Wednesday, April 17, 2024

The Energy News Digest for April 17, 2024

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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories

Statewide Drought Declared in Washington Due to Low Snowpack, Dry Forecast (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

https://www.nbcrightnow.com/regional/statewide-drought-declared-in-washington-due-to-low-snowpack-dry-forecast/article_46cfbab7-8cb8-5adc-9937-8467c8c580e6.html

U.S. Court Rejects a Request by Tribes to Block $10 Billion Energy Transmission Project in Arizona (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/wind-energy-renewables-sacred-sites-native-americans-f47ca3a44c2e21f453ebc210b849a00c

Attackers Are Pummeling Networks Around the World with Millions of Login Attempts (Ars Technica)

https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/04/cisco-warns-of-large-scale-credential-compromise-attack-thats-likely-to-get-bigger/

The Electric Vehicle Market Is in Trouble: The Latest Sign Is Tesla’s Layoffs (Los Angeles Times, CA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-04-16/the-ev-market-is-in-trouble-the-latest-sign-is-teslas-layoffs

Here’s What New LED Lightbulb Standards Mean for American Households (The Hill, Washington, DC)

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4597982-led-lightbulb-efficiency-rule-savings-american-households/

News Highlights (See Stories Below)

1.      U.S. Court Rejects a Request by Tribes to Block $10 Billion Energy Transmission Project in Arizona

2.      The Biden Admin Has a Plan to Get More Mileage Out of the Power Grid

3.      Public Weighs in on NW Natural’s Proposed Rate Hike

4.      Natural Gas Needed in California’s Clean Energy Transition, Edison International CEO Says

5.      Mild Winter Weather May Lead to Persistently High Natural Gas Inventories Through 2025

6.      More Than Two Dozen Western Utilities Back Southwest Power Pool Development of Centralized Markets+ Unit

7.      Indiana: Deputy Dies After Coming into Contact with Power Lines While Responding to Crash

8.      2023 Was a Record Year for Wind Installations as World Ramps Up Clean Energy, Report Says

9.      Here’s What New LED Lightbulb Standards Mean for American Households

10.   Audio: Willamette Winter Steelhead Returns at 20-Year High

11.   Statewide Drought Declared in Washington Due to Low Snowpack, Dry Forecast

12.   Carbon Offsets Too Often Don’t Deliver. Inside the Race to Fix Them.

13.   Why Environmental Justice Matters, From the Founder Himself

14.   Oregon Grants $1.5 Million for Broadband Infrastructure Preparation

15.   Broadband Coalition Urges U.S. House to Force a Vote on Affordable Connectivity Program

16.   Attackers Are Pummeling Networks Around the World with Millions of Login Attempts

17.   Internet Data Centers Are Fueling Drive to Old Power Source: Coal

18.   The Cloud Under the Sea

19.   The Electric Vehicle Market Is in Trouble: The Latest Sign Is Tesla’s Layoffs

20.   What Good Is an Electric Vehicle If You Can’t Charge It? Here’s the Plan to Build More Chargers

21.   What’s with All the Black-And-White Logos for Apps?

22.   Editorial: A Vision for Smart-From-The-Start Solar on Public Lands in Nevada

23.   Guest Essay: Regulators, Don’t Panic & Rush to Gas Amid Cries We’re Out of Power

24.   Guest Essay: WA Is Losing Farms & Food-Producing Land. Does Anyone Care?

Word of the Day – The Horrible Haiku Edition

Happy National Haiku Poetry Day

Wake /WAYK/ Noun – The track left by a moving body (such as a ship) in a fluid (such as water) broadly: a track or path left.

Peace on Puget Sound

A ferry’s wake, seabirds’ call

Guide me home each day

Energy & Utility Issues

1.      U.S. Court Rejects a Request by Tribes to Block $10 Billion Energy Transmission Project in Arizona (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/wind-energy-renewables-sacred-sites-native-americans-f47ca3a44c2e21f453ebc210b849a00c

2.      The Biden Admin Has a Plan to Get More Mileage Out of the Power Grid (Canary Media)

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/transmission/the-biden-admin-has-a-plan-to-get-more-mileage-out-of-the-power-grid

3.      Public Weighs in on NW Natural’s Proposed Rate Hike (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/nw-natural-proposed-rate-hike-public-testimony/283-7c508292-846c-4b7a-85cb-1575f1a48f55

4.      Natural Gas Needed in California’s Clean Energy Transition, Edison International CEO Says (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/natural-gas-needed-californias-clean-energy-transition-edison-international-ceo-2024-04-16/

5.      Mild Winter Weather May Lead to Persistently High Natural Gas Inventories Through 2025 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61803

6.      More Than Two Dozen Western Utilities Back Southwest Power Pool Development of Centralized Markets+ Unit (Daily Energy Insider)

https://dailyenergyinsider.com/news/43424-more-than-two-dozen-western-utilities-back-spp-development-of-centralized-markets-unit/

