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HOTSHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
U.S. Hydropower
Drops to 20-Year Low as Northwest Snowpack Shrinks (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
Idaho Man Pleads
Guilty to Shooting at Hells Canyon Power Facilities, Faces 20 Years (Elkhorn
Media Group, LaGrande, OR)
Xcel Energy
Acknowledges Role in Texas’ Smokehouse Creek Wildfire (Texas Tribune)
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/07/xcel-energy-texas-wildfires/
U.S. House Passes
Bill That Would Lead to a TikTok Ban If Chinese Owner Doesn’t Sell. Senate Path
Unclear (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)
Nearly Half of U.S.
Homes Face Severe Threat from Climate Change, Study Finds (CBS News)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-home-prices-housing-realtor-com/
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)
1. U.S.
Hydropower Drops to 20-Year Low as Northwest Snowpack Shrinks
2. Idaho
Man Pleads Guilty to Shooting at Hells Canyon Power Facilities, Faces 20 Years
3. Xcel
Energy Acknowledges Role in Texas’ Smokehouse Creek Wildfire
4. $25
Million in State Budget for New Nuclear in Eastern WA. Will Climate Initiative
Derail It?
5. Wyoming
Part of Aggressive Effort to Get Cutting-Edge Nuclear Plans Online
6. California:
Millions of Pacific Gas & Electric Customers to Receive Credits on Their
April Energy Bill
7. Alaska:
Matanuska Electric Association to Manage Seward’s Electric Utility
8. Bonneville
Power Administration Removes Copper Wire Stamping Requirement
9. Podcast:
The Transmission Expansion Era with BPA Administrator John Hairston
10. Utah
Expected to Have Cheapest Electricity Rates in the Nation This Year
11. Winter
Storms Have Disrupted U.S. Natural Gas Production
12. Native
Groups Sit on a Treasure Trove of Lithium. Now Mines Threaten Their Water,
Culture & Wealth
13. The
Battle Over Energy-Efficient Housing is Heating Up Across the U.S.
14. Washington:
Biden Earmarks Half a Billion for Salmon on Upper Green River
15. ‘Like
Rooting for the Yankees’: Washington Lawmaker’s Move to Study Sea Lion
Predation Removed from State’s Final Budget
16. How
Much Dam Water is Needed for Fish and Energy?
17. EPA
Proposes Adding Upper Columbia River to Superfund List
18. Nearly
Half of U.S. Homes Face Severe Threat from Climate Change, Study Finds
19. Cap-and-Trade
Is Bread & Butter Now
20. Oregon
to Reopen Electric Vehicle Rebate Program
21. Washington:
Vandals Cut Cables of Newly Installed Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in
Sumner
22. WA
Legislature Revs Up Plan to Electrify 10,000 School Buses
23. U.S.
House Passes Bill That Would Lead to a TikTok Ban If Chinese Owner Doesn’t
Sell. Senate Path Unclear
24. Democrats
File in Two of Three Open Montana Public Service Commission Seats
25. Environment,
Climate Policies Mostly Took a Backseat During Oregon’s 2024 Short Session
26. Portland
Will Ban All Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers by 2028
27. Columnist:
Are Utility Companies Heroes or Villains of the Climate Change Saga?
28.
Editorial: Let Voters Weigh in on Portland’s
Clean Energy Fund
WORD OF THE DAY
Vade mecum \vay-dee-MEE-kum\ ● Noun – 1: a book for ready reference: manual 2: something regularly carried about by a person.
See Funk and Wagonall
Vade mecum of “Laugh In”
Sock it to me babe
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
1.
U.S. Hydropower Drops to 20-Year Low as Northwest
Snowpack Shrinks (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
2.
Idaho Man Pleads Guilty to Shooting at Hells
Canyon Power Facilities, Faces 20 Years (Elkhorn Media Group, LaGrande, OR)
3.
Xcel Energy Acknowledges Role in Texas’
Smokehouse Creek Wildfire (Texas Tribune)
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/07/xcel-energy-texas-wildfires/
4.
$25 Million in State Budget for New Nuclear in Eastern
WA. Will Climate Initiative Derail It? (Yahoo! News)
https://news.yahoo.com/25m-state-budget-nuclear-eastern-230741174.html
5.
Wyoming Part of Aggressive Effort to Get
Cutting-Edge Nuclear Plans Online (Cowboy State Daily)
6.
