Grid Growing Pains (Politico)

(WASHINGTON, DC) - - President Joe Biden is pushing for a net-zero emission power sector by 2035 and revamping the nation’s grid is a major priority for his massive infrastructure proposal. Greater connections across the country could help regions out of a pinch in disasters like this year’s Texas winter storm, as well as transmit renewable energy to consumers thousands of miles away.

But those build-outs are no easy lift. Prohibitive costs, notoriously long lead times and disparate priorities have hampered past efforts to upgrade networks. In other words, what developers call the "three P's": planning, permitting, and paying for it. And local communities aren’t always so keen on massive transmission projects passing through without any clear understanding of how it will benefit them.

Biden has a few tricks up his sleeve to push projects ahead, including a tax credit for transmission projects and an office at the Department of Energy dedicated to easing government approvals of new lines.

Portland General Electric's $10 Million Big-Rig Charging Plan Hits a Bump at the PUC (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Portland General Electric wants to spend up to $10 million in ratepayer money to help build charging stations for heavy-duty electric trucks. But after a regulatory misstep by PGE, the Public Utility Commission has hit pause to scrutinize the plan, which includes an announced project with Daimler Trucks North America.

The development doesn’t figure to derail PGE’s efforts to invest in big-rig charging, which in broad terms fit with state policy objectives. But it could influence the shape and timing of projects, although the “Electric Island” charging site with Daimler is expected to be energized as planned in April.

PGE (NYSE: POR) and the truck maker in December said they were working together on a first-of-its-kind public truck charging facility on Swan Island, where Daimler is developing plug-in big rigs.

The announcement caught the attention of staff at the PUC because PGE had not filed a required tariff, utility-speak for an explanation of the arrangement to deliver services to Daimler.

“In the case of Electric Island, PGE did not bring the Electric Island partnership to the Commission for public inspection,” PUC staff wrote in a report earlier this month. “This creates concerns about authority, unjust discrimination, and preferential treatment.”

PGE was notified of the issue in January. In February it formally fessed up to the mistake, saying it had “anticipated additional legislative and regulatory authority to engage in such projects, but that authority did not materialize within the expected timelines.”

At the same time, PGE filed a tariff that would give nonresidential customers opportunities to develop charging sites that support heavy-duty vehicle charging levels over 1 megawatt. The utility outlined a plan to invest $10 million in projects, and with Electric Island nearing completion, asked the commission for expedited action.

Truck electrification is a state priority, and commissioners, at a PUC meeting earlier this month, were sympathetic to PGE’s eagerness to move quickly to develop a program that “supports the development of optimal charging solutions and grid integration for such vehicles and infrastructure as we prepare for broad commercialization,” as the utility put it.

But commissioners agreed with staff that a closer look at PGE’s plan was warranted. In a March 12 order, the commission suspended the tariff indefinitely, although the Electric Island project will apparently move forward as scheduled, with rate recovery subject to review in the utility’s next general rate case.

“I just have a lot of questions about the structure of the tariff being a blanket ‘Let’s spend $10 million of ratepayer dollars’ and not have much clarity about what that’s going for, or why that amount of money is needed or exactly what benefits we’re going to get out of that,” Commissioner Mark Thompson said. “I have a lot of concerns.”

In the deal with Daimler, PGE spent $1.5 million in distribution system and “make-ready” improvements to allow for installation and operation of charging stations.

The utility’s plan, filed in February, outlined further investments along the lines of the Electric Island deal, limited to $5 million for each customer in the program.

In its filing, PGE said getting an early start in big-rig charging, with its potentially large power needs, would help it understand and cost-effectively mitigate grid impacts.

Similar to passenger EV growth, the company made the case that truck charging, if smartly handled, could produce new revenue to support the electric system, in turn reducing the cost burden for other ratepayers.

“PGE ... believes these early learnings will help accelerate the deployment of new transportation electrification technologies, bringing new load to our system,” the company said. “Projects may also generate other monetary benefits, including Clean Fuels Program credits and new retail electricity revenues.”

