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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.
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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
Deadly Storm in
Southern California Triggers Hundreds of Mudslides And Floods Roads (Yahoo!
News)
https://news.yahoo.com/deadly-storm-southern-california-floods-055119864.html
Proposal Would Add
a ‘Category 6’ as Hurricanes Get Stronger (Axios)
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/05/category-6-hurricanes-study
U.S. Natural Gas
Consumption Set New Daily Record in January (American Public Power Association)
Largest Proposed
Wind Farm in WA Slashed in Half, Firefighting Issues Are Part of the Problem
(Northwest Public Broadcasting)
High Electricity
Prices Push REC Silicon to End Polysilicon Production in Montana (Solar Power
World)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. U.S.
Natural Gas Consumption Set New Daily Record in January
2. Montana:
Judge Says Laurel Natural Gas Power Plant Decision Is Up to Yellowstone County
3. Could
Puget Sound Energy Customers Soon Lose Access to Natural Gas Service?
4. ‘It’s
a Big Unknown’: Chelan County PUD Considers Impacts of Agreement Between Feds,
States, Tribes
5. DOE
Announces Largest Single Investment for U.S. Hydropower Facilities – Includes
California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington
6. Multi-Decade
Grant PUD Hydropower Upgrade Project Three-Quarters Complete
7. High
Electricity Prices Push REC Silicon to End Polysilicon Production in Montana
8. Largest
Proposed Wind Farm in WA Slashed in Half, Firefighting Issues Are Part of the
Problem
9. Company
Proposing Lava Ridge Says It Will Set Aside Some Power for Idaho
10. Idaho:
Neighbors In Downey Concerned About Solar Farm Development
11. WA
State: Fees Reinstated for Installing Solar Panels, Electric Vehicle Charging
Stations in Spokane
12. Solar
Project Water Rights Bill Fails in Washington State Legislature
13. Across
America, Clean Energy Plants Are Being Banned Faster Than They’re Being Built
14. Wind
Power Giants Find Little Shelter from Sector Troubles
15. Nine
States Pledge to Boost Heat Pumps to 90% of Home Equipment Sales by 2040 –
Including California & Oregon
16. WA
State: Electron Hydro Is Back in Court
for Endangering Fish on the Puyallup River
17. Fish
in California’s Kern River Remain Protected Following New Ruling
18. Portland
Audubon Announces New Name, Dropping Both ‘Portland’ & ‘Audubon’
19. WA
State: Navy Urges More Well Testing as Whidbey Island Water Contamination
Possibly Widens
20. Washington’s
Mountain Snow Recharges Our Drinking Water, Powers Our Lives. Now It’s Turning
to Rain.
21. Inland
Northwest Snowpack Is Limping into February
22. President
Biden’s Vow of Affordable Internet for All Is Threatened by the Looming
Expiration of Subsidies
23. Google
Calls Out Spyware Firms & Advocates for Tighter Regulation
24. Commerce
Awards Over $85 Million to Expand Electric Vehicle Charging Across Washington
State
25. Proposal
Would Add a ‘Category 6’ as Hurricanes Get Stronger
26. Will
the Washington Cap-And-Trade Repeal Initiative Succeed? The Markets Might Think
So
27. Out
of Gas: Inslee’s Oil Transparency Bill Stalls in WA Legislature
28. U.S.
Rep. Maloy (UT) Sponsors Bill to Keep Hydropower Rates Low During Drought
29. Deadly
Storm in Southern California Triggers Hundreds of Mudslides & Floods Roads
30. Warmer,
Drier Weather for the Pacific Northwest? Here’s Oregon’s February Climate
Outlook
31. USDA
Spotlights Importance of Columbia-Snake River Navigation
32. Guest
Essay: Kirk Hudson, Gary Ivory & Rich Wallen: Hydropower Reliability
Affordability Stewardship
33. Editorial:
Hyperbole, Hysteria Won’t Solve Dam Issue
34. News
Release: U.S. Rep. Risch (ID), Colleagues Give Biden Admin Reality Check on
Financial Burden of Dam Breaching
35. Commentary:
Is Northwest Snow History? Scientific Errors in a Major Seattle Times Climate
Story
36.
Guest Essay: Lessons from NuScale’s Terminated
Project Will Help Pave the Way for Advanced Nuclear Energy
WORD OF THE DAY
Lodestar \LOAD-star\ Noun - One that serves as an inspiration, model, or guide. The literal, albeit archaic, meaning of “lodestar” is “a star that leads or guides; especially the North Star.” (The first half of the word derives from the Middle English word “lode,” meaning “course.”)
Bertrand realized that his woefully outdated generational references and a hyper-nerdish wardrobe were not to his best advantage. He began to question using Steve Erkle as his cultural and professional lodestar.
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
U.S. Natural Gas Consumption Set New Daily
Record in January (American Public Power Association)
2.
Montana: Judge Says Laurel Natural Gas Power Plant
Decision Is Up to Yellowstone County (The Daily Montanan, Helena, MT)
https://dailymontanan.com/2024/02/05/judge-laurel-gas-plant-decision-is-up-to-yellowstone-county/
3.
Could Puget Sound Energy Customers Soon Lose
Access to Natural Gas Service? (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
4.
‘It’s a Big Unknown’: Chelan County PUD Considers
Impacts of Agreement Between Feds, States, Tribes (Wenatchee World, WA –
Paywall Advisory)
5.
DOE Announces Largest Single Investment for U.S.
Hydropower Facilities – Includes California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington (BIC
Magazine)
6.
Multi-Decade Grant PUD Hydropower Upgrade Project
Three-Quarters Complete (Yahoo! News)
https://news.yahoo.com/multi-decade-grant-pud-project-045900809.html
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
7.
