Monday, May 20, 2024

The Energy News Digest for May 20, 2024

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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories

NERC: Summer Grid Outlook Improved but Still Vulnerable to Extreme Weather, Demand Growth Spikes (Power Magazine)

https://www.powermag.com/nerc-summer-grid-outlook-improved-but-still-vulnerable-to-extreme-weather-demand-growth-spikes/

Pacific Northwest Tribes, Feds Dive into Work on Salmon Revival in Upper Columbia River (Salem Reporter, OR)

https://www.salemreporter.com/2024/05/17/northwest-tribes-feds-dive-into-work-on-salmon-revival-in-upper-columbia-river/

WA State: Covington Residents Want Answers About Controversial Proposal to Build Battery Storage Facility (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/battery-storage-site-covington-bess

Community Colleges – Including Centralia, WA – Offer Clean Energy Training as Climate-Related Jobs Expand Across America (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-education-community-colleges-1cfe5a102a7b15f0fea0c3f06ce4a37f

Troubled Electric Vehicle Maker Fisker Closing Manhattan Beach Headquarters (Yahoo! News)

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/troubled-ev-maker-fisker-closing-224830081.html

News Highlights (See Stories Below)

1.      NERC: Summer Grid Outlook Improved but Still Vulnerable to Extreme Weather, Demand Growth Spikes

2.      Why You Should Care About—And Fear—America’s Aging Energy Grid

3.      Watchdogs: BLM Quietly Rerouted Transmission Line, Favoring Mining Over National Monument

4.      Utility Watchdog Calls to Cap Oregon Rate Hikes as Energy Bills Continue to Rise

5.      California Bill to Scrutinize New Electric Charge Dies in Assembly Committee

6.      Montana Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Permits for Laurel Power Plant

7.      Selfie-Seeking Portlander Falls 40 Feet from Power Tower after Electric Shock — And Survives

8.      May Is Wildfire Awareness Month: Bonneville Power Administration Releases Updated Wildfire Mitigation Plan

9.      Community Colleges – Including Centralia, WA – Offer Clean Energy Training as Climate-Related Jobs Expand Across America

10.   WA State: Covington Residents Want Answers About Controversial Proposal to Build Battery Storage Facility

11.   WA State: Construction on Solar Power Project Near Moxee Is Ahead of Schedule

12.   Federal Agencies to Buy Renewable Energy Credits from Small Businesses & Tribes

13.   U.S. Selects 11 Marine Energy Projects for R&D Funding

14.   Pacific Northwest Tribes, Feds Dive into Work on Salmon Revival in Upper Columbia River

15.   Oregon: ‘Magical’ Community Science Event Tallies Watershed Creatures Ahead of Kellogg Dam Removal

16.   U.S. Appeals Court Won’t Pause EPA Power Plant Emissions Rule for Now

17.   California’s Water Tunnel to Cost $20 Billion. State Officials Say the Benefits Are Worth It

18.   Climate Change Key Driver of Record-low Antarctic Sea Ice: Study

19.   California Could Cut Billions of Dollars from Broadband Funding

20.   No End in Sight for Broadband Power User Growth

21.   Artificial Intelligence Could Transform Internet Search. Even Google Is Disrupting Its Own Kingdom.

22.   Troubled Electric Vehicle Maker Fisker Closing Manhattan Beach Headquarters

23.   Charging Stations Are Failing to Keep Up with the Electric Vehicle Boom

24.   Untangling When Oregonians Are Eligible for the State’s Electric Vehicle Rebate

25.   Natural Gas Regulation Initiative Might Appear on Washington’s Ballot in November

26.   Guest Essay: The Pacific Northwest Needs More Electricity Now, Not Less

27.   Editorial: China Embraced Electric Vehicles. The U.S. Didn’t. Now We’re Paying the Price

28.   Guest Essay: Broadband Partnerships Will Power Progress in Rural Alaska

Word of the Day – The Horrible Haiku Edition

Epitome /ih-PIT-oh-mee/ Noun – 1a: a summary of a written work b: a brief presentation or statement of something 2: a typical or ideal example: EMBODIMENT 3: brief or miniature form.

Walter Cronkite was the epitome of what a news anchor should be. We will never see his like again.

Energy & Utility Issues

1.      NERC: Summer Grid Outlook Improved but Still Vulnerable to Extreme Weather, Demand Growth Spikes (Power Magazine)

https://www.powermag.com/nerc-summer-grid-outlook-improved-but-still-vulnerable-to-extreme-weather-demand-growth-spikes/

2.      Why You Should Care About—And Fear—America’s Aging Energy Grid (Fortune Magazine)

https://www.aol.com/why-care-fear-america-aging-131300078.html

3.      Watchdogs: BLM Quietly Rerouted Transmission Line, Favoring Mining Over National Monument (The Nevada Independent)

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/watchdogs-blm-quietly-rerouted-transmission-line-favoring-mining-over-national-monument

4.      Utility Watchdog Calls to Cap Oregon Rate Hikes as Energy Bills Continue to Rise (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/05/20/oregon-electricity-ultilites-cost-portland-general-electric-northwest-naturals/

5.      California Bill to Scrutinize New Electric Charge Dies in Assembly Committee (Yahoo! News)

https://au.news.yahoo.com/california-bill-scrutinize-electric-charge-235025204.html

6.      Montana Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Permits for Laurel Power Plant (The Daily Montanan)

https://dailymontanan.com/2024/05/15/montana-supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-permits-for-laurel-power-plant/

7.      Selfie-Seeking Portlander Falls 40 Feet from Power Tower after Electric Shock — And Survives (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)

https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2024/05/selfie-seeking-portlander-falls-40-feet-from-power-tower-after-electrocution-and-survives.html