 

Op/Ed: NorthWestern Energy’s Leadership Banks on Dirty Energy & Montanans Footing the Bill (Helena Independent-Record, MT)

NorthWestern Energy often employs three to five times more lobbyists in Montana than South Dakota and Nebraska. Why hire so many insiders to court Montana lawmakers? Because most Montanans do not agree with NorthWestern Energy’s vision for our energy future.

A 2016 bipartisan study showed that 90% of Montanans support increases in solar energy and 86% support increases in wind. In 2019, when NorthWestern announced plans to build $1.3 billion in peaker gas plants, Montanans turned out in droves to raise objections because renewables are considerably cheaper (gas peaker plants cost $124-$162 per MWh, solar runs $29-$107 MWh, wind $23-$46 per MWh), and Montana’s solar and wind potential is vast, offering great potential benefit to rural communities with sustainable jobs, tax base increases and land leases.

Yet, despite overwhelming support for renewables here, NorthWestern’s leadership has continued to invest in dirty energy. The 2021 Montana legislative session is no different. Behold a few of the terrible bills that NorthWestern’s leadership has supported, or would benefit the company over ratepayers:

Senate Bill 379 would put Montana families on the hook for nearly $2 billion for Colstrip 4 costs and clean up. Outrageous.

SB 237 would eliminate NorthWestern Energy shareholders’ obligation to pay $2.5 million to low income and tribal energy efficiency programs. Truly shameful.

House Bill 475 would revise Montana's renewable energy standard to include old hydropower projects, rendering it useless.

HB 576 would repeal the standard altogether, also eliminating the Community Renewable Energy Program (CREP), and NorthWestern’s obligation to invest in CREPs or pay the $2.5 million to low income and tribal energy efficiency programs in the process.

SB 201 would make it easier for NorthWestern to avoid purchasing renewable electricity, especially from small producers, by preventing regulators from taking environmental considerations and the cost of future regulations into account when making decisions on approving new energy sources.

SB 257 could harm community-supported 100% clean electricity efforts in Missoula, Helena and Bozeman.

HB 481 attacks freedom of speech and the right to associate. Supposedly aimed at fossil fuel protests, this bill dramatically increases penalties for activity that is already illegal, and seems like an attempt at neutralizing our first amendment rights to protest peacefully at all. It could certainly put a deep chill over demonstrations by unionized employees, and even whole communities, that may protest when faced with job losses, stranded assets, or environmental impacts from industry practices.

What happens if the Montana Legislature passes these bills?

Montanans will lose protection against rate increases, and our rates will skyrocket as we are forced to pay for Colstrip costs (nearly $2 billion), and peaker gas plants ($1.3 billion). Montana’s doors will shut to the 21st century renewables rush, and we will have lost a huge economic opportunity for rural communities.

We must all speak out against these bills or our families will suffer enormous rate increases and be saddled with dirty energy for generations. We need an energy future we can afford.

Winona Bateman is the founder of Families for a Livable Climate.

 

Rural Residents Lacking Broadband Test Biden Plan for Expanded Service (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

Federal maps show R. Clay Jackson’s beef cattle farm in rural Madison County, Virginia, is awash in broadband – a designation that likely rules it out of President Joe Biden’s push to connect all Americans to fast internet service.

But “the assessment is incorrect,” Jackson, owner of Senterfitt Farms and chairman of the Madison County Board of Supervisors, said in an interview. Local broadband is, in fact, sparse. “It puts us at a massive disadvantage as it pertains to applying.”

The Biden administration’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan includes $100 billion to extend broadband networks to all U.S. households.

But officials relying on industry data produced inaccurate maps of internet deployment. As a result, the U.S. doesn’t know where to find everyone lacking service.

“What we do next has to be done right, otherwise we could be in a situation where those who are currently lacking service could, after more spending, continue to lack service,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., chair of the Commerce Committee, said at a March 17 hearing. “We can’t afford to invest this money, and then still have communities without access.”

The Federal Communications Commission has long overstated how many people have broadband, creating a disconnect between data and reality.

