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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:
· Administrative Professionals
Conference
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
Winter Storm
Warning Issued for the Cascades, The Gorge & Hood River Valley (Oregon
Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/02/14/oregon-winter-weather-cascades-gorge/
Bonneville Power
Administration First Quarter Net Revenues Down Due to Dry Winter (Big Country
News, Clarkston, WA)
Federal Government
Finalizes Floating Offshore Wind Areas Off the Oregon Coast (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
California Solar
Customers, Industry Brace for Impact of Reduced State Incentives (KQED Radio,
San Francisco, CA)
Snowpack in the
Pacific Northwest Is Shrinking. Here’s What That Means for the Future (KGW-TV,
Portland, OR)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. Bonneville
Power Administration First Quarter Net Revenues Down Due to Dry Winter
2. Assessment
of January 2024 Cold Weather Event
3. How
Clean Is WA’s Electricity? We Lead the Country in One Way
4. Klamath
River Dam Removal Project ‘Going Exactly According to Plan’
5. Lawmakers
Push Back on Fixed Rates for California Utility Bills
6. Idaho
Falls to Construct New $36 Million Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant
7. California:
How One Rural Couple Is Keeping Their Business Alive Despite Pacific Gas &
Electric’s Rate Hike
8. Second
New Georgia Reactor Begins Splitting Atoms in Key Step to Making Electricity
9. Federal
Government Finalizes Floating Offshore Wind Areas Off the Oregon Coast
10. Oregon
Fishermen, Tribes Angered by Surprise Announcement on Offshore Wind Energy
Areas
11. California
Solar Customers, Industry Brace for Impact of Reduced State Incentives
12. President
Biden Puts $60 Million Into Three Geothermal Energy Projects, Including One in
Oregon
13. More
Than a Quarter of Energy Storage Systems Have Fire Detection & Suppression
Defects: Report
14. Heat
Pumps Outsold Gas Furnaces Again Last Year — And the Gap Is Growing
15. Report:
Unintentionally Caught Chinook Salmon Contributes to Population Depletion
16. Thousands
of Fish Found Dead in Spokane River Near Long Lake Dam
17. The
Pacific Coast’s Native Olympia Oyster Is Making a Comeback
18. You
May Not Be Getting the Fish You Paid For: How to Spot Seafood Fraud
19. Snowpack
in the Pacific Northwest Is Shrinking. Here’s What That Means for the Future
20. Arizona’s
Snowpack Improves Following Latest Round of Storms
21. In
Managing Colorado River Dam, Feds Ignored Climate Change, Conservationists Tell
Appeals Court
22. Forever
Chemicals in Washington’s Well Water Could Make You Sick
23. Washington’s
Key Climate Law Is Under Attack. Big Oil Wants It to Survive.
24. Washington
Farmers Say Carbon Fee Brought Extra Fuel Costs, Despite Exemption
25. Quinault
Indian Nation Hits Milestone in Effort to Move Village Uphill to Safety
26. The
Amazon River Basin’s Crucial Water Cycle Faces Collapse, Scientists Say
27. Washington
Governor Appoints New State Broadband Office Director
28. WA
State: Douglas PUD Eliminating New Customer Fee for High-Speed Internet
29. WA
State: Jefferson PUD to Raise Its Pole Attachment Rates for Businesses
30. Piodcast:
Along Those Lines – Lessons in Succession Planning from a Small Electric Co-op
31. Winter
Storm Warning Issued for the Cascades, The Gorge & Hood River Valley
32. Some
Lowland Snow is Coming Western Washington Late Wednesday & Thursday
33. An
Oregon Resident Was Diagnosed with the Plague. Here Are a Few Things to Know
About the Illness
34. What
Is Alaskapox? Recent Death Brings Attention to Virus Seen in Small Animals
35. Columnist:
Boiling Point – Are Dams Good or Bad?
36.
Guest Essay: What Utility Commissioners Should
Know About a Flawed Western Day-Ahead Market Study
WORD OF THE DAY
Ne Plus Ultra /nay-plus-ULL-truh/ Noun – The highest point of development or success that something may achieve, a synonym of acme.
Sitting atop a loose pile of professional-grade tiddlywinks disks, Alfred felt he had reached the ne plus ultra moment of his career. His success was evidenced by his enlarged right thumb, which – with the help of a secret steroid regimen – had catapulted him to the championship.
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
Bonneville Power Administration First Quarter
Net Revenues Down Due to Dry Winter (Big Country News, Clarkston, WA)
2.
Assessment of January 2024 Cold Weather Event
(Western Power Pool – Links to PDF File)
https://www.westernpowerpool.org/resources/assessment-of-january-2024-cold-weather-event
3.
How Clean Is WA’s Electricity? We Lead the
Country in One Way (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
4.
Klamath River Dam Removal Project ‘Going Exactly
According to Plan’ (KDRV-TV, Medford, OR)
5.
Lawmakers Push Back on Fixed Rates for California
Utility Bills (KOVR-TV, Sacramento, CA)
6.
Idaho Falls to Construct New $36 Million Natural
Gas-Fired Power Plant (East Idaho News, Idaho Falls, ID)
https://www.eastidahonews.com/2024/02/idaho-falls-to-construct-new-36-million-power-plant/
7.
