Wednesday, August 14, 2024

The Energy News Digest for August 14, 2024

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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories

Artificial Intelligence Is About to Boost Power Bills—Who’ll Take Heat for That? (The Wall Street Journal – Via Yahoo! News)

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-boost-power-bills-ll-110000417.html

Utah: Extreme Heat Drives Up Utility Costs as Rocky Mountain Power Requests Rate Increases (KMYU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT)

https://kmyu.tv/news/local/extreme-heat-drives-up-utility-costs-as-rocky-mountain-power-requests-rate-increases

Record-Setting Heat Waves Are Baking the Arctic Region (Washington Post – Via MSN)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/record-setting-heat-waves-are-baking-the-arctic-region/ar-AA1oJAN9

Fortescue Puts Plans for a Big Hydrogen Factory in Centralia, WA on Hold (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

https://www.chronline.com/stories/fortescue-puts-plans-for-a-big-hydrogen-factory-in-centralia-on-hold,359913

Certifier Pulls Sustainable Recommendation for Southeast Alaska Fisheries to Protect Dwindling Salmon & Endangered Orcas (The Journal of the San Juan Islands, Friday Harbor, WA)

https://www.sanjuanjournal.com/news/certifier-pulls-sustainable-recommendation-for-southeast-alaska-fisheries-to-protect-dwindling-salmon-and-endangered-orcas/

News Highlights (See Stories Below)

1.    Artificial Intelligence Is About to Boost Power Bills—Who’ll Take Heat for That? (The Wall Street Journal – Via Yahoo! News)

2.    Utah: Extreme Heat Drives Up Utility Costs as Rocky Mountain Power Requests Rate Increases (KMYU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT)

3.    Environmental Regulators Say NW Natural Misleading Customers About State Climate Credit Program (Washington State Standard – Via Yahoo! News)

4.    Inside the ‘Titanic’ Legal Case That Will Help Determine Alaska’s Energy Future: An Analysis (Alaska Beacon)

5.    Arizona Transformer Fire Spurs Western Area Power Administration Emergency Response, Containment (Western Area Power Administration)

6.    British Columbia: Online Scam Targets BC Hydro Customers with Fake Ads, Call Centre, RCMP Warn (CTV Vancouver, BC)

7.    California Reignites War on Gas Stoves with Newly Proposed Law (KTVU-TV, Oakland, CA)

8.    Utility Will Pay $20 Million to Avoid Prosecution in Ohio Bribery Scheme (Associated Press)

9.    Fortescue Puts Plans for a Big Hydrogen Factory in Centralia, WA on Hold (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

10. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Final Assessment on Oregon Coast Offshore Wind Energy Released (KOBI-TV, Medford, OR)

11. U.S. Wind Generation Hit Record in April 2024, Exceeding Coal-Fired Generation (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

12. New Pacific Northwest National Laboratories Facility to Enhance Clean Energy Development & Grid Resilience (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

13. Alaska Gov. Dunleavy Signs Measure into Law Boosting Community Solar Projects (Anchorage Daily News, AK – Paywall Advisory)

14. Most Consumers Think AI Will Be Valuable for Their Electricity Usage: Survey (American Public Power Association)

15. Smart Homes, Smart Energy: Navigating the U.S. Electrification Transition (Fast Company)

16. Certifier Pulls Sustainable Recommendation for Southeast Alaska Fisheries to Protect Dwindling Salmon & Endangered Orcas (The Journal of the San Juan Islands, Friday Harbor, WA)

17. Bigg’s Killer Whale Population Growing (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

18. Killing Barred Owls Isn’t the Way to Save Northern Spotted Owls, Says Group of Oregon Philosophers (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

19. Salmon Farms in Patagonia Face Growing Opposition (NY Times – Paywall Advisory)

20. Record-Setting Heat Waves Are Baking the Arctic Region (Washington Post – Via MSN)

21. Amount of Planet-Warming Carbon Dioxide That Oregon Farmland Absorbs Overinflated, Study Finds (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

22. Carbon Offset Setback Risks Corporate Backtrack on Climate Goals (Reuters)

23. Fiber Broadband Chief Slams StarLink as a ‘Cop Out’ for BEAD (Fierce Networks)

24. Small Internet Service Providers Want Firm Deadline for Processing Pole Orders (Broadband Breakfast)

25. CrowdStrike Snafu Was a ‘Dress Rehearsal’ for Critical Infrastructure Disruptions, CISA Director Says (Utility Dive)

26. Seattle Searching for Solutions to Charging Cable Thefts While Meeting Electric Vehicle Driver Demand (GeekWire)

27. 1.7 Million Acres Burned in Pacific NW, International Firefighters Join the Battle (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)