Now it’s a stumbling block for Biden’s effort to connect broadband have-nots – a cohort the White House puts at 30 million people, and others tally at 42 million or more.

“The biggest problem is false positives – places shown as having broadband when they don’t,” Michael Romano, senior vice president at NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, said in an interview. “That frustrates financing and subsidies to places in need” because subsidy programs rule out places listed as already having service.

Private investment has helped launch U.S. cities and wealthy suburbs into a Netflix-binging, telecommuting lifestyle.

Many rural areas with fewer potential customers have been left behind with poor connections, a shortcoming sharply felt as schools turned to online learning because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The problem spans rich farmland, remote mountainous tracts and isolated tribal lands – and perhaps most galling, areas just beyond suburbs that are but a short drive from modern networks.

Yet without accurate data and clear maps, officials are hard-pressed to discern precisely which areas are languishing.

“The best time to update our broadband maps would have been years ago. But the second-best time is right now,” FCC acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in an email. “It’s hard to manage a problem we can’t accurately measure.”

Rosenworcel, a Democrat selected by Biden in January, said the FCC would update maps “in an iterative way” to better target funding.

The FCC’s known that its maps were faulty for at least five years. Now, spurred by impatient lawmakers in Congress, it says it’s working at speed to develop a new, definitive catalogue of broadband service.

An internal task force is gathering precise data from providers, and the agency has asked for consumers to send emails describing their access to broadband.

Still, the effort may not produce maps until early 2022, according to testimony at the FCC’s February meeting.

Misleading maps and difficulties coordinating among subsidy programs have raised concerns among lawmakers.

They began considering broadband funding even before Biden’s announcement Wednesday of the broader infrastructure plan.

Some see another problem: Without sufficient data, federal funds may end up building networks in places that already have broadband suppliers.

Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Commerce panel, said updated maps are needed before more federal money is spent.

“The president’s broadband proposal opens the door for duplication and overbuilding,” he said in an email.

Cable providers worry public money will fund competitors.

“Too often Congress fails to erect guardrails to ensure public money is spent on communities that lack broadband,” Michael Powell, president of the Internet & Television Association, said in a blog post.

“The result is all too predictable; money finds its way to more lucrative, already served markets, shortchanging unserved areas.”

The FCC has relied on industry-reported data for its maps. Companies that provide fixed broadband service – service delivered to a residence over a line, rather than wirelessly – report which of the 11 million census blocks they serve.

If even one house is served, the entire block is considered to have broadband. Areas are considered served if companies say they could provide service within seven to 10 days.

“This analysis likely overstates the coverage experienced by some consumers,” the FCC said in releasing its most recent annual report assessing the extent of broadband deployment.

The FCC “has grossly overestimated the number of connected Americans because of faulty data gathering,” Christopher Ali, an associate professor in media studies at the University of Virginia, told lawmakers.

“We don’t know the exact number of un- and underconnected rural Americans.”

Only 63% of rural Americans report having a broadband connection, according to a 2019 study by the Pew Research Center, Ali said.

Their plight is a backhanded testament to more than a decade of U.S. federal intervention. From 2009 to 2017, the U.S. spent more than $47 billion on broadband subsidies, according to the Government Accountability Office.

Subsidy programs have continued apace since then. In addition, Congress in COVID relief measures and other bills has directed more than $22 billion to broadband consumer subsidies and infrastructure, according to a summary prepared by New Street Research.

The FCC in 2017 calculated it would cost $80 billion to connect all U.S. households with fast fiber connections. The amount needed now is probably more, Ali said.

The spending boost proposed by Biden “will do some incredible good if it’s spent wisely,” Ali said. “It may indeed be what we need to ensure everyone in the country has access to ‘future proof’ broadband networks.”

In rural Madison County, about 90 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., most of the 13,000 residents make do with spotty cell service or balky satellite-delivered internet, said Jackson, the farmer and county official.

Apart from about 200 people who live close to the main north-south highway, internet connectivity “is exceedingly poor with very, very limited options,” Jackson said. “We’re just left out here trying to figure out what to do.”

