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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Oregon: PacifiCorp Faces
$30 Billion Lawsuit from 2020 Wildfire Survivors (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
California: Pacific
Gas & Electric in Talks with KKR To Sell Minority Stake in Power Generation
Business (Power Technology)
https://www.power-technology.com/news/pge-kkr-stake-sale-power-generation/
As Internet Data
Centers Multiply, Efforts to Control Them Are Growing (Washington Post, Paywall
Advisory)
Federal Agency
Announces Next Steps for Southern Oregon Offshore Wind Energy (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
Musk Disbands Tesla
Electric Vehicle Charging Team, Leaving Customers in the Dark (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/musk-disbands-tesla-ev-charging-202301433.html
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Oregon:
PacifiCorp Faces $30 Billion Lawsuit from 2020 Wildfire Survivors
2. California:
Pacific Gas & Electric in Talks with KKR To Sell Minority Stake in Power
Generation Business
3. Tri-Cities
Debate Attempts to Address Dam Breaching Questions
4. Oregon:
Eugene Water & Electric Board Says Customers Who Obstruct ‘Smart’ Meter
Installation Will Face Service Disconnection
5. WA
State: Grant PUD Considers New Agricultural Electric Rate to Support Local
Farmers
6. States
Rethink Data Centers as ‘Electricity Hogs’ Strain the Grid
7. Coal-To-Nuclear
Transition Would Benefit Dozens of U.S. Regions: NASEO-NARUC Report
8. Southwest
Power Pool Markets+ Western Market Plan Sparks Support, Protest & Concerns
9. El
Niño Weather Is Leading to Droughts & Power Cuts in South America
10. Federal
Agency Announces Next Steps for Southern Oregon Offshore Wind Energy
11. California:
Shasta County Judge Rules on Controversial Wind Project East of Redding
12. WA
State: Whitman County Community Outraged Over Possible Multidecade Project Near
Local Landmark
13. WA
Governor Inslee Has 60 Days to Decide on Controversial Horse Heaven Wind Farm
14. Wind
Generation Declined in 2023 for the First Time Since the 1990s
15. WA
State Rep. Abbarno Tours Cowlitz County Methane Capture Project, Highlights
Benefits
16. Biden
Administration Announces Water Heater Energy Standards
17. Hanford’s
New Plan to Clean Up 56 Million Gallons of Nuclear Waste
18. Texas:
Illegal Dam on James River Torn Down, While Another Dam Pops Up in Mason County
19. U.S.
Senator Cantwell (WA) Ups Affordable Connectivity Program Money in Updated
Draft Spectrum Auction Bill
20. As
Internet Data Centers Multiply, Efforts to Control Them Are Growing
21. Eight
U.S. Newspapers Sue ChatGPT-Maker OpenAI & Microsoft for Copyright
Infringement
22. The
Risks & Possibilities of Artificial Intelligence for Utilities
23. Musk
Disbands Tesla Electric Vehicle Charging Team, Leaving Customers in the Dark
24. Elon
Musk Laid Off Supercharger Team After Taking $17 Million in Federal Charging
Grants
25. Tesla’s
California Registrations Down Second Quarter in a Row, Dealer Data Shows
26. Can
Streetlights Unlock Big City Electric Vehicle Charging? This Startup Thinks So
27. U.S.
Poised to Ease Restrictions on Marijuana in Historic Shift, But It’ll Remain
Controlled Substance
28.
Podcast – Dr. Kyri Baker on Artificial
Intelligence & OPF
Word of the Day
Lachrymose \ LACK-rim-mose\ Adjective – 1: given to tears or weeping: tearful 2: tending to cause tears: mournful.
Tad’s ad campaign for a new variety of onions was not going well. After selling the DeBarto Onion Company on the popular theme “An Onion a Day Keeps Your Spouse Away,” he embarked on a new campaign for “Lachrymose Free Onions, They’re All Wet.” Company executives were not amused.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Oregon: PacifiCorp Faces $30 Billion Lawsuit from
2020 Wildfire Survivors (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
2.
California: Pacific Gas & Electric in Talks with
KKR To Sell Minority Stake in Power Generation Business (Power Technology)
https://www.power-technology.com/news/pge-kkr-stake-sale-power-generation/
3.
Tri-Cities Debate Attempts to Address Dam
Breaching Questions (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2024/apr/29/debate-attempts-to-address-dam-breaching-questions/
4.
Oregon: Eugene Water & Electric Board Says
Customers Who Obstruct ‘Smart’ Meter Installation Will Face Service
Disconnection (KEZI-TV, Eugene, OR)
5.
