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Items of Note from the Northwest Public Power Association
NWPPA’s Women in Public Power conference - July 24-25, 2024, Tacoma, WA. The WIPP conference continues the tradition of honoring issues specific to women from all areas and levels within the public power industry. It is a place for leaders at all levels—whether you are a customer/member service representative, director/commissioner, meter reader, CEO, accountant, purchaser, or any other employee—to network and learn from one another.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Rivers Are the
West’s Largest Source of Clean Energy. What Happens When Drought Strikes?
(Grist Online)
Newhouse, Hirsh
Discuss Lower Snake River Dams Under President Biden’s Billion-Dollar Deal
(KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
WA State: Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council
Withholds Findings on Horse Heaven Project (Capital Press – Paywall Advisory)
Vandal Poisons
Thousands of Young Salmon at Oregon Hatchery (Oregon Department of Fish &
Wildlife)
https://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2024/04_Apr/042524.asp
Net Neutrality
Restored as FCC Votes to Regulate Internet Providers (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/net-neutrality-fcc-broadband-regulation-cc8421bc4f11a3e0f6ffc22c358fbfd0
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Rivers
Are the West’s Largest Source of Clean Energy. What Happens When Drought
Strikes?
2. Newhouse,
Hirsh Discuss Lower Snake River Dams Under President Biden’s Billion-Dollar
Deal
3. In
Blow to Green Groups, Ninth Circuit Upholds Federal Plan for Colorado River’s
Glen Canyon Dam
4. Oregon
Public Utilities Commission Denies Request to Reject Portland General
Electric’s 7.3% Rate Increase
5. Here’s
What the Average Electricity Bill Costs in Your State
6. WA
State: Glenoma Couple Files $13 Million Lawsuit Against Lewis County PUD,
Alleges New Meters Could Be ‘Trojan Horse’ for Worldwide Agenda
7. A
Second New Nuclear Reactor Is Completed in Georgia. The Carbon-Free Power Comes
at a High Price
8. Coal-To-Nuclear
Transition Would Benefit Dozens of U.S. Regions: NASEO-NARUC Report
9. Strict
New EPA Rules Would Force Coal-Fired Power Plants to Capture Emissions or Shut
Down
10. U.S.
Natural Gas-Fired Electricity Generation Consistently Increased in 2022 &
2023
11. WA
State: Energy Facility Site Evaluation
Council Withholds Findings on Horse Heaven Project
12. Insight:
As Solar Capacity Grows, Some of America’s Most Productive Farmland Is at Risk
13. Idaho:
Farmland Owners Selling Their Properties for Solar Farm Share Their
Perspectives
14. WA
State: Puyallup Tribe Partners with Renewable Energy Storage Startup
15. Vandal
Poisons Thousands of Young Salmon at Oregon Hatchery
16. Orca
Calf Heading Towards Ocean After Being Trapped in Northwest Vancouver Island
Lagoon
17. WA
Farmers Brace for Summer Drought on Heels of Harvest Shortfalls
18. U.S.
Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions Decreased by 3% in 2023
19. WA
State’s New Law Involving Puget Sound Energy Aspires to Set a Course for the
Future
20. Oregon:
Portland Schools Could See $50 Million Boost for Climate Action
21. Net
Neutrality Restored as FCC Votes to Regulate Internet Providers
22. Electric
Vehicle Charging Vandalism Could Undermine Washington State’s Environmental
Goals
23. TikTok
Creators in Western Washington Consider the Potential Impact of a National Ban
24. Legislative
Conference Attendees Hit Capitol Hill with Messaging on Co-ops’ Top Policy
Issues
25. Substantial
Late-Season Mountain Snow Ahead
26. Surging
weather disasters disrupt insurance models, driving up home insurance by 23%
27. Commentary:
A Snapshot of the Region’s Energy Portfolio
28. Guest
Essay: Energy Efficiency Needs Emphasis from Utilities, Agencies
29. Columnist:
Here Are the 32 Coal Plants Still Powering the American West
30.
Opinion: WA Gov. Inslee’s Latest Wasteful
Electric Vehicle Subsidy Is the Equivalent of Paying $1,125 for a Latte
Word of the Day – The Horrible Haiku Edition
Bathos \BAY-thaws\ Noun - 1a: the sudden appearance of the commonplace in otherwise elevated matter or style b: anticlimax 2: exceptional commonplaceness: triteness 3: insincere or overdone pathos: sentimentalism.
Looking for humor
Bathos rears its ugly head
M Lisa moustache
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Rivers Are the West’s Largest Source of Clean
Energy. What Happens When Drought Strikes? (Grist Online)
2.
Newhouse, Hirsh Discuss Lower Snake River Dams
Under President Biden’s Billion-Dollar Deal (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
3.
In Blow to Green Groups, Ninth Circuit Upholds
Federal Plan for Colorado River’s Glen Canyon Dam (Courthouse News Service)
4.
