Monday, September 23, 2024

The Energy News Digest for September 23, 2024

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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories

Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor to Restart Under Microsoft Deal (Yahoo! News)

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/three-mile-island-nuclear-reactor-to-restart-under-microsoft-deal-154812499.html

Natural Gas Dominates U.S. Power Generation as Artificial Intelligence Drives Electricity Demand (Bloomberg – Via MSN)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/natural-gas-dominates-u-s-power-generation-as-ai-drives-electricity-demand/ar-AA1qFQUy

Includes Snake River Dam Evaluation: DOE Launches Pacific Northwest Regional Energy Planning Study to Explore Solutions to Energy Planning Challenges (U.S. Dept. of Energy)

https://www.energy.gov/gdo/articles/doe-launches-pacific-northwest-regional-energy-planning-study-explore-solutions-energy

Plan Would Make One Million Acres of Federal Land in Oregon Available for Solar Energy Projects (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/09/22/oregon-federal-land-solar-energy-projects/

Spending Deal Averts a Possible Federal Shutdown & Funds the Federal Government into December (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/congress-government-shutdown-trump-johnson-budget-deal-d51de0cd895db687a6f5b35fc0dab13e

News Highlights (See Stories Below)

1.      Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor to Restart Under Microsoft Deal

2.      Natural Gas Dominates U.S. Power Generation as Artificial Intelligence Drives Electricity Demand

3.      Includes Snake River Dam Evaluation: DOE Launches Pacific Northwest Regional Energy Planning Study to Explore Solutions to Energy Planning Challenges

4.      Rising Demand Could Drive U.S. Wholesale Electricity Prices 19% Higher by 2028: ICF

5.      NERC Sounds Alarm Over Winter Gas Supplies, Potential Grid Impacts

6.      Plan Would Make One Million Acres of Federal Land in Oregon Available for Solar Energy Projects

7.      After WA Gov. Inslee’s Push for Bigger Tri-Cities Wind Farm, Lawmaker Wants to Limit His Authority

8.      WA State: Chehalis Awarded Nearly $1 Million Federal Grant for Hydrogen Project at Airport

9.      WA State: REC, Sila Reach Multi-Year Silane Agreement After REC Announces First Shipment

10.   Solar Panels Lead to Insurance Headaches for Some Canadians

11.   The Energy Department Promised This Tribal Nation a $32 Million Solar Grant. It’s Nearly Impossible to Access

12.   Paywall Advisory: Grey Ghost – PNW Steelhead Ris Extinction Nearly Everywhere

13.   Salmon Fishing Expands on Columbia River

14.   Pikeminnow Bounty Program to End Slightly Early After ‘Outstanding Year of Fishing’

15.   California Scores Legal Win on Appeal Over Sites Reservoir Project

16.   After Two Years of Drought in the Yakima Basin, Could Relief Be on the Way?

17.   Gas Prices or Pollution? The High-Dollar Fight Over Washington State Cap & Trade

18.   Artificial Intelligence Can Generate Recipes That Can Be Deadly. Food Bloggers Are Not Happy

19.   California’s Backlogged Grid Is Holding Up Its Electric Truck Dreams

20.   Elon Musk Folds in Brazil to Let X Operate in the Country Again

21.   The Strongest Atmospheric River on Record for the Gulf of Alaska?

22.   Spending Deal Averts a Possible Federal Shutdown & Funds the Federal

23.   Washington Mourns Loss of Dan Evans, Former Governor & U.S. Senator

24.   The Benefits of a Four-Day Workweek According to a Champion of the Trend

25.   A La Niña Winter Is Expected, What Does That Mean?

26.   U.S. Senator Risch (ID) Statement on Northwest Energy Planning Project

27.   Podcast: Commissioner Ann Rendahl & the Eras of the Electric Sector

Word of the Day – The Horrible Haiku Edition

Sui Generis /Soo-ee – JEN-er-uss/ Adjective – Constituting a class alone: unique, peculiar.

     Tops at tiddlywinks

     Athlete sui generis

     He’s one of a kind

Energy & Utility Issues

1.      Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor to Restart Under Microsoft Deal (Yahoo! News)

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/three-mile-island-nuclear-reactor-to-restart-under-microsoft-deal-154812499.html

2.      Natural Gas Dominates U.S. Power Generation as Artificial Intelligence Drives Electricity Demand (Bloomberg – Via MSN)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/natural-gas-dominates-u-s-power-generation-as-ai-drives-electricity-demand/ar-AA1qFQUy

3.      Includes Snake River Dam Evaluation: DOE Launches Pacific Northwest Regional Energy Planning Study to Explore Solutions to Energy Planning Challenges (U.S. Dept. of Energy)

https://www.energy.gov/gdo/articles/doe-launches-pacific-northwest-regional-energy-planning-study-explore-solutions-energy

4.      Rising Demand Could Drive U.S. Wholesale Electricity Prices 19% Higher by 2028: ICF (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/us-electricity-prices-19-percent-higher-2028-ICF/727317/

5.      NERC Sounds Alarm Over Winter Gas Supplies, Potential Grid Impacts (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nerc-sounds-alarm-over-winter-gas-supplies-potential-grid-impacts-2024-2025/727460/

Renewable Energy & Self Storage

6.      Plan Would Make One Million Acres of Federal Land in Oregon Available for Solar Energy Projects (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/09/22/oregon-federal-land-solar-energy-projects/

7.      After WA Gov. Inslee’s Push for Bigger Tri-Cities Wind Farm, Lawmaker Wants to Limit His Authority (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/inslee-push-bigger-tri-cities-192102905.html