WA State: Grant PUD Considers New Agricultural
Electric Rate to Support Local Farmers (SourceOne News, Ephrata, WA)
6.
States Rethink Data Centers as ‘Electricity Hogs’
Strain the Grid (Washington State Standard)
7.
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/
8.
Southwest Power Pool Markets+ Western Market
Plan Sparks Support, Protest & Concerns (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/spp-markets-western-ferc-aps-xcel-edam-caiso/714682/
9.
El Niño Weather Is Leading to Droughts &
Power Cuts in South America (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Renewable Energy & Self
Storage
10.
Federal Agency Announces Next Steps for Southern
Oregon Offshore Wind Energy (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
11.
California: Shasta County Judge Rules on
Controversial Wind Project East of Redding (Redding Record-Searchlight, CA –
Paywall Advisory)
12.
WA State: Whitman County Community Outraged Over
Possible Multidecade Project Near Local Landmark (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_31367108-065f-11ef-ac97-e3340da8f44b.html
13.
WA Governor Inslee Has 60 Days to Decide on
Controversial Horse Heaven Wind Farm (Washington State Standard)
14.
Wind Generation Declined in 2023 for the First
Time Since the 1990s (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61943
15.
WA State Rep. Abbarno Tours Cowlitz County Methane
Capture Project, Highlights Benefits (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
Conservation &
Efficiency
16.
Biden Administration Announces Water Heater
Energy Standards (Scripps News)
https://www.scrippsnews.com/us-news/biden-administration-announces-water-heater-energy-standards
Environmental Afflatus –
Clean Up on Aisle Three
17.
Hanford’s New Plan to Clean Up 56 Million
Gallons of Nuclear Waste (Crosscut Seattle)
https://crosscut.com/news/2024/04/hanfords-new-plan-clean-56-million-gallons-nuclear-waste
Water, Water, Anywhere?
18.
Texas: Illegal Dam on James River Torn Down,
While Another Dam Pops Up in Mason County (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/illegal-dam-james-river-torn-100000142.html
London Calling
–Telecommunications
19.
U.S. Senator Cantwell (WA) Ups Affordable
Connectivity Program Money in Updated Draft Spectrum Auction Bill (Broadband
Breakfast)
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/cantwell-updates-draft-spectrum-auction-bill/
Beam Me Up, Scotty - The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
20.
As Internet Data Centers Multiply, Efforts to
Control Them Are Growing (Washington Post, Paywall Advisory)
21.
Eight U.S. Newspapers Sue ChatGPT-Maker OpenAI &
Microsoft for Copyright Infringement (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
22.
The Risks & Possibilities of Artificial
Intelligence for Utilities (American Public Power Association)
https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/risks-and-possibilities-ai-utilities
I Sing the Car Electric
23.
Musk Disbands Tesla Electric Vehicle Charging
Team, Leaving Customers in the Dark (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/musk-disbands-tesla-ev-charging-202301433.html
24.
Elon Musk Laid Off Supercharger Team After
Taking $17 Million in Federal Charging Grants (Gizmodo)
https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-tesla-supercharger-team-layoff-biden-grants-1851448227
25.
Tesla’s California Registrations Down Second
Quarter in a Row, Dealer Data Shows (Reuters)
26.
Can Streetlights Unlock Big City Electric
Vehicle Charging? This Startup Thinks So (Canary Media)
Other Things to Know
About Today
27.
U.S. Poised to Ease Restrictions on Marijuana in
Historic Shift, But It’ll Remain Controlled Substance (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-biden-dea-criminal-justice-pot-f833a8dae6ceb31a8658a5d65832a3b8
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
28.
Podcast – Dr. Kyri Baker on Artificial Intelligence
& OPF (Public Power Underground)
https://publicpowerunderground.substack.com/p/dr-kyri-baker-on-ai-and-opf
Alligators in the Sewer – Larry Lujack’s ‘Animal Stories’ Edition
A Little Girl
Complained of ‘Monsters’ in Her Bedroom, But It Was Actually 50,000 Bees
Loose Zebra Becomes
Local Legend Near North Bend as Search Enters Day 3
How Did a Missing
Cat Turn Up 650 Miles from Home? Amazon
https://www.npr.org/2024/04/29/1247936370/how-did-a-missing-cat-turn-up-650-miles-from-home-amazon
Man Accused of
Kicking Bison at Yellowstone National Park Is Injured by Animal & Then
Arrested on Alcohol Charge
Song of the Day
Wynton Marsalis – Flight
of the Bumblebee (Rimsky-Korsakov)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNabGj2p-iQ
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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