The Northwest Public Power Association sponsors the Energy News Digest.
The News Digest on Facebook and Twitter will bring breaking news throughout the week.
Subscribe to The Energy News Digest.
Items of Note from the Northwest Public Power Association
Join us for the NWPPA Labor and Employee Relations Group Conference on October 22-24 at Suncadia Resort near Cle-Elum, Wash! This annual event brings together labor relations leaders and human resources professionals to share experiences, recommendations, and lessons learned about key labor relations and human resources issues.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
California: As
Crews Chainsaw Joshua Trees, Mojave Desert Community Protests Solar Energy
Project (San Diego Union-Tribune, CA)
U.S. Nuclear Plants
Won't Power Up Big Tech's Artificial Intelligence Ambitions Right Away
(Reuters)
Why Millions of
Americans Give Up Control of Their Thermostats (Washington Post – Via Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-millions-americans-control-thermostats-153645139.html
WA State: Skagit
County Pauses Proposed Energy Storage Facility After Backlash (KING-TV,
Seattle, WA)
Thieves Hunting for
Copper Are Vandalizing American Electric Vehicle Chargers (Bloomberg News)
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. U.S.
Nuclear Plants Won't Power Up Big Tech's Artificial Intelligence Ambitions
Right Away
2. Nuclear
Startup Oklo to Start Site Work for Idaho Microreactor
3. Avista
Officials Provide Additional Details About Washington Natural Gas &
Electricity Rate Hikes
4. DOE
Group Awards $34.5 Million for Pacific Gas & Electric Hydropower Projects
in California
5. Despite
Decreasing Fossil Fuel Prices, Hydropower Is Still Competitive, Report Finds
6. Bonneville
Power Administration Transmission to Rebuild 75-Year-Old Transmission Line in
Puget Sound Area
7. Decline
In Natural Gas Price Drove Decrease in U.S. Oil Producer Revenue in Early 2024
8. Canada:
Power Projects – Indigenous Equity Ownership Saw Momentum In 2024, But Still
More Work to Do
9. California:
As Crews Chainsaw Joshua Trees, Mojave Desert Community Protests Solar Energy
Project
10. WA
State: Skagit County Pauses Proposed Energy Storage Facility After Backlash
11. Puget
Sound Energy Announces Two Clean Energy Projects in Washington
12. WA
State: Goose Prairie Solar Project Completion Expected in Early October
13. Under
a Texas Sun, Agrivoltaics Offer Farmers a New Way to Make Money
14. Climate
Solutions: Two Kinds of Ocean Energy Inch Forward Off the Oregon Coast
15. Why
Millions of Americans Give Up Control of Their Thermostats
16. Pacific
Lamprey Returns to the Columbia River Plummet, But Northwest Tribes Are Working
to Fix Those Runs
17. Hope
Slough Spill Kills Thousands of Salmon Near Chilliwack, British Columbia
18. WDFW,
Orgs Settle Columbia Hatchery Lawsuit
19. 22
States Want to Employ 1 Million People in Climate Apprenticeships by 2035
20. WA
Gov. Inslee Says Opposition to Wind & Solar Projects Could Slow Use of
Artificial Intelligence
21. Thieves
Hunting for Copper Are Vandalizing American Electric Vehicle Chargers
22. Nonprofit
News Orgs Aim to Fill the Void Left by Oregon's Receding Print Publications
23. A
Decade-Old Wordless Song Shows How Music & Social Media Are Shaping Each
Other
24. NASA
Awards $1.5 Million at Watts on the Moon Challenge Finale
25. Gizmodo
Science Fair: Beaming Solar Energy from Space to Earth
26. Does
Washington Need a Ban to Prevent Natural Gas Bans?
27. Connecting
to Purpose: Engaging Public Power Employees
28.
Blowing Dust Advisory Posted for Columbia Basin
Word of the Day
Beau geste \bow-ZHEST\ Noun – *1: a graceful or magnanimous gesture 2: an ingratiating conciliatory gesture.
The Geste boys were in trouble. Mike, John, and Digby not only wound up at the most miserable fort in the French Foreign Legion, Fort Zinderneuf, but they also had a commanding officer who made Captain Bligh look like Sergeant Bilko. In the end, it was the “beau geste” of Mike that made everything wonderful again.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
U.S. Nuclear Plants Won't Power Up Big Tech's Artificial
Intelligence Ambitions Right Away (Reuters)
2.
Nuclear Startup Oklo to Start Site Work for Idaho
Microreactor (CNBC)
3.
Avista Officials Provide Additional Details
About Washington Natural Gas & Electricity Rate Hikes (Lewiston Morning
Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)
4.