8.      WA State: Chehalis Awarded Nearly $1 Million Federal Grant for Hydrogen Project at Airport (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

https://www.chronline.com/stories/chehalis-awarded-nearly-1-million-federal-grant-for-hydrogen-project-at-airport,362167

9.      WA State: REC, Sila Reach Multi-Year Silane Agreement After REC Announces First Shipment (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2024/sep/23/rec-sila-reach-muli-year-silane-agreement-after-rec-announces-first-shipment/

10.   Solar Panels Lead to Insurance Headaches for Some Canadians (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/solar-panel-insurance-1.7329712?cmp=rss

11.   The Energy Department Promised This Tribal Nation a $32 Million Solar Grant. It’s Nearly Impossible to Access (High Country News)

https://www.hcn.org/articles/the-department-of-energy-promised-yakama-nation-32-million-for-solar-its-nearly-impossible-to-access/

Fish & Wildlife

12.   Paywall Advisory: Grey Ghost – PNW Steelhead Ris Extinction Nearly Everywhere (Seattle Times, WA)

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/in-pacific-northwest-steelhead-risk-extinction-nearly-everywhere/

13.   Salmon Fishing Expands on Columbia River (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)

https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/2024/09/salmon-fishing-expands-on-columbia-river.html

14.   Pikeminnow Bounty Program to End Slightly Early After ‘Outstanding Year of Fishing’ (Northwest Sportsman Magazine)

https://nwsportsmanmag.com/pikeminnow-bounty-program-to-end-slightly-early-after-outstanding-year-of-fishing/

Water, Water, Anywhere?

15.   California Scores Legal Win on Appeal Over Sites Reservoir Project (Courthouse News Service)

https://www.courthousenews.com/california-scores-legal-win-on-appeal-over-sites-reservoir-project/

16.   After Two Years of Drought in the Yakima Basin, Could Relief Be on the Way? (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/business/after-two-years-of-drought-in-the-yakima-basin-could-relief-be-on-the-way/article_8b356326-715d-11ef-8a8c-aba0cbea7eab.html

Climate Change Sequestration Vault

17.   Gas Prices or Pollution? The High-Dollar Fight Over Washington State Cap & Trade (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

https://www.chronline.com/stories/gas-prices-or-pollution-the-high-dollar-fight-over-washington-state-cap-and-trade,362224

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

18.   Artificial Intelligence Can Generate Recipes That Can Be Deadly. Food Bloggers Are Not Happy (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/09/23/ai-can-generate-recipes-that-can-be-deadly-food-bloggers-are-not-happy/

I Sing the Car Electric

19.   California’s Backlogged Grid Is Holding Up Its Electric Truck Dreams (Canary Media)

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/ev-charging/a-big-barrier-to-californias-electric-truck-goals-a-backlogged-power-grid

Public Relations, Marketing & Media

20.   Elon Musk Folds in Brazil to Let X Operate in the Country Again (Gizmodo)

https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-folds-in-brazil-to-let-x-operate-in-the-country-again-2000502010

Barrel O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science

21.   The Strongest Atmospheric River on Record for the Gulf of Alaska? (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-strongest-atmospheric-river-on.html

Management & Governance

22.   Spending Deal Averts a Possible Federal Shutdown & Funds the Federal Government into December (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/congress-government-shutdown-trump-johnson-budget-deal-d51de0cd895db687a6f5b35fc0dab13e

23.   Washington Mourns Loss of Dan Evans, Former Governor & U.S. Senator (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)

https://komonews.com/news/local/washington-mourns-the-loss-of-dan-evans-former-governor-and-us-senator-uw-republican-school-seattle-native-navy-death-98

24.   The Benefits of a Four-Day Workweek According to a Champion of the Trend (Associated Press)

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/benefits-day-workweek-champion-trend-113924779

Other Things to Know About Today

25.   A La Niña Winter Is Expected, What Does That Mean? (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

https://www.king5.com/article/weather/la-nina-winter-expected-western-washington/281-7810baca-d903-4514-8c7f-4d2d7d9e5a3b

Soapbox Serenade – Vox Populi

26.   U.S. Senator Risch (ID) Statement on Northwest Energy Planning Project (U.S. Senator Jim Risch, ID)

https://www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=9C7B6066-FC9D-4445-AB1C-6A5F1B56BF8C

27.   Podcast: Commissioner Ann Rendahl & the Eras of the Electric Sector (Public Power Underground)

https://publicpowerunderground.substack.com/p/commissioner-ann-rendahl-and-the

Alligators in the Sewer – Diversions

One in Five Washington Workers Have a Work Spouse – Do You?

https://kpq.com/work-spouse-relationships-survey/

Van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’ Depicts Turbulence in the Sky with Remarkable Accuracy

https://www.courthousenews.com/van-goghs-the-starry-night-depicts-turbulence-in-the-sky-with-remarkable-accuracy/

Cards Against Humanity Sues Elon Musk’s SpaceX for $15 Million Over Alleged Trespassing in Texas

https://apnews.com/article/cards-against-humanity-elon-musk-spacex-aa404db43f94fae76dc7524c7a646aca

New Mozart Just Dropped: Lost Manuscript Reveals Centuries-Old Music

https://gizmodo.com/new-mozart-just-dropped-lost-manuscript-reveals-centuries-old-music-2000501987

Song of the Day

Mozart – Leipzig: Serenade in C (Lost Manuscript)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmdD_Tds9AQ

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.