 

The Energy News Digest for March 31, 2021

The Energy News Digest is sponsored by the Northwest Public Power Association.

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

WA State: Horse Heaven Wind Farm’s Virtual Meeting Draws Hundreds (KVEW/KAPP-TV, Tri-Cities/Yakima, WA)

https://www.yaktrinews.com/minds-behind-horse-heaven-wind-farm-rescind-expedited-process-request-will-hold-public-hearing/

Pacific Gas & Electric Plan to Reserve Temporary Generators for Wildfire Season Has Groups Worried About Diesel Use (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pge-plan-to-reserve-temporary-generators-for-wildfire-season-has-groups-wo/597603/

Montana: Lewis & Clark Coal-Fired Power Plant Closing March 31 (Montana Free Press)

https://montanafreepress.org/2021/03/29/lewis-clark-power-plant-closing-march-31/

President Biden Floats Plan to Bring Broadband to All Americans (Gizmodo)

https://gizmodo.com/biden-floats-plan-to-bring-broadband-to-all-americans-1846589551

California: Decision on Controversial Wind-Energy Project in Shasta County Could Come Soon (Redding Record Searchlight, CA)

https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2021/03/29/controversial-fountain-wind-project-decision-shasta-county/7046164002/

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (See Stories Below)

1.      Pacific Gas & Electric Plan to Reserve Temporary Generators for Wildfire Season Has Groups Worried About Diesel Use

