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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
How a Washington
Tax Break for Data Centers Snowballed into One of the State’s Biggest Corporate
Giveaways (ProPublica – Seattle Times, WA)
https://www.propublica.org/article/washington-data-centers-tech-jobs-tax-break
New Lawsuit Accuses
Utilities of Recklessness in 2020 Oregon Wildfire (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/08/02/holiday-farm-fire-timber-lawsuit/
Latest Fight Over
WA State Farm Fuel Exemptions Dismissed in Court (Washington State Standard)
Feds Approve
Montana’s $628 Million Broadband Expansion Grant Proposal (The Daily Montanan)
https://dailymontanan.com/2024/08/01/feds-approve-montanas-628m-broadband-expansion-grant-proposal/
Wildfires Rage in
Oregon, Washington: Map the Pacific Northwest Wildfires, Evacuations (USA Today
– Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/wildfires-rage-oregon-washington-map-204840472.html
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. How
a Washington Tax Break for Data Centers Snowballed into One of the State’s
Biggest Corporate Giveaways
2. New
Lawsuit Accuses Utilities of Recklessness in 2020 Oregon Wildfire
3. Heat
Deaths of People without Air Conditioning, Often in Mobile Homes, Underscore
Energy Inequity
4. Plaintiffs
in Maui Wildfire Case Reach $4 Billion Settlement Against Hawaiian Electric
& Others
5. Oregon:
Portland General Electric Seeks Bigger Electric Rate Hike for 2025
6. Gavin
Newsom Has a Plan to Lower California Electricity Bills. Here’s What It Would
Do
7. California
Power Outages Wreaking Havoc on the Port of Los Angeles
8. WA
State Grants Everett-Based Helion a Fusion Energy License
9. Lawmaker
Revives Radioactive Debate Over Nuclear Waste in Wyoming
10. Majority
of Americans Support More Nuclear Power in the Country
11. Montana
PSC Asks NorthWestern About Allegations It’s Working Contrary to Montana Law
12. The
Most Coal Is Stockpiled at U.S. Power Plants Since 2020
13. A
Proposed Wind Turbine Project Promises to Bring Jobs & Tax Revenue to the
Palouse; Some Residents Think the Project Has a Turbulent Future
14. New
Richland PNW Hydrogen Hub Begins Initial Phase
15. U.S.
Senator Risch (ID) Introduces Legislation to Delay Lava Ridge Wind Energy
Project in Southern Idaho
16. Farmers
Who Say Yes to Solar Power Face Neighbors’ Wrath
17. Heat
Pumps Are Expensive. What If Billionaires Bought Them for Everyone?
18. Heatwave
& Drought Deadly for Fish in Yakima Basin
19. Fish
Returns High Enough to Keep Lower Deschutes Open for Steelhead
20. Sea
Lions Are Stranding Themselves on California’s Coast with Signs of Poisoning by
Harmful Algae
21. The
Race to Save Our Orcas: How the Southern Resident Population Reached an
Alarming Low Point
22. Latest
Fight Over WA State Farm Fuel Exemptions Dismissed in Court
23. Scientist
Defends an Audacious Plan to Block Sunlight & Cool the Earth
24. Feds
Approve Montana’s $628 Million Broadband Expansion Grant Proposal
25. Digital
Literacy Program for Seniors Coming to Gold Beach
26. Washington
State Launches New Electric Vehicle Rebate Program
27. ‘Charger
Hogs’ Are Ruining the Electric Vehicle Experience. One Company Is Clamping Down
on Bad Manners
28. Trying
to Tell a Story? Know Why it Matters, Spark Action and Make it Clear
29. Sand
from the Sahara Desert Causing Recent Lull in the Hurricane Season: Scientists
30. Manchin-Barrasso
Energy Permitting Bill Advances to Full U.S. Senate
31. U.S.
Sen. Wyden (OR) Vows to Protect Tax-Exempt Financing in 2025 Tax Debate
32. Wildfires
Rage in Oregon, Washington: Map the Pacific Northwest Wildfires, Evacuations
33. WA
Gov. Inslee Signs Emergency Proclamation Due to Wildfires, Fuel Shortage for
Firefighters
34. British
Columbia: Water Begins Spilling Over Landslide Damming Chilcotin River
35. Oregon:
Crews Rescue Person Trapped on Willamette River Dam
36. Editorial:
Hanford’s Solar, Battery Project Carries Eastern Washington’s Energy Legacy
Forward
37. Guest
Essay: As State Studies ‘Modular’ Nuke Plants, History Worth Remembering
38.