Oregon Public Utilities Commission Denies
Request to Reject Portland General Electric’s 7.3% Rate Increase (KOIN-TV, Portland,
OR)
5.
Here’s What the Average Electricity Bill Costs
in Your State (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/average-electricity-bill-costs-state-230016264.html
6.
WA State: Glenoma Couple Files $13 Million Lawsuit
Against Lewis County PUD, Alleges New Meters Could Be ‘Trojan Horse’ for Worldwide
Agenda (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
7.
A Second New Nuclear Reactor Is Completed in Georgia.
The Carbon-Free Power Comes at a High Price (Associated Press)
8.
Coal-To-Nuclear Transition Would Benefit Dozens of
U.S. Regions: NASEO-NARUC Report (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/coal-nuclear-power-pant-conversion-naseo-naruc/714586/
9.
Strict New EPA Rules Would Force Coal-Fired
Power Plants to Capture Emissions or Shut Down (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/power-plants-coal-natural-gas-biden-epa-5c96ca146e7f70b47806beb4bc3713e6
10.
U.S. Natural Gas-Fired Electricity Generation
Consistently Increased in 2022 & 2023 (U.S. Energy Information
Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61926
Renewable Energy & Self
Storage
11.
WA State:
Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council Withholds Findings on Horse
Heaven Project (Capital Press – Paywall Advisory)
12.
Insight: As Solar Capacity Grows, Some of America’s
Most Productive Farmland Is at Risk (Reuters)
13.
Idaho: Farmland Owners Selling Their Properties for
Solar Farm Share Their Perspectives (KIVI-TV, Nampa, ID)
14.
WA State: Puyallup Tribe Partners with Renewable
Energy Storage Startup (KNKX Radio, Tacoma, WA)
Fish & Wildlife
15.
Vandal Poisons Thousands of Young Salmon at Oregon
Hatchery (Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife)
https://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2024/04_Apr/042524.asp
16.
Orca Calf Heading Towards Ocean After Being
Trapped in Northwest Vancouver Island Lagoon (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
Water, Water, Anywhere?
17.
WA Farmers Brace for Summer Drought on Heels of Harvest
Shortfalls (Crosscut Seattle)
https://crosscut.com/environment/2024/04/wa-farmers-brace-summer-drought-heels-harvest-shortfalls
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
18.
U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Decreased by 3% in 2023 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61928
19.
WA State’s New Law Involving Puget Sound Energy Aspires
to Set a Course for the Future (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
20.
Oregon: Portland Schools Could See $50 Million
Boost for Climate Action (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/04/26/portland-clean-energy-fund-schools-investment/
London Calling
–Telecommunications
21.
Net Neutrality Restored as FCC Votes to Regulate
Internet Providers (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/net-neutrality-fcc-broadband-regulation-cc8421bc4f11a3e0f6ffc22c358fbfd0
I Sing the Car Electric
22.
Electric Vehicle Charging Vandalism Could
Undermine Washington State’s Environmental Goals (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_1c6cc7b8-0335-11ef-af94-7b3d50442997.html
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
23.
TikTok Creators in Western Washington Consider the
Potential Impact of a National Ban (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
Management &
Governance
24.
Legislative Conference Attendees Hit Capitol
Hill with Messaging on Co-ops’ Top Policy Issues (National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association)
Other Things to Know
About Today
25.
Substantial Late-Season Mountain Snow Ahead (Cliff
Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2024/04/substantial-late-season-mountain-snow.html
26.
Surging weather disasters disrupt insurance
models, driving up home insurance by 23% (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
27.
Commentary: A Snapshot of the Region’s Energy
Portfolio (Capital Press – Paywall Advisory)
28.
Guest Essay: Energy Efficiency Needs Emphasis from
Utilities, Agencies (Everett Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/forum-energy-efficiency-needs-emphasis-from-utilities-agencies/
29.
Columnist: Here Are the 32 Coal Plants Still
Powering the American West (Los Angeles Times, CA – Paywall Advisory)
30.
Opinion: WA Gov. Inslee’s Latest Wasteful Electric
Vehicle Subsidy Is the Equivalent of Paying $1,125 for a Latte (Washington
Policy Center)
Alligators in the Sewer – Diversions
North Bend Neighbors
Corral Runaway Zebras; One Still Missing
Klimt Portrait
Missing for Nearly a Century Sold for $32 Million
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/24/style/klimt-missing-portrait-sold-scli-intl/index.html
Archaeologist Uncovers
George Washington’s 250-Year-Old Stash of Cherries
After MLB Player
Grievances Over See-Through, Sweat-Drenched Uniforms, Nike Concedes to 2025
Upgrades
https://fortune.com/2024/04/29/mlb-union-nike-fanatics-see-through-uniform-changes-baseball-jersey/
Song of the Day
Neil Diamond – Cherry
Cherry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nD7fYwnjK4
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.
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