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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
California Grid
Will Require Major Upgrade to Meet Electric Vehicle Demands: Study (The Hill,
Washington, DC)
Debate Over the
Lower Snake River Dams This Week in Pasco (KONA Radio, Tri-Cities, WA)
https://610kona.com/debate-over-the-lower-snake-river-dams-this-week-in-pasco/
Electric & Hybrid
Car Sales to Rise to New Global Record in 2024 (The Guardian, UK)
TikTok Ban: What
Happens Next After U.S. Senate Passed the Bill? (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/what-happens-now-that-us-tiktok-bill-has-been-passed-2024-04-24/
New Tools from NOAA
& CDC Show People Their Risk from Heat as Another Hot Summer Looms (Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/tools-noaa-cdc-show-people-201437394.html
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. California
Grid Will Require Major Upgrade to Meet Electric Vehicle Demands: Study
2. Debate
Over the Lower Snake River Dams This Week in Pasco
3. WA
State: Elma Gas Plant Property Value Drops By $52 Million
4. Lawmakers
To Consider Tax Scheme to Benefit Wyoming Electric Ratepayers
5. U.S.
Seeing Rise in Climate-Related Power Outages, Report Says
6. U.S.
Natural Gas Consumption Set Annual & Monthly Records During 2023
7. Arizona
Public Service, Others Plan 1-Year Delay in Fines for Western Resource Adequacy
Program Capacity Shortfalls
8. Colombia
Rolls Out New Incentives to Cut Electricity Consumption as Dry Weather Persists
9. Supply
Chains Impact Power Transmission Systems
10. Along
Those Lines: ‘In the Blink of an Eye’—Devastating Incident Becomes Teaching
Tool
11. California:
Chumash Tribal Council, Offshore Wind Companies Reach Deal Intended to Advance
New Marine Sanctuary (KCLU Radio, Thousand Oaks, CA)
12. Biden
Administration Is Announcing Plans for Up to 12 Lease Sales for Offshore Wind
Energy
13. Solar
Manufacturers Petition U.S. to Impose Tariffs on Imports from Four Southeast
Asian Nations
14. Wind,
Wave, Tidal Resources Could Help Alaska Meet Future Energy Needs
15. Chart:
The U.S. Clean Energy Backlog Is Getting Bigger & Bigger
16. In
the News: Protecting Pollinators Sends a Message
17. ‘Saber-Toothed
Salmon’ Was More of a Water Warthog, Study Finds
18. Federal
Funds Are Helping Oregon Address Barriers to Internet Access
19. Video:
Montana Hopeful to Expand Internet, Broadband Access with New State Partner
20. Electric
& Hybrid Car Sales to Rise to New Global Record in 2024
21. WA
Launches $45 Million Program to Make Electric Vehicles More Affordable
22. Fisker
May Seek Bankruptcy Protection in 30 Days If Unable to Meet Debt Obligations
23. Tesla
Driver Hit & Killed Motorcyclist in Snohomish County While Using Autopilot
24. TikTok
Ban: What Happens Next After U.S. Senate Passed the Bill?
25. New
Tools from NOAA & CDC Show People Their Risk from Heat as Another Hot
Summer Looms
26. Guest
Essay: Group Won’t Stop with the Lower Snake River Dams
27.
Guest Essay: Ignoring Risks – A Hydropower
Industry Wakeup Call
Word of the Day – The Horrible Haiku Edition
“No Fighting in the War Room”
Zero-Sum \ZEER-oh-SUM\ Adjective – Of, relating to, or being a situation (such as a game or relationship) in which a gain for one side entails a corresponding loss for the other side.
The nuke deterrent
It’s mutual destruction
A zero-sum game
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
California Grid Will Require Major Upgrade to Meet
Electric Vehicle Demands: Study (The Hill, Washington, DC)
2.
Debate Over the Lower Snake River Dams This Week
in Pasco (KONA Radio, Tri-Cities, WA)
https://610kona.com/debate-over-the-lower-snake-river-dams-this-week-in-pasco/
3.
WA State: Elma Gas Plant Property Value Drops By
$52 Million (Aberdeen Daily News, WA)
https://www.thedailyworld.com/news/elma-gas-plant-property-value-drops-by-52m/
4.
Lawmakers To Consider Tax Scheme to Benefit Wyoming
Electric Ratepayers (WyoFile)
5.