Guest Essay: ‘Mama, Where Did All of Our Fish,
Electricity & Jobs Go?’
Word of the Day – Found Haiku Edition
Resounds /ree-ZOUNDS/ Verb – 1: to become filled with sound: reverberate 2a: to sound loudly b: to produce a sonorous or echoing sound 3: to become renowned
the fall night air
resounds with the owl’s call
but to whom to whom
Susan Callan - Seabeck Reunion: Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Anthology, Haiku Northwest Press 2020.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
How a Washington Tax Break for Data Centers
Snowballed into One of the State’s Biggest Corporate Giveaways (ProPublica –
Seattle Times, WA)
https://www.propublica.org/article/washington-data-centers-tech-jobs-tax-break
2.
New Lawsuit Accuses Utilities of Recklessness in
2020 Oregon Wildfire (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/08/02/holiday-farm-fire-timber-lawsuit/
3.
Heat Deaths of People without Air Conditioning,
Often in Mobile Homes, Underscore Energy Inequity (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/extreme-heat-deaths-air-conditioning-095cc1820abab04ed9729c6de73f21ce
4.
Plaintiffs in Maui Wildfire Case Reach $4
Billion Settlement Against Hawaiian Electric & Others (Cable News Network)
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/02/business/maui-wildfire-case-settlement/index.html
5.
Oregon: Portland General Electric Seeks Bigger
Electric Rate Hike for 2025 (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2024/08/pge-seeks-bigger-electric-rate-hike-for-2025.html
6.
Gavin Newsom Has a Plan to Lower California Electricity
Bills. Here’s What It Would Do (Sacramento Bee, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://news.yahoo.com/news/gavin-newsom-plan-lower-california-175938243.html
7.
California Power Outages Wreaking Havoc on the Port
of Los Angeles (Global Trade Magazine)
https://www.globaltrademag.com/california-power-outages-wreaking-havoc-on-the-port-of-los-angeles/
8.
WA State Grants Everett-Based Helion a Fusion
Energy License (Everett Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/state-grants-everett-based-helion-a-fusion-energy-license/
9.
Lawmaker Revives Radioactive Debate Over Nuclear
Waste in Wyoming (Wyofile)
https://wyofile.com/lawmaker-revives-radioactive-debate-over-nuclear-waste-in-wyoming/
10.
Majority of Americans Support More Nuclear Power
in the Country (Pew Research)
11.
Montana PSC Asks NorthWestern About Allegations
It’s Working Contrary to Montana Law (The Daily Montanan)
12.
The Most Coal Is Stockpiled at U.S. Power Plants
Since 2020 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=62684
Renewable Energy & Self
Storage
13.
A Proposed Wind Turbine Project Promises to
Bring Jobs & Tax Revenue to the Palouse; Some Residents Think the Project
Has a Turbulent Future (The Inlander, Spokane, WA)
14.
New Richland PNW Hydrogen Hub Begins Initial
Phase (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2024/aug/02/new-richland-pnw-hydrogen-hub-begins-initial-phase/
15.
U.S. Senator Risch (ID) Introduces Legislation
to Delay Lava Ridge Wind Energy Project in Southern Idaho (Big Country News,
Clarkston, WA)
16.
Farmers Who Say Yes to Solar Power Face
Neighbors’ Wrath (Santa Fe New Mexican, NM)
Conservation &
Efficiency
17.