DOE Group Awards $34.5 Million for Pacific Gas
& Electric Hydropower Projects in California (Power Magazine)
https://www.powermag.com/doe-group-awards-34-5-million-for-pge-hydropower-projects-in-california/
5.
Despite Decreasing Fossil Fuel Prices,
Hydropower Is Still Competitive, Report Finds (Hydro Review)
6.
Bonneville Power Administration Transmission to
Rebuild 75-Year-Old Transmission Line in Puget Sound Area (Bonneville Power
Administration)
7.
Decline In Natural Gas Price Drove Decrease in
U.S. Oil Producer Revenue in Early 2024 (U.S. Energy Information
Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=63204
8.
Canada: Power Projects – Indigenous Equity Ownership
Saw Momentum In 2024, But Still More Work To Do (Bloomberg News)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
9.
California: As Crews Chainsaw Joshua Trees, Mojave
Desert Community Protests Solar Energy Project (San Diego Union-Tribune, CA)
10.
WA State: Skagit County Pauses Proposed Energy
Storage Facility After Backlash (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
11.
Puget Sound Energy Announces Two Clean Energy
Projects in Washington (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
12.
WA State: Goose Prairie Solar Project Completion
Expected in Early October (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA – Paywall Advisory)
13.
Under a Texas Sun, Agrivoltaics Offer Farmers a New
Way to Make Money (Washington Post – Via MSN)
14.
Climate Solutions: Two Kinds of Ocean Energy
Inch Forward Off the Oregon Coast (Associated Press)
Conservation &
Efficiency
15.
Why Millions of Americans Give Up Control of Their
Thermostats (Washington Post – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-millions-americans-control-thermostats-153645139.html
Fish & Wildlife
16.
Pacific Lamprey Returns to the Columbia River Plummet,
But Northwest Tribes Are Working to Fix Those Runs (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
17.
Hope Slough Spill Kills Thousands of Salmon Near
Chilliwack, British Columbia (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/salmon-kill-spill-salmon-killed-1.7333157
18.
WDFW, Orgs Settle Columbia Hatchery Lawsuit
(Northwest Sportsman Magazine)
https://nwsportsmanmag.com/wdfw-orgs-settle-columbia-hatchery-lawsuit/
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
19.
22 States Want to Employ 1 Million People in Climate
Apprenticeships by 2035 (The Hill, Washington, DC)
Beam Me Up, Scotty - The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
20.
WA Gov. Inslee Says Opposition to Wind &
Solar Projects Could Slow Use of Artificial Intelligence (Washington State
Standard)
I Sing the Car Electric
21.
Thieves Hunting for Copper Are Vandalizing
American Electric Vehicle Chargers (Bloomberg News)
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
22.
Nonprofit News Orgs Aim to Fill the Void Left by
Oregon's Receding Print Publications (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
23.
A Decade-Old Wordless Song Shows How Music &
Social Media Are Shaping Each Other (National Public Radio)
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
24.
NASA Awards $1.5 Million at Watts on the Moon
Challenge Finale (Aerospace Manufacturing & Design Magazine)
25.
Gizmodo Science Fair: Beaming Solar Energy from
Space to Earth (Gizmodo)
https://gizmodo.com/science-fair-space-solar-power-1851355705
Management &
Governance
26.
Does Washington Need a Ban to Prevent Natural
Gas Bans? (Crosscut Seattle)
https://www.cascadepbs.org/politics/2024/09/does-washington-need-ban-prevent-natural-gas-bans
27.
Connecting to Purpose: Engaging Public Power
Employees (American Public Power Association)
https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/connecting-purpose-engaging-public-power-employees
Other Things to Know
About Today
28.
Blowing Dust Advisory Posted for Columbia Basin (KPQ
Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/blowing-dust-advisory-posted-for-columbia-basin/
Alligators in the Sewer – Diversions
‘Mini-Moon’ Will
Start Orbit of Earth Later This Week
https://www.kxan.com/news/science/mini-moon-will-start-orbit-of-earth-later-this-week/
Here Are the Eight
New Emojis Coming to Smartphones
https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/here-are-the-eight-new-emojis-coming-to-smartphones-1.7048261
A Rare Copy of the U.S.
Constitution Laid Forgotten Inside a Filing Cabinet. Now, It Could Sell for
Millions at Auction.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rare-copy-us-constitution-auction-north-carolina/
Frozen in Time: Hundreds
of Sonics Artifacts Preserved for Decades at Seattle Museum
Song of the Day
Heitos Pereira
& Pharrell Williams – The Moon (Despicable Me Soundtrack)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JU7dSIq8Lg
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.
