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Items of Note from the Northwest Public Power Association
NWPPA’s Women in Public Power conference - July 24-25, 2024, Tacoma, WA. The WIPP conference continues the tradition of honoring issues specific to women from all areas and levels within the public power industry. It is a place for leaders at all levels—whether you are a customer/member service representative, director/commissioner, meter reader, CEO, accountant, purchaser, or any other employee—to network and learn from one another.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Oregon Can’t Limit
PacifiCorp’s 2020 Wildfire Payouts, State Utility Regulators Determine (Oregon
Public Broadcasting)
Oregon Lawmakers
Look into Utility Rate Hikes Causes, Ways to Lessen Impacts (KATU-TV, Portland,
OR)
Solar Project to
Destroy Thousands of Joshua Trees in the Mojave Desert (Los Angeles Times, CA –
Paywall Advisory)
WA Conservative
Groups Are Banding Together to Dump Carbon Pricing (Crosscut Seattle)
Thousands without
Power Across Western Washington Monday Morning (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Oregon
Can’t Limit PacifiCorp’s 2020 Wildfire Payouts, State Utility Regulators
Determine
2. Oregon
Lawmakers Look into Utility Rate Hikes Causes, Ways to Lessen Impacts
3. Record
Number of Oregonians Disconnected from Electric, Gas Service as Rates Climb
4. Puget
Sound Energy to Resume Shutting Off Power for Residents Behind on Payments
5. Your
Idaho Power Rate Just Went Up This Year. The Utility Wants a Hike Next Year,
Too
6. Rocky
Mountain Power Requests General Rate Increase of 26.8%
7. Power
Restored After Helicopter Hit Transmission Line, Caused Outages in Benton City
& Prosser
8. North
Texas Lineman Killed While Working to Restore Power
9. Abnormally
Dry Canada Taps U.S. Energy, Reversing Usual Flow
10. Weather-Related
Power Outages Are Getting Worse. What Will It Take to Keep the Lights on as
America’s Grid Gets Thrashed?
11. WA
State: Woodpeckers Blamed for $1.5 Million in Utility Pole Damage Near Lake
Stevens
12. NV
Energy Opts to Join California ISO-Developed Day-Ahead Market Over Southwest
Power Pool Alternative
13. Our
U.S. Summer Natural Gas Consumption Forecast for Electric Power Matches 2023
Record
14. Western
Area Power Administration Rethinks Power Sales for an Uncertain Era
15. Solar
Project to Destroy Thousands of Joshua Trees in the Mojave Desert
16. Oregon:
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Extends Comment Period on Offshore Wind
Auctions After Public Feedback
17. Do
Rooftop Solar Panels Make Sense in Western Washington?
18. Anglers
Get Earlier Reopening Than Expected for Spring Chinook on Columbia
19. Oregon
Officials Close Entire Coast to Mussel Harvesting Due to Shellfish Poisoning
20. What’s
At Stake as Idaho Evaluates Quagga Mussel Eradication Effort
21. WA
Drought Has Already Led Some to Shut Off Water to Farmers
22. WA
Conservative Groups Are Banding Together to Dump Carbon Pricing
23. Corporations
Invested in Carbon Offsets That Were ‘Likely Junk’, Analysis Says
24. Broadband
Subsidies for Rural Americans Are Ending & They Won’t Likely Be Renewed
25. WA
State: Adams Co. Planning Broadband Infrastructure Expansion
26. WA
State: Point Roberts Broadband Program
Faces Obstacles
27. Hundreds
of Thousands of U.S. Internet Routers Destroyed in Newly Discovered 2023 Hack
28. Oregon
Exhausts Electric Rebate Funds Within Two Months of Availability
29. ‘Chimney
Caps, Vent Pipes, Gutters’: Why Some Woodpeckers Are Major Metal Heads
30. California:
Michelle Reimers, Turlock Irrigation District’s First Female General Manager to
Depart. ‘A Tireless Advocate’
31. Thousands
without Power Across Western Washington Monday Morning
32. Extreme
Heat Forecast for Western U.S. May Kick Off Sweltering Summer. Here’s the
Outlook
33. Editorial:
Gov. Inslee Put Politics Ahead of Science, Undermining Fair Eastern WA
Compromise
34.
Editorial: Californians Don’t Have to Accept
Skyrocketing Electric Bills. Here’s How to Fight Back
Word of the Day – The Horrible Haiku Edition
Perennial \puh-REN-ee-ul\ Adjective – 1: present at all seasons of the year 2: continuing to live from year to year 3: recurring regularly: permanent.
Monte whispered to his shriveling coneflowers, “I’ll see you in the spring!” “Not if we see you first,” croaked the eldest of the perennial flowers with its final breath of fall.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Oregon Can’t Limit PacifiCorp’s 2020 Wildfire
Payouts, State Utility Regulators Determine (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
2.
Oregon Lawmakers Look into Utility Rate Hikes
Causes, Ways to Lessen Impacts (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)
3.
Record Number of Oregonians Disconnected from
Electric, Gas Service as Rates Climb (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/05/31/oregon-electric-utilities-gas-service-heat-electricity/
4.
Puget Sound Energy to Resume Shutting Off Power for
Residents Behind on Payments (Tacoma Weekly, WA)
5.
Your Idaho Power Rate Just Went Up This Year. The
Utility Wants a Hike Next Year, Too (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID – Via Yahoo! News)
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/idaho-power-rate-just-went-100000396.html
6.