28. Farmers’ Almanac Winter Forecast for 2024-2025: Wet, Milder, Longer Season for Much of U.S. (USA Today – Via Yahoo! News)

29. Blog: ‘No on I-2117’ Claim That Taxes Don’t Increase WA Prices Again Contradicted by Inslee Administration’s Own Statements (Washington Policy Center)

Word of the Day – The Horrible Haiku Edition

Debunk /dee-BUNK/ Verb – To expose the sham or falseness of.

     Debunk the big dunk

     Can’t slam it if you can’t jump

     A jump shot will do

Energy & Utility Issues

1.      Artificial Intelligence Is About to Boost Power Bills—Who’ll Take Heat for That? (The Wall Street Journal – Via Yahoo! News)

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ai-boost-power-bills-ll-110000417.html

2.      Utah: Extreme Heat Drives Up Utility Costs as Rocky Mountain Power Requests Rate Increases (KMYU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT)

https://kmyu.tv/news/local/extreme-heat-drives-up-utility-costs-as-rocky-mountain-power-requests-rate-increases

3.      Environmental Regulators Say NW Natural Misleading Customers About State Climate Credit Program (Washington State Standard – Via Yahoo! News)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/environmental-regulators-nw-natural-misleading-235044456.html

4.      Inside the ‘Titanic’ Legal Case That Will Help Determine Alaska’s Energy Future: An Analysis (Alaska Beacon)

https://alaskabeacon.com/2024/08/09/inside-the-titanic-legal-case-that-will-help-determine-alaskas-energy-future-an-analysis-of-whats-at-stake/

5.      Arizona Transformer Fire Spurs Western Area Power Administration Emergency Response, Containment (Western Area Power Administration)

https://www.wapa.gov/arizona-transformer-fire-spurs-wapa-emergency-response/

6.      British Columbia: Online Scam Targets BC Hydro Customers with Fake Ads, Call Centre, RCMP Warn (CTV Vancouver, BC)

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/online-scam-targets-bc-hydro-customers-with-fake-ads-call-centre-rcmp-warn-1.6998983

7.      California Reignites War on Gas Stoves with Newly Proposed Law (KTVU-TV, Oakland, CA)

https://www.ktvu.com/news/california-reignites-war-gas-stoves-newly-proposed-law

8.      Utility Will Pay $20 Million to Avoid Prosecution in Ohio Bribery Scheme (Associated Press)

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/politics/article/utility-will-pay-20-million-to-avoid-prosecution-19654898.php

Renewable Energy & Self Storage

9.      Fortescue Puts Plans for a Big Hydrogen Factory in Centralia, WA on Hold (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

https://www.chronline.com/stories/fortescue-puts-plans-for-a-big-hydrogen-factory-in-centralia-on-hold,359913

10.   Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Final Assessment on Oregon Coast Offshore Wind Energy Released (KOBI-TV, Medford, OR)

https://kobi5.com/news/boems-final-assessment-on-oregon-coast-offshore-wind-energy-released-245860/

11.   U.S. Wind Generation Hit Record in April 2024, Exceeding Coal-Fired Generation (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=62784

12.   New Pacific Northwest National Laboratories Facility to Enhance Clean Energy Development & Grid Resilience (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

https://keprtv.com/news/local/new-pnnl-facility-to-enhance-clean-energy-development-and-grid-resilience

13.   Alaska Gov. Dunleavy Signs Measure into Law Boosting Community Solar Projects (Anchorage Daily News, AK – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.adn.com/business-economy/energy/2024/08/13/alaska-gov-dunleavy-signs-measure-into-law-boosting-community-solar-projects/

Conservation & Efficiency

14.   Most Consumers Think AI Will Be Valuable for Their Electricity Usage: Survey (American Public Power Association)

https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/most-consumers-think-ai-will-be-valuable-their-electricity-usage-survey

15.   Smart Homes, Smart Energy: Navigating the U.S. Electrification Transition (Fast Company)

https://www.fastcompany.com/91169018/smart-homes-smart-energy-navigating-the-u-s-electrification-transition