Heat Pumps Are Expensive. What If Billionaires
Bought Them for Everyone? (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/energy/heat-pumps-expensive-bought/
Fish & Wildlife
18.
Heatwave & Drought Deadly for Fish in Yakima
Basin (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA – Paywall Advisory)
19.
Fish Returns High Enough to Keep Lower Deschutes
Open for Steelhead (Columbia County Connection, The Dalles, OR)
20.
Sea Lions Are Stranding Themselves on California’s
Coast with Signs of Poisoning by Harmful Algae (Associated Press)
21.
The Race to Save Our Orcas: How the Southern
Resident Population Reached an Alarming Low Point (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
22.
Latest Fight Over WA State Farm Fuel Exemptions
Dismissed in Court (Washington State Standard)
23.
Scientist Defends an Audacious Plan to Block
Sunlight & Cool the Earth (NY Times – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/scientist-defends-audacious-plan-block-145248275.html
London Calling
–Telecommunications
24.
Feds Approve Montana’s $628 Million Broadband
Expansion Grant Proposal (The Daily Montanan)
https://dailymontanan.com/2024/08/01/feds-approve-montanas-628m-broadband-expansion-grant-proposal/
25.
Digital Literacy Program for Seniors Coming to Gold
Beach (Coos-Curry Pilot, Brookings, OR)
I Sing the Car Electric
26.
Washington State Launches New Electric Vehicle
Rebate Program (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)
27.
‘Charger Hogs’ Are Ruining the Electric Vehicle
Experience. One Company Is Clamping Down on Bad Manners (Cable News Network)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/charger-hogs-ruining-electric-vehicle-180002845.html
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
28.
Trying to Tell a Story? Know Why it Matters,
Spark Action and Make it Clear (Pioneer Utility Resources)
https://www.pioneerutilityresources.com/makestoriesclear/
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
29.
Sand from the Sahara Desert Causing Recent Lull in
the Hurricane Season: Scientists (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
Management &
Governance
30.
Manchin-Barrasso Energy Permitting Bill Advances
to Full U.S. Senate (The Hill, Washington, DC)
31.
U.S. Sen. Wyden (OR) Vows to Protect Tax-Exempt
Financing in 2025 Tax Debate (American Public Power Association)
Other Things to Know
About Today
32.
Wildfires Rage in Oregon, Washington: Map the Pacific
Northwest Wildfires, Evacuations (USA Today – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/wildfires-rage-oregon-washington-map-204840472.html
33.
WA Gov. Inslee Signs Emergency Proclamation Due to
Wildfires, Fuel Shortage for Firefighters (KNDO/KNDU TV, Tri-Cities/Yakima, WA)
34.
British Columbia: Water Begins Spilling Over
Landslide Damming Chilcotin River (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/chilcotin-landslide-aug-5-1.7285664?cmp=rss
35.
Oregon: Crews Rescue Person Trapped on Willamette
River Dam (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/crews-rescue-person-trapped-willamette-193743123.html
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
36.
Editorial: Hanford’s Solar, Battery Project
Carries Eastern Washington’s Energy Legacy Forward (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via
MSN)
37.
Guest Essay: As State Studies ‘Modular’ Nuke
Plants, History Worth Remembering (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/aug/04/as-state-studies-modular-nuke-plants-history-worth/
38.
Guest Essay: ‘Mama, Where Did All of Our Fish,
Electricity & Jobs Go?’ (Lewiston Morning Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)
Alligators in the Sewer – Diversions
Korean Air Says
Turbulence Is Knocking Instant Noodles Off Its Economy Menu
Just Like at the Tokyo
Olympics, American Cowbell Clanging Will Be Raucous Again at Paris Games
Rare Prototype ‘Star
Wars’ Boba Fett Action Figure from 1979 Up for Auction
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/08/02/Goldin-auction-Star-Wars-Boba-Fett-prototype/3161722629405/
Fortune Cookie
Inspires N.C. Man’s $200,000 Lottery Win
Song of the Day
Sergio Mendes – Olympia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NA6nOlCxvo
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
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