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HOTSHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Oregon Jury Awards
$85 Million to Nine Victims of Deadly 2020 Wildfires (Associated Press)
Oregon: Lane County
Deputies Seeing More Wire Theft After Ice Storm (KEZI-TV, Eugene, OR)
WA State: This
Pierce County City Spent $457,600 On LED Streetlight Bulbs. Almost All Quit
Working (Tacoma News-Tribune, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/community/gateway/g-news/article284453020.html
Native Nations with
Scarce Internet Are Building Their Own Broadband Networks (Vancouver Columbian,
WA – Paywall Advisory)
How the Polar
Vortex Could Bring Winter Back with a Vengeance (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. Oregon
Jury Awards $85 Million to Nine Victims of Deadly 2020 Wildfires
2. New
Federal Lawsuit Filed Against Three Utilities on Behalf of Holiday Farm Fire
Survivors
3. Oregon:
Lane County Deputies Seeing More Wire Theft After Ice Storm
4. U.S.
House Republicans Unveil Effort to Block Biden Admin from Tearing Down Key
Hydro Dams
5. Public
Power Council Details How Hydropower Played Key Reliability Role with Extreme
Cold
6. Washington
House Passes Puget Sound Energy Natural Gas Ban Days After Cold Snap Hits
Energy Grid
7. Tribes,
Environmental Groups Ask U.S. Court to Block $10 Billion Energy Transmission
Project in Arizona
8. Chelan
PUD Spending $5.3 Million on Land Purchase Near Malaga
9. U.S.
Electric Demand Set to Grow 1.5% Annually Through 2026 on Manufacturing,
Electrification: IEA
10. King
Coal Set to Lose Crown for Electricity Production: IEA
11. U.S.
Monthly Dry Natural Gas Production Set a New Record in December 2023
12. USDA
Invests $2.6 Million in Pacific Northwest Businesses to Offer Clean Energy
13. WA
State: ‘It’s Hitting on All Cylinders’: Inslee Sees Lewis County’s Push for Green
Energy First Hand
14. WA
State: This Pierce County City Spent $457,600 On LED Streetlight Bulbs. Almost
All Quit Working
15. Montana
Orders NorthWestern to Take Closer Look at Low-Income Programs
16. Bipartisan
Group of 12 Senators Proposes Blocking DOE’s Distribution Transformer
Efficiency Rule
17. A
Quiet Water Deal Paves the Way to Build Thousands of Homes in Arizona
18. Oregon
Seeks Redo on Signature Climate Protection Program Invalidated by Court Ruling
19. The
Weather Is Wild. One Meteorologist on Why, & What We Can Do.
20. Native
Nations with Scarce Internet Are Building Their Own Broadband Networks
21. FCC
To End Broadband Discounts for Poor People After Republicans Undermine Program
22. We’ve
Forgotten How to Use Computers – The Mouse Is Sorely Missed.
23. Tesla
Plans to Build New Electric Vehicles in Mid-2025
24. What
Canada Can Learn from Norway, the EV Capital of the World
25. How
the Polar Vortex Could Bring Winter Back with a Vengeance
26. One
of the Longest Jet Streams in Memory
27. U.S.
State Department Responds to Putin Declaring Sale of Alaska to U.S. as “Illegitimate”
28. Columnist:
Boiling Point – Are Dams Good or Bad?
29. Guest
Essay: Is the Hydrogen Plan in Our Best Interest?
30. Guest Essay: Extreme Cold Doesn’t Contradict Climate Change
WORD OF THE DAY
Cabal \kuh-BAHL\ Noun – The artifices and intrigues of a group of persons secretly united in a plot (as to overturn a government); also: a group engaged in such artifices and intrigues 2: club, group.
The “Lord of the Rings” fanboys were aghast. It wasn’t until too late that they discovered an anti-Gandalf cabal of Saruman clones in the center of their role-playing community. “The White Wizard takes your game piece,” crowed the leader of the renegade group, as he reached forth his “Cheetos”-stained fingers to snatch the small, collector’s edition statue of the Gray Wizard off the game board.
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
Oregon Jury Awards $85 Million to Nine Victims of
Deadly 2020 Wildfires (Associated Press)
2.
New Federal Lawsuit Filed Against Three Utilities
on Behalf of Holiday Farm Fire Survivors (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
3.
Oregon: Lane County Deputies Seeing More Wire
Theft After Ice Storm (KEZI-TV, Eugene, OR)
4.
U.S. House Republicans Unveil Effort to Block Biden
Admin from Tearing Down Key Hydro Dams (Fox News)
5.
