Water Come From? (Inside Climate News)
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/19112023/pumped-storage-hydro-energy-transition-water/
15.
President Biden’s Climate & Tribal Goals
Conflict on California’s Coast (Politico)
FISH & WILDLIFE
16.
Huge Spike in Costs to Help Salmon Could Derail WA
Transportation Budget (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
17.
WA State: Republicans Blame Gov. Inslee, Ecology
for Reported Salmon Loss (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_688252d6-840e-11ee-bd56-4379809a66ab.html
18.
New Study Uses ‘Environmental DNA’ to Assess
Fish Passage Improvements (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
19.
WA State Refuses to Close Fisheries Despite Quinault
Nation Citing ‘Alarmingly Low Returns’ of Salmon (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle,
WA)
20.
Western Gray Squirrels Now Classified as
Endangered Species in Washington State (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/11/19/western-gray-squirrel-endangered-species-washington-state/
ENVIRONMENTAL AFFLATUS – CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE
21.
What the Flush? The Culprits Clogging King
County Sewers (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?
22.
Idaho Hosts Cloud Seeding Workshop to Help
Educate Policymakers & Resource Managers (KTVB-TV, Boise, ID)
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
23.
WA Raises $260 Million in Most-Recent
Carbon-Pricing Auction (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
24.
Climate Change Is Hastening the Demise of Pacific
Northwest Forests (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
25.
Climate Change Threatens Japan’s Cormorant
Fishing Legacy (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/climate-change-japan-cormorants/
LONDON CALLING –TELECOMMUNICATIONS
26.
Grant County to See Completion of 20+ Year Fiber
Internet Buildout in 2024 (SourceOne News, Ephrata, WA)
27.
Amazon’s New Internet Service Successfully
Completes Testing as It Gets Ready to Offer Affordable Home Internet (Cord
Cutters News)
28.
United Kingdom: Controversial Hull MS3 Broadband
Poles Chopped Down (British Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-humber-67476051
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
29.
Electric Vehicle-Owning Journalist Dismayed to
Find Huge Number of Chargers Unusable (Independent Journal-Review)
https://ijr.com/electric-vehicle-owning-journalist-dismayed-find-huge-number-chargers-unusable/
BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE
30.
Who Produces the Most Skillful Weather
Forecasts? (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2023/11/who-produces-most-skillful-weather.html
MANAGEMENT & GOVERNANCE
31.
Thurston County Judge Rules That Washington Lawmakers
Have Control Releasing Relative Documents to the Public (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY
32.
Dogs Are Getting Sick & Dying from a Mystery
Illness in Several States (Associated Press)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ap-us-med-dog-illness_n_6558dcbae4b05723e4bd6ede
33.
More Than a Foot of Snow & 100 Mph Wind
Gusts Possible as Storm Approaches Sierra Nevada (Associated Press)
34.
This Thanksgiving Could Be the Busiest Travel
Season Ever (The Hill, Washington, DC)
https://thehill.com/business/4318613-thanksgiving-busiest-travel-season-ever/
35.
Rosalynn Carter, Mental Health Activist,
Humanitarian & Former First Lady, Dies at 96 (Cable News Network)
SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI
36.
Editorial: Pacific Northwest Salmon Crisis
Demands Nuanced Solutions, Not Just Wishful Thinking (Tri-City Herald, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/opinion/editorials/article281968673.html
37.
The U.S. Should Take Warning from the Huge Costs
of British Floating Wind Power (The Telegraph, UK)
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
With Santa’s Elves on
Board to Deliver Gifts, Alaska’s National Guard Dealt with a Medical Emergency
https://apnews.com/article/alaska-guard-santa-claus-medevac-cfa00f5a85eba1c2ae7158c1ff42e2c5
Family Businesses
Grow Oregon’s Christmas Tree Farms
https://www.oregonlive.com/hg/2023/11/family-businesses-grow-oregons-christmas-tree-farms.html
Hold Your Jingle
Bells, Mariah. More Than Half of Americans Say Holiday Music Is Played Too
Early
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/holiday-season-christmas-music-poll-155042671.html
A Massachusetts 5th
Grader Put a Message in a Bottle in 1997, 26 Years Later It Showed Up in France
https://news.yahoo.com/massachusetts-5th-grader-put-message-111512092.html
SONG OF THE DAY
Carly Simon – Anticipation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVQuHF7lQBI
LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY
Links in The Energy News Digest are for current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links.
Although I choose
stories that are accessible without paying a subscription, individual
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