Fish & Wildlife

16.   Certifier Pulls Sustainable Recommendation for Southeast Alaska Fisheries to Protect Dwindling Salmon & Endangered Orcas (The Journal of the San Juan Islands, Friday Harbor, WA)

https://www.sanjuanjournal.com/news/certifier-pulls-sustainable-recommendation-for-southeast-alaska-fisheries-to-protect-dwindling-salmon-and-endangered-orcas/

17.   Bigg’s Killer Whale Population Growing (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/biggs-killer-whale-population-growing/LD3HP6EXHVDTVN75G7XIGN7JEE/

18.   Killing Barred Owls Isn’t the Way to Save Northern Spotted Owls, Says Group of Oregon Philosophers (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/08/13/think-out-loud-barred-owls-nothern-spotted-owl-new-york-times/

19.   Salmon Farms in Patagonia Face Growing Opposition (NY Times – Paywall Advisory)

https://dnyuz.com/2024/08/13/salmon-farms-in-patagonia-face-growing-opposition/

Climate Change Sequestration Vault

20.   Record-Setting Heat Waves Are Baking the Arctic Region (Washington Post – Via MSN)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/record-setting-heat-waves-are-baking-the-arctic-region/ar-AA1oJAN9

21.   Amount of Planet-Warming Carbon Dioxide That Oregon Farmland Absorbs Overinflated, Study Finds (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/08/12/oregon-farming-carbon-sequestration-study/

22.   Carbon Offset Setback Risks Corporate Backtrack on Climate Goals (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/sustainable-finance-reporting/carbon-offset-setback-risks-corporate-backtrack-climate-goals-2024-08-13/

London Calling –Telecommunications

23.   Fiber Broadband Chief Slams StarLink as a ‘Cop Out’ for BEAD (Fierce Networks)

https://www.fierce-network.com/broadband/fiber-broadband-chief-slams-starlink-cop-out-bead

24.   Small Internet Service Providers Want Firm Deadline for Processing Pole Orders (Broadband Breakfast)

https://broadbandbreakfast.com/small-isps-want-firm-deadline-for-processing-pole-orders/

The Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity

25.   CrowdStrike Snafu Was a ‘Dress Rehearsal’ for Critical Infrastructure Disruptions, CISA Director Says (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/crowdstrike-critical-infrastructure-resiliency-cisa/723832/

I Sing the Car Electric

26.   Seattle Searching for Solutions to Charging Cable Thefts While Meeting Electric Vehicle Driver Demand (GeekWire)

https://www.geekwire.com/2024/seattle-searching-for-solutions-to-charging-cable-thefts-while-meeting-ev-driver-demand/

Other Things to Know About Today

27.   1.7 Million Acres Burned in Pacific NW, International Firefighters Join the Battle (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)

https://fox28savannah.com/news/nation-world/17-million-acres-burned-in-pacific-nw-international-firefighters-join-the-battle-australia-new-zealand-oregon-washington

28.   Farmers’ Almanac Winter Forecast for 2024-2025: Wet, Milder, Longer Season for Much of U.S. (USA Today – Via Yahoo! News)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/farmers-almanac-winter-forecast-2024-050135932.html

Soapbox Serenade – Vox Populi

29.   Blog: ‘No on I-2117’ Claim That Taxes Don’t Increase WA Prices Again Contradicted by Inslee Administration’s Own Statements (Washington Policy Center)

https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/no-on-i-2117-campaign-claim-that-taxes-dont-increase-prices-again-contradicted-by-inslee-aministrations-own-past-statements

Alligators in the Sewer – Diversions

A Supernova Shone in the Night Sky 1,000 Years Ago. Astronomers Have Now Found Its Leftover ‘Zombie Star’

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/13/science/supernova-1181-zombie-star/index.html?

Mars & Jupiter Pair Up This Week in a Celestial Dance Unseen from Earth in Years

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/08/13/mars-and-jupiter-pair-up-this-week-in-a-celestial-dance-unseen-from-earth-in-years/

Missing Dog Lost on Vacation Taken in by Kind Strangers After Successful Year-Long Rescue Mission

https://people.com/missing-dog-whose-owners-lost-him-while-on-vacation-found-by-kind-strangers-after-year-long-search-8691201

Stonehenge’s ‘Altar Stone’ Originally Came from Scotland, Not Wales, New Research Shows

https://apnews.com/article/stonehenge-scotland-altar-stone-7f0896476ac8e2b955224377ff9f661e

Song of the Day

Oliver – Good Morning Starshine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtH9PsR1oQk

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.