California: Millions of Pacific Gas & Electric
Customers to Receive Credits on Their April Energy Bill (KSBY-TV, San Luis
Obispo, CA)
7.
Alaska: Matanuska Electric Association to Manage
Seward’s Electric Utility (KDLL Radio, Kenai, AK)
https://www.kdll.org/2024-03-12/mea-to-managesewards-electric-utility
8.
Bonneville Power Administration Removes Copper
Wire Stamping Requirement (Bonneville Power Administration)
9.
Podcast: The Transmission Expansion Era with BPA
Administrator John Hairston (Public Power Underground)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJCeROjORbU
10.
Utah Expected to Have Cheapest Electricity Rates
in the Nation This Year (Deseret News, Salt Lake City, UT)
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2024/03/11/energy-electricity-rates-utah-cheap-hawaii/
11.
Winter Storms Have Disrupted U.S. Natural Gas
Production (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61563
RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE
12.
Native Groups Sit on a Treasure Trove of Lithium.
Now Mines Threaten Their Water, Culture & Wealth (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/lithium-water-mining-indigenous-cb2f5b1580c12f8ba1b19223648069b7
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
13.
The Battle Over Energy-Efficient Housing is
Heating Up Across the U.S. (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/battle-over-energy-efficient-housing-200000612.html
FISH & WILDLIFE
14.
Washington: Biden Earmarks Half a Billion for
Salmon on Upper Green River (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
15.
‘Like Rooting for the Yankees’: Washington Lawmaker’s
Move to Study Sea Lion Predation Removed from State’s Final Budget (The
Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
16.
How Much Dam Water is Needed for Fish and
Energy? (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
https://www.pnnl.gov/news-media/how-much-dam-water-needed-fish-and-energy
ENVIRONMENTAL AFFLATUS – CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE
17.
EPA Proposes Adding Upper Columbia River to
Superfund List (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/mar/05/epa-proposes-adding-upper-columbia-river-to-superf/
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
18.
Nearly Half of U.S. Homes Face Severe Threat from
Climate Change, Study Finds (CBS News)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-home-prices-housing-realtor-com/
19.
Cap-and-Trade Is Bread & Butter Now (Politico)
I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC
20.
Oregon to Reopen Electric Vehicle Rebate Program
(KKRZ-Radio, Portland, OR)
21.
Washington: Vandals Cut Cables of Newly
Installed Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Sumner (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
22.
WA Legislature Revs Up Plan to Electrify 10,000
School Buses (Crosscut Seattle)
PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA
23.
U.S. House Passes Bill That Would Lead to a
TikTok Ban If Chinese Owner Doesn’t Sell. Senate Path Unclear (KHQ-TV, Spokane,
WA)
MANAGEMENT & GOVERNANCE
24.
Democrats File in Two of Three Open Montana
Public Service Commission Seats (The Daily Montanan)
25.
Environment, Climate Policies Mostly Took a Backseat
During Oregon’s 2024 Short Session (Jefferson Public Radio)
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TODAY
26.
Portland Will Ban All Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers by
2028 (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/03/13/portland-ban-gas-powered-leaf-blowers-2028/
SOAPBOX SERENADE – VOX POPULI
27.
Columnist: Are Utility Companies Heroes or
Villains of the Climate Change Saga? (Los Angeles Times, CA – Paywall Advisory)
28.
Editorial: Let Voters Weigh in on Portland’s Clean
Energy Fund (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2024/03/editorial-let-voters-weigh-in-on-clean-energy-fund.html
ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS
Eric Carmen,
Singer-Songwriter of ‘All by Myself’ & ‘Hungry Eyes,’ Dies at 74
Southern Oregon Now
Boasts World’s Largest Dark Sky Sanctuary
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/03/13/southern-oregon-now-boasts-worlds-largest-dark-sky-sanctuary/
Rats Are High on
Marijuana Evidence at an Infested Police Building, New Orleans Chief Says
https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-police-rats-eating-marijuana-02cf5d760649033801b775b41a96d5df
Wildlife Rescuer
Dons Red Fox Mask to Feed Orphaned Kit
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/03/13/Richmond-Wildlife-Center-red-fox-mask/5541710340755/
SONG OF THE DAY
The Raspberries,
Featuring Eric Carmen - I Wanna Be with You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8aZvuCYdaE
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