8.      May is Wildfire Awareness Month: Bonneville Power Administration releases updated Wildfire Mitigation Plan (Bonneville Power Administration)

https://www.bpa.gov/about/newsroom/news-articles/20240517-may-is-wildfire-awareness-month-bpa-releases-updated-wildfire-mitigation

Renewable Energy & Self Storage

9.      Community Colleges – Including Centralia, WA – Offer Clean Energy Training as Climate-Related Jobs Expand Across America (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-education-community-colleges-1cfe5a102a7b15f0fea0c3f06ce4a37f

10.   WA State: Covington Residents Want Answers About Controversial Proposal to Build Battery Storage Facility (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/battery-storage-site-covington-bess

11.   WA State: Construction on Solar Power Project Near Moxee Is Ahead of Schedule (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/business/construction-on-solar-power-project-near-moxee-is-ahead-of-schedule/article_05c1ddd6-13ad-11ef-a202-7f9e4ae750b5.html

12.   Federal Agencies to Buy Renewable Energy Credits from Small Businesses & Tribes (Western Area Power Administration)

https://www.wapa.gov/federal-agencies-to-buy-renewable-energy-credits-from-small-businesses-and-tribes/

13.   U.S. Selects 11 Marine Energy Projects for R&D Funding (Power Engineering International)

https://www.powerengineeringint.com/renewables/marine/teamer-program-selects-11-marine-energy-projects-for-rd-funding/amp/

Fish & Wildlife

14.   Pacific Northwest Tribes, Feds Dive into Work on Salmon Revival in Upper Columbia River (Salem Reporter, OR)

https://www.salemreporter.com/2024/05/17/northwest-tribes-feds-dive-into-work-on-salmon-revival-in-upper-columbia-river/

15.   Oregon: ‘Magical’ Community Science Event Tallies Watershed Creatures Ahead of Kellogg Dam Removal (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/05/20/kellogg-dam-removal-bioblitz/

Environmental Afflatus – Clean Up on Aisle Three

16.   U.S. Appeals Court Won’t Pause EPA Power Plant Emissions Rule for Now (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-appeals-court-wont-pause-epa-power-plant-emissions-rule-now-2024-05-17/

Water, Water, Anywhere?

17.   California’s Water Tunnel to Cost $20 Billion. State Officials Say the Benefits Are Worth It (Yahoo! News)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/californias-water-tunnel-cost-20-000730877.html

Climate Change Sequestration Vault

18.   Climate Change Key Driver of Record-low Antarctic Sea Ice: Study (Barron’s)

https://www.barrons.com/news/climate-change-key-driver-of-record-low-antarctic-sea-ice-study-41f0121e

London Calling –Telecommunications

19.   California Could Cut Billions of Dollars from Broadband Funding (Broadband Communities)

https://bbcmag.com/california-could-cut-billions-of-dollars-from-broadband-funding/

20.   No End in Sight for Broadband Power User Growth (Telecompetitor)

https://www.telecompetitor.com/ovbi-no-end-in-sight-for-broadband-power-user-growth/

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

21.   Artificial Intelligence Could Transform Internet Search. Even Google Is Disrupting Its Own Kingdom. (Christian Science Monitor)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2024/0518/google-ai-overview-antitrust-openai-search

I Sing the Car Electric

22.   Troubled Electric Vehicle Maker Fisker Closing Manhattan Beach Headquarters (Yahoo! News)

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/troubled-ev-maker-fisker-closing-224830081.html

23.   Charging Stations Are Failing to Keep Up with the Electric Vehicle Boom (Washington Post, Paywall Advisory)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/05/20/charging-stations-lag-ev-sales/

24.   Untangling When Oregonians Are Eligible for the State’s Electric Vehicle Rebate (Salem Statesman-Journal, OR – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/local/oregon/2024/05/19/oregon-electric-vehicle-rebate/73616048007/

Management & Governance

25.   Natural Gas Regulation Initiative Might Appear on Washington’s Ballot in November (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/may/19/natural-gas-regulation-initiative-might-appear-on-/

Soapbox Serenade – Vox Populi

26.   Guest Essay: The Pacific Northwest Needs More Electricity Now, Not Less (Lewiston Morning Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.lmtribune.com/opinion/opinion-the-pacific-northwest-needs-more-electricity-now-not-less/article_72143249-32f3-5d1a-98da-8009294ff980.html

27.   Editorial: China Embraced Electric Vehicles. The U.S. Didn’t. Now We’re Paying the Price (Los Angeles Times, CA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-05-17/china-embraced-the-ev-future-the-us-didnt-were-paying-the-price

28.   Guest Essay: Broadband Partnerships Will Power Progress in Rural Alaska (Anchorage Daily News, AK)

https://www.adn.com/opinions/2024/05/19/opinion-broadband-partnerships-will-power-progress-in-rural-alaska/

Alligators in the Sewer – Diversions

Max the Cat Is Now a ‘Doctor of Litter-Ature’ from Vermont State University

https://apnews.com/article/cat-honorary-degree-d9c9b219361c2566e611f92967909b33

Rare Fish That Lives in Complete Darkness Washes Ashore on Oregon Beach

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/rare-fish-that-lives-in-complete-darkness-washes-ashore-on-oregon-beach/ar-BB1mGgAk

Indiana Judge Rules Tacos Are ‘Mexican-Style Sandwiches’

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/05/15/tacos-Mexican-style-sandwiches-Fort-Wayne-Indiana/1051715789956/

Crickets Swarm Towns in the West

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/05/17/-crickets-swarm-West/4331715974095/

Song of the Day

George Frederic Handel – Water Music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVAB2z1RPu4

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.