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ITEMS OF NOTE FROM THE NORTHWEST PUBLIC POWER ASSOCIATION
Check out NWPPA’s complete class offerings in the Training and Event Catalog. Click on the links below for more information and registration. Don’t miss these upcoming training events:
· Board Governance: Balance
Sheet Orientation
February 15, 2024, via webinar
· Administrative Professionals
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March 13-14, 2024, in Newport, Ore.
· Communication Tune-up Series
April 2, 16, and 30, 2024 via webinar
· Engineering & Operations
Conference and Trade Show
April 9-11, 2024, in Tacoma, Wash.
HOTSHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
‘Historic’ Drought
Forcing Hydro-Rich British Columbia, Manitoba to Import Electricity (Vancouver
Sun, BC)
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/bc-manitoba-drought-hydro-electricity
U.S. House Bill
Looks to Block Dam Breaching on Lower Snake River System (Lewiston Morning
Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)
Tesla Erases $80
Billion in Valuation After Musk’s Sales Warning (Reuters)
WA’s Energy ‘Green
Rush’ Could Endanger Cultural Indigenous Lands (Crosscut Seattle)
California to Get
Drenched from Fast-Moving Atmospheric River (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/california-drenched-fast-moving-atmospheric-124947847.html
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. ‘Historic’
Drought Forcing Hydro-Rich British Columbia, Manitoba to Import Electricity
2. U.S.
House Bill Looks to Block Dam Breaching on Lower Snake River System
3. Amid
Cold Snap, Equipment Failure Stresses Alaska’s Natural Gas Delivery System
4. Washington’s
Climate Efforts Hit Clark County Utility Bills; Typical NW Natural Customer
Will See Increase Of 11.9 Percent
5. Eugene
Water & Electric Board Plans to Remove Leaburg Dam in 2032 at the Earliest
6. California:
Pacific Gas & Electric Agrees To $45 Million Settlement Over Dixie Fire
7. Energy
Secretary on the Biden Administration’s Pause of Future Natural Gas Exports
8. How
Hard Is It to Develop California’s Electric Grid of the Future? Like Repairing
a Car While Driving
9. Bonneville
Power Administration Finds Successful Partnership with New Californian Power
Providers
10. FERC
Chairman Updates Senators on Priorities for Transmission-Related Dockets
11. 25
Small Modular Reactor License Applications Expected by 2029
12. Meet
the Communities Trying to Take Over Their Local Electric Utility
13. WA’s
Energy ‘Green Rush’ Could Endanger Cultural Indigenous Lands
14. Washington
State: Solar Panels Will Damage Farm Soils
15. California:
Feds Approve Camino Solar Project in Kern County - Project Will Provide Clean,
Renewable Energy
16. Green
Hydrogen Plans Take Shape for Former Alcoa Site at Cherry Point, WA
17. Alaska:
Golden Valley Electric Association Board Partially Supports Renewable-Energy
Legislation
18. Mill
Creek Senator’s Bill Would Expand Solar Power in WA Neighborhoods
19. Seattle’s
Big Buildings Must Reach Net-Zero Emissions by 2050
20. WA
Fish & Wildlife Commission, Overreach, Rinse, Repeat
21. A
Purple Martin Dubbed Roxa Flies 8,000 Miles to Brazil Before Returning Home to
Oregon
22. Supporting
Rural Cell Towers
23. Verizon
Just Sent Some Customers a Confusing Email About Raising Prices. It’s a Lesson
in How Not to Treat People
24. Tesla
Erases $80 Billion in Valuation After Musk’s Sales Warning
25. Tacoma
Authorizes $4 Million in Federal Grants to Purchase Two Electric Locomotives
26. Oregon
Weekly Newspaper to Relaunch Print Edition After Theft Forced It to Lay Off Its
Entire Staff
27. NASA’s
Little Helicopter on Mars Has Logged Its Last Flight
28. Limits
on Natural Gas May Get Stripped Out of New WA State Bill
29. WA
Lawmakers Argue for More Transparency in Utility Bills
30. California
to Get Drenched from Fast-Moving Atmospheric River
31. Seattle
Counts Down to the World Cup
32. Commentary:
Arctic Blast Flashes Warning Signal for Regional Grid Stability
33. U.S.
Rep. Jayapal (WA-07) Statement on the Columbia-Snake River System Agreement
34. Guest
Essay: Wind & Solar Power Too Often Leave Americans Out in the Cold When
Severe Weather Hits
35.
Guest Essay: As Trucking Electrifies, How We
Prepare the Grid Must Evolve
WORD OF THE DAY
Immutable \ih-MYOO-tuh-bul\ Adjective – Not capable of or susceptible to change.
The invisible hand drew back and paused. The immutable force of the marketplace had been battling a slow start in its contest against the dialectic of Marxist theology. Suddenly the hand moved forward and flung the 16-pound ball down the alley…picking up the 7-10 spare. “YOU WIN!” Exclaimed the Keynesian scorekeeper. “Yeah, but in the long run you’ll all be dead,” chortled the ghost of Thomas Malthus.
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
‘Historic’ Drought Forcing Hydro-Rich British
Columbia, Manitoba to Import Electricity (Vancouver Sun, BC)
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/bc-manitoba-drought-hydro-electricity
2.
U.S. House Bill Looks to Block Dam Breaching on Lower
Snake River System (Lewiston Morning Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)
3.
Amid Cold Snap, Equipment Failure Stresses Alaska’s
Natural Gas Delivery System (Northern Journal)
https://www.northernjournal.com/p/amid-cold-snap-equipment-failure
4.