7.      Indiana: Deputy Dies After Coming into Contact with Power Lines While Responding to Crash (KKTV-TV, Colorado Springs, CO)

https://www.kktv.com/2024/04/16/deputy-dies-after-coming-into-contact-with-power-lines-while-responding-crash/

Renewable Energy & Self Storage

8.      2023 Was a Record Year for Wind Installations as World Ramps Up Clean Energy, Report Says (Courthouse News Service)

https://www.courthousenews.com/2023-was-a-record-year-for-wind-installations-as-world-ramps-up-clean-energy-report-says/

Conservation & Efficiency

9.      Here’s What New LED Lightbulb Standards Mean for American Households (The Hill, Washington, DC)

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4597982-led-lightbulb-efficiency-rule-savings-american-households/

Fish & Wildlife

10.   Audio: Willamette Winter Steelhead Returns at 20-Year High (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/04/16/winter-steelhead-willamette/

Water, Water, Anywhere?

11.   Statewide Drought Declared in Washington Due to Low Snowpack, Dry Forecast (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

https://www.nbcrightnow.com/regional/statewide-drought-declared-in-washington-due-to-low-snowpack-dry-forecast/article_46cfbab7-8cb8-5adc-9937-8467c8c580e6.html

Climate Change Sequestration Vault

12.   Carbon Offsets Too Often Don’t Deliver. Inside the Race to Fix Them. (Washington Post – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/04/16/climate-coal-offsets-carbon-rockefeller/

13.   Why Environmental Justice Matters, From the Founder Himself (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/what-is-environmental-justice-and-why-it-matters-in-a-climate-crisis/

London Calling –Telecommunications

14.   Oregon grants $1.5 million for broadband infrastructure preparation (KPTV-TV, Portland, OR)

https://www.kptv.com/2024/04/17/oregon-grants-15-million-broadband-infrastructure-preparation/

15.   Broadband Coalition Urges U.S. House to Force a Vote on Affordable Connectivity Program (Light Reading)

https://www.lightreading.com/broadband/broadband-coalition-urges-house-to-force-a-vote-on-acp

Beam Me Up, Scotty - The Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity

16.   Attackers Are Pummeling Networks Around the World with Millions of Login Attempts (Ars Technica)

https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/04/cisco-warns-of-large-scale-credential-compromise-attack-thats-likely-to-get-bigger/

17.   Internet Data Centers Are Fueling Drive to Old Power Source: Coal (Washington Post – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2024/data-centers-internet-power-source-coal/

18.   The Cloud Under the Sea (The Verge)

https://www.theverge.com/c/24070570/internet-cables-undersea-deep-repair-ships

I Sing the Car Electric

19.   The Electric Vehicle Market Is in Trouble: The Latest Sign Is Tesla’s Layoffs (Los Angeles Times, CA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-04-16/the-ev-market-is-in-trouble-the-latest-sign-is-teslas-layoffs

20.   What Good Is an Electric Vehicle If You Can’t Charge It? Here’s the Plan to Build More Chargers (National Public Radio)

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/15/1244900567/what-good-is-an-ev-if-you-cant-charge-it-heres-the-plan-to-build-more-chargers

Public Relations, Marketing & Media

21.   What’s with All the Black-And-White Logos for Apps? (Washington Post – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/04/16/app-icons-logos-black-and-white/

Soapbox Serenade – Vox Populi

22.   Editorial: A Vision for Smart-From-The-Start Solar on Public Lands in Nevada (Nevada Independent)

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/opinion-a-vision-for-smart-from-the-start-solar-on-public-lands-in-nevada

23.   Guest Essay: Regulators, Don’t Panic & Rush to Gas Amid Cries We’re Out of Power (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/regulators-dont-panic-and-rush-to-gas/712435/

24.   Guest Essay: WA Is Losing Farms & Food-Producing Land. Does Anyone Care? (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/wa-is-losing-farms-and-food-producing-land-does-anyone-care/

Alligators in the Sewer – Diversions

A ‘New’ Star Will Light Up the Sky Soon & You Can See It for Yourself

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/new-star-t-coronae-borealis-1.7175301

Spooked Circus Elephant Roams Butte, Montana Streets Before Being Recaptured

https://www.yahoo.com/news/spooked-circus-elephant-roams-montana-050424051.html

Man Drinks at 120 Bars in 24 Hours to Break World Record

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/04/17/australia-Guinness-World-Records-pub-crawl/8191713374341/

Man Paddles River in Australia’s Largest Pumpkin

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/04/16/australia-pumpkin-boat-Tumut-River/5521713284146/

Song of the Day

Oliver - Good Morning Starshine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9nVxl24cmQ

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 experiences may vary. Media attribution includes information about possible paywall restrictions. Regularly clearing your browser’s history and cookie files may help you access some paywall sites.