California: How One Rural Couple Is Keeping
Their Business Alive Despite Pacific Gas & Electric’s Rate Hike (KQED
Radio, San Francisco, CA)
8.
Second New Georgia Reactor Begins Splitting
Atoms in Key Step to Making Electricity (Associated Press)
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
9.
Federal Government Finalizes Floating Offshore
Wind Areas Off the Oregon Coast (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
10.
Oregon Fishermen, Tribes Angered by Surprise
Announcement on Offshore Wind Energy Areas (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
11.
California Solar Customers, Industry Brace for
Impact of Reduced State Incentives (KQED Radio, San Francisco, CA)
12.
President Biden Puts $60 Million Into Three
Geothermal Energy Projects, Including One in Oregon (The Hill, Washington, DC)
13.
More Than a Quarter of Energy Storage Systems
Have Fire Detection & Suppression Defects: Report (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/battery-energy-storage-fire-safety-report/707330/
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
14.
Heat Pumps Outsold Gas Furnaces Again Last Year
— And the Gap Is Growing (Canary Media)
FISH & WILDLIFE
15.
Report: Unintentionally Caught Chinook Salmon
Contributes to Population Depletion (KGMI Radio, Bellingham, WA)
16.
Thousands of Fish Found Dead in Spokane River Near
Long Lake Dam (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/feb/12/thousands-of-fish-found-dead-in-spokane-river-near/
17.
The Pacific Coast’s Native Olympia Oyster Is
Making a Comeback (Crosscut Seattle)
https://crosscut.com/environment/2024/02/pacific-coasts-native-olympia-oyster-making-comeback
18.
You May Not Be Getting the Fish You Paid For: How
to Spot Seafood Fraud (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
WATER, WATER, ANYWHERE?
19.
Snowpack in the Pacific Northwest Is Shrinking. Here’s
What That Means for the Future (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
20.
Arizona’s Snowpack Improves Following Latest
Round of Storms (AOL News)
https://www.azfamily.com/2024/02/13/arizonas-snowpack-improves-following-latest-round-storms/
21.
In Managing Colorado River Dam, Feds Ignored
Climate Change, Conservationists Tell Appeals Court (Courthouse News Service)
22.
Forever Chemicals in Washington’s Well Water
Could Make You Sick (Crosscut Seattle)
https://crosscut.com/environment/2024/02/pfas-washingtons-well-water-could-make-you-sick
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
23.
Washington’s Key Climate Law Is Under Attack. Big
Oil Wants It to Survive. (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/politics/washington-cap-and-invest-law-repeal-oil-companies/
24.
Washington Farmers Say Carbon Fee Brought Extra
Fuel Costs, Despite Exemption (KREM-TV, Spokane, WA)
25.
Quinault Indian Nation Hits Milestone in Effort to
Move Village Uphill to Safety (National Public Radio)
26.
The Amazon River Basin’s Crucial Water Cycle
Faces Collapse, Scientists Say (NBC News)
LONDON CALLING –TELECOMMUNICATIONS
27.
Washington Governor Appoints New State Broadband
Office Director (State Scoop)
https://statescoop.com/washington-broadband-office-director-aaron-wheeler/
28.
WA State: Douglas PUD Eliminating New Customer
Fee for High-Speed Internet (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/douglas-county-pud-eliminates-customer-fee/
29.
WA State: Jefferson PUD to Raise Its Pole
Attachment Rates for Businesses (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA –
Paywall Advisory)
MANAGEMENT & GOVERNANCE
30.
Podcast: Along Those Lines – Lessons in
Succession Planning from a Small Electric Co-op (National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association)
https://www.electric.coop/along-those-lines-succession-planning
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY
31.
Winter Storm Warning Issued for the Cascades,
The Gorge & Hood River Valley (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/02/14/oregon-winter-weather-cascades-gorge/
32.
Some Lowland Snow is Coming Western Washington
Late Wednesday & Thursday (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2024/02/some-lowland-snow-is-coming-western.html
33.
An Oregon Resident Was Diagnosed with the Plague.
Here Are a Few Things to Know About the Illness (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/us-news/plague-oregon-general-news-6d5a71b8a45e5e38ec321fd48fdb9576
34.
What Is Alaskapox? Recent Death Brings Attention
to Virus Seen in Small Animals (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/what-is-alaskapox-virus-54e0c158d626108909573568b66db707
SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI
35.
Columnist: Boiling Point – Are Dams Good or Bad?
(Los Angeles Times, CA – Paywall Advisory)
36.
Guest Essay: What Utility Commissioners Should
Know About a Flawed Western Day-Ahead Market Study (Utility Dive)
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Charlotte, a
Stingray with No Male Companion, Is Pregnant in Her Mountain Aquarium
In This
Centuries-Old English Pancake Race, ‘You Just Have to Go Flat Out’
https://apnews.com/article/britain-pancake-race-england-3e6e2c1ed8b9aefefe7d13e9944009cb
Colorado City of Loveland
Is Hub of Postal Activity Each Valentine’s Day
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/14/loveland-colorado-valentines-day-postal-service
‘Girl Dinner,’ ‘Bussin’
And ‘The Ick’: More Than 300 New Entries Added to Dictionary.Com
https://news.yahoo.com/girl-dinner-bussin-ick-more-133144398.html
SONG OF THE DAY
The Watts 103rd
Street Rhythm Band – Love Land
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SkEvdHF0wU
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.
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