High Electricity Prices Push REC Silicon to End
Polysilicon Production in Montana (Solar Power World)
8.
Largest Proposed Wind Farm in WA Slashed in Half,
Firefighting Issues Are Part of the Problem (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
9.
Company Proposing Lava Ridge Says It Will Set
Aside Some Power for Idaho (Boise State Public Radio, ID)
https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/news/2024-02-02/idaho-lava-ridge-wind-power
10.
Idaho: Neighbors In Downey Concerned About Solar
Farm Development (KIFI-TV, Idaho Falls, ID)
https://localnews8.com/news/2024/02/06/neighbors-in-downey-concerned-about-solar-farm-development/
11.
WA State: Fees Reinstated for Installing Solar
Panels, Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Spokane (Spokesman-Review, Spokane,
WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/feb/05/fees-reinstated-for-installing-solar-panels-electr/
12.
Solar Project Water Rights Bill Fails in Washington
State Legislature (KIMA-TV, Yakima, WA)
https://kimatv.com/news/local/solar-project-water-rights-bill-fails-in-washington-state-legislature
13.
Across America, Clean Energy Plants Are Being
Banned Faster Than They’re Being Built (USA Today)
14.
Wind Power Giants Find Little Shelter from
Sector Troubles (Reuters)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
15.
Nine States Pledge to Boost Heat Pumps to 90% of
Home Equipment Sales by 2040 – Including California & Oregon (Energy News
Network)
FISH & WILDLIFE
16.
WA State:
Electron Hydro Is Back in Court for Endangering Fish on the Puyallup
River (KNKX Radio, Tacoma, WA)
17.
Fish in California’s Kern River Remain Protected
Following New Ruling (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/fish-in-californias-kern-river-remain-protected-following-new-ruling/
18.
Portland Audubon Announces New Name, Dropping
Both ‘Portland’ & ‘Audubon’ (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
ENVIRONMENTAL AFFLATUS – CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE
19.
WA State: Navy Urges More Well Testing as Whidbey
Island Water Contamination Possibly Widens (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?
20.
Washington’s Mountain Snow Recharges Our
Drinking Water, Powers Our Lives. Now It’s Turning to Rain. (Seattle Times, WA –
Paywall Advisory)
21.
Inland Northwest Snowpack Is Limping into February
(KXLY-TV, Spokane, WA)
LONDON CALLING –TELECOMMUNICATIONS
22.
President Biden’s Vow of Affordable Internet for
All Is Threatened by the Looming Expiration of Subsidies (Associated Press)
BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY - THE WIZARDING WORLD OF
TECHNOLOGY & CYBERSECURITY
23.
Google Calls Out Spyware Firms & Advocates for
Tighter Regulation (Reuters)
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
24.
Commerce Awards Over $85 Million to Expand
Electric Vehicle Charging Across Washington State (WA Dept. of Commerce)
BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE
25.
Proposal Would Add a ‘Category 6’ as Hurricanes
Get Stronger (Axios)
https://www.axios.com/2024/02/05/category-6-hurricanes-study
MANAGEMENT & GOVERNANCE
26.
Will the Washington Cap-And-Trade Repeal
Initiative Succeed? The Markets Might Think So (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_68b367da-c479-11ee-8b72-f7b3697f0be4.html
27.
Out of Gas: Inslee’s Oil Transparency Bill
Stalls in WA Legislature (Washington State Standard)
28.
U.S. Rep. Maloy (UT) Sponsors Bill to Keep
Hydropower Rates Low During Drought (St. George News, UT)
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY
29.
Deadly Storm in Southern California Triggers
Hundreds of Mudslides & Floods Roads (Yahoo! News)
https://news.yahoo.com/deadly-storm-southern-california-floods-055119864.html
30.
Warmer, Drier Weather for the Pacific Northwest?
Here’s Oregon’s February Climate Outlook (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
31.
USDA Spotlights Importance of Columbia-Snake River
Navigation (Capital Press – Paywall Advisory)
SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI
32.
Guest Essay: Kirk Hudson, Gary Ivory & Rich
Wallen: Hydropower Reliability Affordability Stewardship (SourceOne News,
Ephrata, WA)
33.
Editorial: Hyperbole, Hysteria Won’t Solve Dam
Issue (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA – Paywall Advisory)
34.
News Release: U.S. Rep. Risch (ID), Colleagues
Give Biden Admin Reality Check on Financial Burden of Dam Breaching (U.S. Rep.
Jim Risch, ID)
https://www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=E588B52D-7025-4735-8DED-D4751E69F71C
35.
Commentary: Is Northwest Snow History?
Scientific Errors in a Major Seattle Times Climate Story (Cliff Mass Weather
Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2024/02/is-northwest-snow-history-scientific.html
36.
Guest Essay: Lessons from NuScale’s Terminated
Project Will Help Pave the Way for Advanced Nuclear Energy (Utility Dive)
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
A Giant Statue of Emperor
Constantine Looks Out Over Rome Again with Help from 3D Technology
https://apnews.com/article/italy-rome-constantine-b1c5418d16b4911c0c623acdcc80c7a2
Seattle-Bound
Flight Attendant Thinks Fast to Save Rare Flamingo Eggs
This Guy Used
ChatGPT to Talk to 5,000 Women on Tinder and Met His Wife
https://gizmodo.com/guy-used-chatgpt-talk-5-000-women-tinder-met-his-wife-1851228179
Japan: Group of
Killer Whales Desperately Trapped in Ice Has Apparently Escaped
https://gizmodo.com/group-of-killer-whales-desperately-trapped-in-ice-has-a-1851235373
SONG OF THE DAY
Alan Parsons
Project - In the Lap of the Gods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3lDYXCE_8E
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. Regular clearing of your browser’s history and cookie
files may help access some paywall sites.
