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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
A More Serious
Lowland Snow Threat for Later This Afternoon & Evening for Western
Washington (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2025/02/a-more-serious-lowland-snow-threat-for.html
WA State: Snohomish
PUD Customers to See Higher Electricity Bills as Rate Hikes Take Effect
(KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/snohomish-pud-rate-hikes
Washington Governor
Creates Data Center Workgroup to Explore Economy, Energy, Environment Impacts
(StateScoop)
https://statescoop.com/washington-bob-ferguson-data-center-workgroup-2025/
WA State: Community
Voices Concerns Over Whitman County Windmill Project (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)
$156 Million Solar
Power Grant for Washington in Limbo After Trump Order (Washington State
Standard)
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. WA
State: Snohomish PUD Customers to See Higher Electricity Bills as Rate Hikes
Take Effect
2. Avista
Proposing Idaho Rate Hikes
3. WA
State: Rising Costs Prompt Benton PUD to Implement 5% Rate Increase
4. Congress
Urged to Reform Tennessee Valley Authority to Improve Transparency,
Decision-Making
5. Neo-Nazi
Leader Found Guilty of Plotting Attack on Maryland Power Grid
6. NV
Energy Crews Work to Repair Substation After Copper Wire Theft Cause Outages
Near Las Vegas Strip
7. California
PUC Streamlines Transmission Permitting Process
8. How
President Trump’s Pro-Oil Moves Could Help Hydropower
9. WA
State: Community Voices Concerns Over Whitman County Windmill Project
10. $156
Million Solar Power Grant for Washington in Limbo After Trump Order
11. Indoor
Cannabis Farms in U.S. Use More Energy Than All Other Agriculture
12. American
Bald Eagles Are Having a Moment, Ecologically & Culturally
13. Dramatic
Drop in Monarch Butterfly Count Nears Record 30-Year Low
14. The
Water Unexpectedly Released from Dams on Trump’s Order Didn’t Help Farms or
L.A.
15. Taking
Gov. Tina Kotek’s Temperature on Oregon’s Climate Change Response
16. Washington
Governor Creates Data Center Workgroup to Explore Economy, Energy, Environment
Impacts
17. Proposed
Legislation Would Pull the Plug on Tesla’s Electric Vehicle Sales Advantage in
WA
18. WA
State: Bill Proposed by Kennewick Senator Encourages Local Energy Resilience
Investments
19. Trump
Tariffs Spark Fears of Supply Chain Chaos for Clean Energy
20. President
Trump Mulls Canceling Loans from $400 Billion Green Bank
21. U.S.
Senate Confirms Chris Wright to Serve as Secretary of Energy, Burgum as
Secretary of the Interior
22. A
More Serious Lowland Snow Threat for Later This Afternoon & Evening for
Western Washington
23. Guest
Essay: President Trump & I Helped End the Lava Ridge Wind Project. That’s
Just the Start
24. Washington’s
Energy & Environment
25.
Navigating the Impact of President Trump’s
Tariffs on Utility Supply Chains
Word of the Day
Zaftig /ZAFF-digg/ Adjective – Someone described as zaftig has a full, rounded figure or is pleasingly plump.
Zaftig - See the delightful Mae West. Enough said.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
WA State: Snohomish PUD Customers to See Higher Electricity
Bills as Rate Hikes Take Effect (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/snohomish-pud-rate-hikes
2.
Avista Proposing Idaho Rate Hikes (KREM-TV, Spokane,
WA)
3.
WA State: Rising Costs Prompt Benton PUD to Implement
5% Rate Increase (KAPP-TV, Yakima, WA)
4.
Congress Urged to Reform Tennessee Valley
Authority to Improve Transparency, Decision-Making (Kentucky Lantern)
5.
Neo-Nazi Leader Found Guilty of Plotting Attack on
Maryland Power Grid (CBS News)
https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/maryland-bge-neo-nazi-power-grid-guilty/
6.