U.S. Seeing Rise in Climate-Related Power
Outages, Report Says (The Guardian, UK)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/24/climate-related-power-outages-surging-in-the-us
6.
U.S. Natural Gas Consumption Set Annual &
Monthly Records During 2023 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61923
7.
Arizona Public Service, Others Plan 1-Year Delay
in Fines for Western Resource Adequacy Program Capacity Shortfalls (Utility
Dive)
8.
Colombia Rolls Out New Incentives to Cut
Electricity Consumption as Dry Weather Persists (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/colombia-electricity-crisis-drought-453a15f8227353d67622e2d2b3fe4ac7
9.
Supply Chains Impact Power Transmission Systems
(Western Area Power Administration)
https://www.wapa.gov/supply-chains/
10.
Along Those Lines: ‘In the Blink of an Eye’—Devastating
Incident Becomes Teaching Tool (National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association)
https://www.electric.coop/along-those-lines-lineworker-safety-branden-bauer
Renewable Energy & Self
Storage
11.
California: Chumash Tribal Council, Offshore
Wind Companies Reach Deal Intended to Advance New Marine Sanctuary (KCLU Radio,
Thousand Oaks, CA)
12.
Biden Administration Is Announcing Plans for Up to
12 Lease Sales for Offshore Wind Energy (Associated Press)
13.
Solar Manufacturers Petition U.S. to Impose
Tariffs on Imports from Four Southeast Asian Nations (CNBC)
14.
Wind, Wave, Tidal Resources Could Help Alaska Meet
Future Energy Needs (Hydro Review)
15.
Chart: The U.S. Clean Energy Backlog Is Getting
Bigger & Bigger (Canary Media)
Fish & Wildlife
16.
In the News: Protecting Pollinators Sends a Message
(Bonneville Power Administration)
17.
‘Saber-Toothed Salmon’ Was More of a Water
Warthog, Study Finds (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/saber-toothed-salmon-was-more-of-a-water-warthog-study-finds/
London Calling
–Telecommunications
18.
Federal Funds Are Helping Oregon Address
Barriers to Internet Access (KTVZ-TV, Bend, OR)
19.
Video: Montana Hopeful to Expand Internet,
Broadband Access with New State Partner (Newspress Now, MT)
I Sing the Car Electric
20.
Electric & Hybrid Car Sales to Rise to New
Global Record in 2024 (The Guardian, UK)
21.
WA Launches $45 Million Program to Make Electric
Vehicles More Affordable (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/wa-launches-45m-program-evs-001754097.html
22.
Fisker May Seek Bankruptcy Protection in 30 Days
If Unable to Meet Debt Obligations (Reuters)
23.
Tesla Driver Hit & Killed Motorcyclist in Snohomish
County While Using Autopilot (AOL News)
https://www.aol.com/news/tesla-driver-hit-killed-motorcyclist-010100023.html
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
24.
TikTok Ban: What Happens Next After U.S. Senate Passed
the Bill? (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/what-happens-now-that-us-tiktok-bill-has-been-passed-2024-04-24/
Other Things to Know
About Today
25.
New Tools from NOAA & CDC Show People Their
Risk from Heat as Another Hot Summer Looms (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/tools-noaa-cdc-show-people-201437394.html
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
26.
Guest Essay: Group Won’t Stop with the Lower Snake
River Dams (Lewiston Morning Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)
27.
Guest Essay: Ignoring Risks – A Hydropower
Industry Wakeup Call (Water Power Magazine)
https://content.yudu.com/web/442ay/0A444q7/WPD0424-Pros/html/index.html?page=12&origin=reader
Alligators in the Sewer – Diversions
Taters for the Taking:
Droves Flock to the Mound of Free Potatoes Ditched by the Hutterites
https://www.spokesman.com/galleries/2024/apr/23/taters-for-the-taking-droves-flock-to-the-mound-of/
John Lennon’s Lost
1960s Acoustic Guitar to Go Up for Auction
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/john-lennons-lost-1960s-acoustic-guitar-go-up-auction-2024-04-23/
Sahara Dust Cloud
Transforms Athens into Eerie Martian Landscape
https://www.yahoo.com/news/sahara-dust-cloud-transforms-athens-223642529.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
Well, Hello, Voyager
1! The Venerable Spacecraft Is Once Again Making Sense
Song of the Day
Kansas – Dust in
the Wind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVokojoF_lY
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.