Rocky Mountain Power Requests General Rate
Increase of 26.8% (KIFI-TV, Idaho Falls, ID)
https://localnews8.com/news/2024/05/31/rocky-mountain-power-requests-general-rate-increase-of-26-8/
7.
Power Restored After Helicopter Hit Transmission
Line, Caused Outages in Benton City & Prosser (KNDU/KNDO- TV, Tri-Cities &
Yakima, WA)
8.
North Texas Lineman Killed While Working to
Restore Power (KDFW-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth, TX)
https://www.fox4news.com/news/lineman-killed-scott-balentine
9.
Abnormally Dry Canada Taps U.S. Energy,
Reversing Usual Flow (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/abnormally-dry-canada-taps-u-114108735.html
10.
Weather-Related Power Outages Are Getting Worse.
What Will It Take to Keep the Lights on as America’s Grid Gets Thrashed? (Cable
News Network)
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/31/weather/power-grid-outages-us-texas-climate/index.html
11.
WA State: Woodpeckers Blamed for $1.5 Million in
Utility Pole Damage Near Lake Stevens (Everett Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/woodpeckers-blamed-for-1-5m-in-utility-pole-damage-near-lake-stevens/
12.
NV Energy Opts to Join California ISO-Developed
Day-Ahead Market Over Southwest Power Pool Alternative (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nv-energy-caiso-day-ahead-market-edam-pathways-initiative/717748/
13.
Our U.S. Summer Natural Gas Consumption Forecast
for Electric Power Matches 2023 Record (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=62163
14.
Western Area Power Administration Rethinks Power
Sales for an Uncertain Era (Western Area Power Administration)
https://www.wapa.gov/wapa-rethinks-power-sales-for-an-uncertain-era/
Renewable Energy & Self
Storage
15.
Solar Project to Destroy Thousands of Joshua Trees
in the Mojave Desert (Los Angeles Times, CA – Paywall Advisory)
16.
Oregon: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Extends
Comment Period on Offshore Wind Auctions After Public Feedback (KOBI-TV,
Medford, OR)
17.
Do Rooftop Solar Panels Make Sense in Western Washington?
(The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
https://www.chronline.com/stories/do-rooftop-solar-panels-make-sense-in-western-washington,341240
Fish & Wildlife
18.
Anglers Get Earlier Reopening Than Expected for
Spring Chinook on Columbia (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
19.
Oregon Officials Close Entire Coast to Mussel
Harvesting Due to Shellfish Poisoning (Associated Press)
20.
What’s At Stake as Idaho Evaluates Quagga Mussel
Eradication Effort (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/06/01/quagga-mussels-invasive-idaho-eradication/
Water, Water, Anywhere?
21.
WA Drought Has Already Led Some to Shut Off
Water to Farmers (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
22.
WA Conservative Groups Are Banding Together to Dump
Carbon Pricing (Crosscut Seattle)
23.
Corporations Invested in Carbon Offsets That
Were ‘Likely Junk’, Analysis Says (The Guardian, UK)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/30/corporate-carbon-offsets-credits
London Calling
–Telecommunications
24.
Broadband Subsidies for Rural Americans Are
Ending & They Won’t Likely Be Renewed (National Public Radio)
25.
WA State: Adams Co. Planning Broadband
Infrastructure Expansion (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA – Paywall Advisory)
26.
WA State:
Point Roberts Broadband Program Faces Obstacles (All Point Bulletin,
Point Roberts, WA)
https://www.allpointbulletin.com/stories/broadband-program-faces-obstacles,32429
Beam Me Up, Scotty - The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
27.
Hundreds of Thousands of U.S. Internet Routers
Destroyed in Newly Discovered 2023 Hack (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hundreds-thousands-us-internet-routers-142544224.html
I Sing the Car Electric
28.
Oregon Exhausts Electric Rebate Funds Within Two
Months of Availability (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
29.
‘Chimney Caps, Vent Pipes, Gutters’: Why Some
Woodpeckers Are Major Metal Heads (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Management &
Governance
30.
California: Michelle Reimers, Turlock Irrigation
District’s First Female General Manager to Depart. ‘A Tireless Advocate’ (The
Modesto Bee, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://news.yahoo.com/news/turlock-irrigation-district-first-female-145347816.html
Other Things to Know
About Today
31.
Thousands without Power Across Western Washington
Monday Morning (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
32.
Extreme Heat Forecast for Western U.S. May Kick
Off Sweltering Summer. Here’s the Outlook (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via MSN News)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
33.
Editorial: Gov. Inslee Put Politics Ahead of
Science, Undermining Fair Eastern WA Compromise (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/editorial-inslee-put-politics-ahead-120000949.html
34.
Editorial: Californians Don’t Have to Accept
Skyrocketing Electric Bills. Here’s How to Fight Back (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via
Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/editorial-californians-dont-accept-skyrocketing-120046042.html
Alligators in the Sewer – Diversions
The Tiny Island
Where Cats Outnumber Humans – And Made It a Tourist Destination
Mass Parachute Jump
Over Normandy Kicks Off Commemorations for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day
‘It’s Part of Our
Culture’: Portlanders Brave Weather, Long Lines for Powell’s Books Warehouse
Sale
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/06/03/portlanders-wait-long-lines-powells-warehouse-sale/
Chance eBay Encounter
Returns Long-Lost Charm to Utah Family
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/05/29/long-lost-charm-eBay/8081717003871/
Song of the Day
Al Stewart - Year of
the Cat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqZc7ZQURMs
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.