NV Energy Crews Work to Repair Substation After
Copper Wire Theft Cause Outages Near Las Vegas Strip (KVVU-TV, Las Vegas, NV)
7.
California PUC Streamlines Transmission
Permitting Process (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/california-puc-transmission-permitting-process/739140/
8.
How President Trump’s Pro-Oil Moves Could Help
Hydropower (E&E News)
https://www.eenews.net/articles/how-trumps-pro-oil-moves-could-help-hydropower/
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
9.
WA State: Community Voices Concerns Over Whitman
County Windmill Project (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)
10.
$156 Million Solar Power Grant for Washington in
Limbo After Trump Order (Washington State Standard)
Conservation &
Efficiency
11.
Indoor Cannabis Farms in U.S. Use More Energy
Than All Other Agriculture (New Scientist)
Fish & Wildlife
12.
American Bald Eagles Are Having a Moment,
Ecologically & Culturally (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/03/american-bald-eagles-having-a-moment-ecologically-culturally/
13.
Dramatic Drop in Monarch Butterfly Count Nears Record
30-Year Low (Associated Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/dramatic-drop-in-monarch-butterfly-count-nears-20144843.php
Water, Water, Anywhere?
14.
The Water Unexpectedly Released from Dams on Trump’s
Order Didn’t Help Farms or L.A. (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/water-unexpectedly-released-dams-trumps-003834267.html
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
15.
Taking Gov. Tina Kotek’s Temperature on Oregon’s
Climate Change Response (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/04/oregon-governor-tina-kotek-climate-change-environment/
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
16.
Washington Governor Creates Data Center
Workgroup to Explore Economy, Energy, Environment Impacts (StateScoop)
https://statescoop.com/washington-bob-ferguson-data-center-workgroup-2025/
I Sing the Car Electric
17.
Proposed Legislation Would Pull the Plug on Tesla’s
Electric Vehicle Sales Advantage in WA (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_d5b3ce26-e343-11ef-a095-c38b117fec61.html?a
Politics, Governance,
and Management
18.
WA State: Bill Proposed by Kennewick Senator
Encourages Local Energy Resilience Investments (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)
19.
Trump Tariffs Spark Fears of Supply Chain Chaos for
Clean Energy (E&E News)
https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-tariffs-spark-fears-of-supply-chain-chaos-for-clean-energy/
20.
President Trump Mulls Canceling Loans from $400
Billion Green Bank (Bloomberg News – Via MSN)
21.
U.S. Senate Confirms Chris Wright to Serve as
Secretary of Energy, Burgum as Secretary of the Interior (American Public Power
Association)
Other Things to Know
About Today
22.
A More Serious Lowland Snow Threat for Later
This Afternoon & Evening for Western Washington (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2025/02/a-more-serious-lowland-snow-threat-for.html
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
23.
Guest Essay: President Trump & I Helped End the
Lava Ridge Wind Project. That’s Just the Start (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID – Via
Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/president-trump-helped-end-lava-110000416.html
24.
Washington’s Energy & Environment (Washington
Policy Center)
https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/washingtons-energy-and-environment
25.
Navigating the Impact of President Trump’s Tariffs
on Utility Supply Chains (Wood Mackenzie)
https://www.woodmac.com/news/opinion/the-impact-of-proposed-tariffs-on-utility-supply-chains/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Beloved Stolen
Donkeys Juan & Julio Found Alive in Fall City
This 300-Year-Old
Violin Could Become the Most Expensive Musical Instrument
Artificial Intelligence
& Scientists Unite to Decipher Old Scrolls Charred by the Vesuvius Volcano
Georgia City
Attempting to Break Kazoo Ensemble World Record
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/02/05/Macon-Cherry-Blossom-Festival-kazoo/2961738789481/
Song of the Day
Jascha Heifetz
Plays Bach - The Chaconne in D minor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhOaS_Cy8_8
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