Public Power Council Details How Hydropower
Played Key Reliability Role with Extreme Cold (American Public Power
Association)
6.
Washington House Passes Puget Sound Energy Natural
Gas Ban Days After Cold Snap Hits Energy Grid (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_f1782926-ba23-11ee-b3a3-27e1b8c62a45.html
7.
Tribes, Environmental Groups Ask U.S. Court to Block
$10 Billion Energy Transmission Project in Arizona (Associated Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/tribes-environmental-groups-ask-us-court-to-18622204.php
8.
Chelan PUD Spending $5.3 Million on Land
Purchase Near Malaga (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/chelan-pud-purchases-undeveloped-land/
9.
U.S. Electric Demand Set to Grow 1.5% Annually
Through 2026 on Manufacturing, Electrification: IEA (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/us-electric-demand-iea-forecast-data-center/705452/
10.
King Coal Set to Lose Crown for Electricity
Production: IEA (Yahoo! News)
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/king-coal-set-lose-crown-063456407.html
11.
U.S. Monthly Dry Natural Gas Production Set a
New Record in December 2023 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61263
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
12.
USDA Invests $2.6 Million in Pacific Northwest
Businesses to Offer Clean Energy (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)
https://pnwag.net/clean-energy-pnw-reap/
13.
WA State: ‘It’s Hitting on All Cylinders’: Inslee
Sees Lewis County’s Push for Green Energy First Hand (The Chronicle, Centralia,
WA)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
14.
WA State: This Pierce County City Spent $457,600
On LED Streetlight Bulbs. Almost All Quit Working (Tacoma News-Tribune, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/community/gateway/g-news/article284453020.html
15.
Montana Orders NorthWestern to Take Closer Look at
Low-Income Programs (The Daily Montanan)
16.
Bipartisan Group of 12 Senators Proposes
Blocking DOE’s Distribution Transformer Efficiency Rule (Utility Dive)
WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?
17.
A Quiet Water Deal Paves the Way to Build
Thousands of Homes in Arizona (Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ)
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
18.
Oregon Seeks Redo on Signature Climate
Protection Program Invalidated by Court Ruling (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
19.
The Weather Is Wild. One Meteorologist on Why, &
What We Can Do. (Christian Science Monitor)
LONDON CALLING –TELECOMMUNICATIONS
20.
Native Nations with Scarce Internet Are Building
Their Own Broadband Networks (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
21.
FCC To End Broadband Discounts for Poor People
After Republicans Undermine Program (TechDirt)
BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY - THE WIZARDING WORLD OF
TECHNOLOGY & CYBERSECURITY
22.
We’ve Forgotten How to Use Computers – The Mouse
Is Sorely Missed. (Atlantic Magazine)
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/01/computer-mouse-evolution-trackpad/677228/
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
23.
Tesla Plans to Build New Electric Vehicles in Mid-2025
(Reuters)
24.
What Canada Can Learn from Norway, the Electric
Vehicle Capital of the World (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY
25.
How the Polar Vortex Could Bring Winter Back with
a Vengeance (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
26.
One of the Longest Jet Streams in Memory (Cliff
Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2024/01/one-of-longest-jet-streams-in-memory.html
27.
U.S. State Department Responds to Putin
Declaring Sale of Alaska to U.S. as ‘Illegitimate’ (Yahoo! News)
https://news.yahoo.com/u-state-department-responds-putin-172615363.html
SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI
28.
Columnist: Boiling Point – Are Dams Good or Bad?
(Los Angeles Times, CA – Paywall Advisory)
29.
Guest Essay: Is the Hydrogen Plan in Our Best
Interest? (Willapa Harbor Herald, WA)
https://hometowndebate.com/is-the-hydrogen-plan-in-our-best-interest--p942-160.htm
30.
Guest Essay: Extreme Cold Doesn’t Contradict
Climate Change (Everett Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-extreme-cold-doesnt-contradict-climate-change/
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Could Champagne Soon
Stop Producing Champagne?
Profanity-Spewing
Parrots Given a Second Chance at British Zoo
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/01/24/Lincolnshire-Wildlife-Park-swearing-parrots/8621706113377/
French Tourist
Makes 7.46-Carat Discovery at Crater of Diamonds
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/01/23/Crater-of-Diamonds-State-Park-French-tourist/9631706047236/
California Woman
Grows World’s Longest Arm Hair
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/01/23/worlds-longest-arm-hair/8181706048021/
SONG OF THE DAY
Playing for Change –
La Bamba
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5dkwQY-_tk
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