Washington’s Climate Efforts Hit Clark County Utility
Bills; Typical NW Natural Customer Will See Increase Of 11.9 Percent (Vancouver
Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
5.
Eugene Water & Electric Board Plans to Remove
Leaburg Dam in 2032 at the Earliest (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/01/28/leaburg-dam-removal-eugene-electric/
6.
California: Pacific Gas & Electric Agrees To
$45 Million Settlement Over Dixie Fire (San Joaquin Sun, CA)
https://sjvsun.com/california/pge-agrees-to-45-million-settlement-over-dixie-fire/
7.
Energy Secretary on the Biden Administration’s
Pause of Future Natural Gas Exports (National Public Radio)
8.
How Hard Is It to Develop California’s Electric
Grid of the Future? Like Repairing a Car While Driving (Los Angeles Times, CA –
Paywall Advisory)
9.
Bonneville Power Administration Finds Successful
Partnership with New Californian Power Providers (Bonneville Power
Administration)
10.
FERC Chairman Updates Senators on Priorities for
Transmission-Related Dockets (Daily Energy Insider)
11.
25 Small Modular Reactor License Applications
Expected by 2029 (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-nerc-joint-meeting-smr-nuclear-black-start/705708/
12.
Meet the Communities Trying to Take Over Their
Local Electric Utility (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/politics/meet-the-communities-trying-to-take-over-their-local-electric-utility/
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
13.
WA’s Energy ‘Green Rush’ Could Endanger Cultural
Indigenous Lands (Crosscut Seattle)
14.
Washington State: Solar Panels Will Damage Farm
Soils (Capital Press – Paywall Advisory)
15.
California: Feds Approve Camino Solar Project in
Kern County - Project Will Provide Clean, Renewable Energy (Sierra Sun-Times,
Mariposa, CA)
16.
Green Hydrogen Plans Take Shape for Former Alcoa
Site at Cherry Point, WA (Salish Current)
17.
Alaska: Golden Valley Electric Association Board
Partially Supports Renewable-Energy Legislation (KUAC Radio, Fairbanks, AK)
18.
Mill Creek Senator’s Bill Would Expand Solar
Power in WA Neighborhoods (Everett Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
19.
Seattle’s Big Buildings Must Reach Net-Zero
Emissions by 2050 (Axios)
https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2024/01/26/buildings-net-zero-emissions-2050-law
FISH & WILDLIFE
20.
WA Fish & Wildlife Commission, Overreach,
Rinse, Repeat (NW Sportsman Magazine)
21.
A Purple Martin Dubbed Roxa Flies 8,000 Miles to
Brazil Before Returning Home to Oregon (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
LONDON CALLING –TELECOMMUNICATIONS
22.
Supporting Rural Cell Towers (Pots & Pans)
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2024/01/25/supporting-rural-cell-towers/
23.
Verizon Just Sent Some Customers a Confusing
Email About Raising Prices. It’s a Lesson in How Not to Treat People (Inc.
Magazine)
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
24.
Tesla Erases $80 Billion in Valuation After Musk’s
Sales Warning (Reuters)
25.
Tacoma Authorizes $4 Million in Federal Grants to
Purchase Two Electric Locomotives (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_94d04046-bbd6-11ee-b694-037fe6eff9b4.html
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA
26.
Oregon Weekly Newspaper to Relaunch Print
Edition After Theft Forced It to Lay Off Its Entire Staff (Seattle Post-Intelligencer,
Seattle, WA)
BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE
27.
NASA’s Little Helicopter on Mars Has Logged Its
Last Flight (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/mars-helicopter-damage-grounded-nasa-c39e22c85cb84eb88b6efcfb78bde0cd
MANAGEMENT & GOVERNANCE
28.
Limits on Natural Gas May Get Stripped Out of New
WA State Bill (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/3948225/limits-natural-gas-may-get-stripped-out-state-bill/
29.
WA Lawmakers Argue for More Transparency in
Utility Bills (The Center Square)
https://crosscut.com/briefs/2024/01/wa-lawmakers-argue-more-transparency-utility-bills
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY
30.
California to Get Drenched from Fast-Moving
Atmospheric River (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/california-drenched-fast-moving-atmospheric-124947847.html
31.
Seattle Counts Down to the World Cup (Axios)
https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2024/01/29/fifa-world-cup-2026-host-city
SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI
32.
Commentary: Arctic Blast Flashes Warning Signal for
Regional Grid Stability (Capital Press – Paywall Advisory)
33.
U.S. Rep. Jayapal (WA-07) Statement on the Columbia-Snake
River System Agreement (U.S. Rep Pramila Jayapal – WA-07)
https://jayapal.house.gov/2024/01/26/jayapal-statement-on-the-columbia-snake-river-system-agreement/
34.
Guest Essay: Wind & Solar Power Too Often
Leave Americans Out in the Cold When Severe Weather Hits (USA Today)
35.
Guest Essay: As Trucking Electrifies, How We
Prepare the Grid Must Evolve (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/trucking-electrification-grid-utilities-charging/705513/
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Artist Pays Tribute
to Pete Carroll with Chewy Mural on Seattle’s Iconic Gum Wall
Gustav Klimt Portrait
Found After Almost 100 Years
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68102376
Man Who Stole Judy
Garland’s Ruby Red Slippers from ‘The Wizard Of Oz to Be Sentenced
Artist Trained Rats
to Take Selfies to Make a Point About Social Media
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/rat-selfies-1.7093886
SONG OF THE DAY
Eric Clapton - Over
the Rainbow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwlFTYT2Fdw
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
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