2.      Montana: Lewis & Clark Coal-Fired Power Plant Closing March 31

3.      Wyoming Lawmakers Move Ahead with Proposed Coal Lawsuit Fund

4.      Snake River Dams - Significant Hydro-Related Federal Legislation Pending

5.      Groups’ Reps Pen a Letter Against Breaching Federal Snake River Dams

6.      Utah Approves $500,000 for Navajo Community Electricity Project

7.      Millions at Risk as States Begin to Lift Power Shut-Off Bans

8.      Lawsuit Challenges Gloria’s ‘Invitation to Bid’ On San Diego Electric & Gas Franchise Agreements

9.      Op/Ed: Gary Ivory – Douglas County PUD Plan Will Serve Our Community for Generations to Come

10.   Women in Public Power Offer Insights on Pathways to Leadership Positions

11.   Preparing for a Resilient Columbia River Hydropower System

12.   WA State: Horse Heaven Wind Farm’s Virtual Meeting Draws Hundreds

13.   California: Decision on Controversial Wind-Energy Project in Shasta County Could Come Soon

14.   GOP Lawmakers Take Aim at Arizona Renewable Energy Standards

15.   Interest in Hydrogen Fuel Growing in the Pacific Northwest -- And Tax Dollars Following

16.   Portland, Maine Company Builds Second Underwater Power Generator at Brunswick Landing for Alaskan Village

17.   Op/Ed: Joy Ditto - Incentivize Public Power’s Clean Energy Future

18.   Biomass: The ‘Green Energy’ That Might Be Ruining the Planet

19.   Puget Sound Energy Begins Smart Street Light Installations to Help Customers Save Energy, Reduce Carbon

20.   Op/Ed: All-Electric Homes Too Pricey for Low-Income Buyers

21.   Op/Ed: Studies Shed Light on Why Dams Matter to Salmon & Orcas

22.   Op/Ed: The Struggle to Share a Shrinking Resource — Northwest Salmon

23.   Editorial: Washington State’s Culvert Challenge Deserves Federal Funding

24.   Young Steelhead Begin Journey to Pacific as Part of Idaho Power’s Annual Fish-Hauling Operation

25.   U.S. Officials OK Plan to Send Radioactive Waste to Idaho

26.   Hazardous Waste Landfill in Oregon Plans Expansion

27.   Oregon: The Battle to Protect One of America’s Last Wild Landscapes

28.   Washington State Senator’s Cap-&-Trade Claim Mystifies Farm Groups

29.   What Idaho Researchers Are Learning About Climate Change from a Glacier

30.   President Biden Floats Plan to Bring Broadband to All Americans

31.   Oregon: Blue River Will Get Better Broadband, Thanks to Grant

32.   AT&T Says 10 Mbps Upload Speed is Enough for Nationwide Broadband: Lawyer Accuses Company of Overcharging

33.   T-Mobile Takes a Stab at 5G Home Broadband

34.   Volkswagen Admits Marketing Prank, Pulls Fake Release on Name Change

35.   Op/Ed: Mass Media Is Having a Very Bad Moment

36.   The Dalles Lock Set to Reopen After Emergency Repairs

37.   President Biden Calls for Massive Climate & Transit Package

WORD OF THE DAY

Foist /FOYST/ Verb - 1a: to introduce or insert surreptitiously or without warrant b: to force another to accept especially by stealth or deceit 2: to pass off as genuine or worthy.

Haha, just fooling.

Volkswagen foists false story.

And, gets burned by it.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.      Pacific Gas & Electric Plan to Reserve Temporary Generators for Wildfire Season Has Groups Worried About Diesel Use (Utility Dive)

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pge-plan-to-reserve-temporary-generators-for-wildfire-season-has-groups-wo/597603/

2.      Montana: Lewis & Clark Coal-Fired Power Plant Closing March 31 (Montana Free Press)

https://montanafreepress.org/2021/03/29/lewis-clark-power-plant-closing-march-31/

3.      Wyoming Lawmakers Move Ahead with Proposed Coal Lawsuit Fund (Associated Press)

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/wyoming/articles/2021-03-30/wyoming-lawmakers-move-ahead-with-proposed-coal-lawsuit-fund

4.      Snake River Dams - Significant Hydro-Related Federal Legislation Pending (Lexology)

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=acb2fedd-5a40-46bb-b666-f1b1dfb86d93

5.      Groups’ Reps Pen a Letter Against Breaching Federal Snake River Dams (Lewiston Tribune, ID)

https://lmtribune.com/northwest/groups-reps-pen-a-letter-against-breaching/article_f2214160-6f28-59a2-b3f1-8e5f4537498a.html

6.      Utah Approves $500,000 for Navajo Community Electricity Project (KSL-TV, Salt Lake City, UT)

https://ksltv.com/458642/utah-approves-500k-for-navajo-community-electricity-project/

7.      Millions at Risk as States Begin to Lift Power Shut-Off Bans (National Public Radio)

https://www.npr.org/2021/03/27/981875140/millions-at-risk-as-states-begin-to-lift-power-shut-off-bans

8.      Lawsuit Challenges Gloria’s ‘Invitation to Bid’ On San Diego Electric & Gas Franchise Agreements (San Diego Union-Tribune, CA)

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/story/2021-03-29/lawsuit-itb

9.      Op/Ed: Gary Ivory – Douglas County PUD Plan Will Serve Our Community for Generations to Come (Wenatchee World, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/opinion/opinion-gary-ivory-douglas-county-pud-plan-will-serve-our-community-for-generations-to-come/article_705a2b16-90f8-11eb-bbd9-b327dadbb974.html

10.   Women in Public Power Offer Insights on Pathways to Leadership Positions (American Public Power Association)

https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/women-public-power-offer-insights-pathways-leadership-positions

11.   Preparing for a Resilient Columbia River Hydropower System (Bonneville Power Administration – PDF)

https://www.bpa.gov/news/pubs/FactSheets/fs-202102-Preparing-for-a-resilient-Columbia-River-hydropower-system.pdf

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

12.   WA State: Horse Heaven Wind Farm’s Virtual Meeting Draws Hundreds (KVEW/KAPP-TV, Tri-Cities/Yakima, WA)

https://www.yaktrinews.com/minds-behind-horse-heaven-wind-farm-rescind-expedited-process-request-will-hold-public-hearing/

13.   California: Decision on Controversial Wind-Energy Project in Shasta County Could Come Soon (Redding Record Searchlight, CA)

https://www.redding.com/story/news/local/2021/03/29/controversial-fountain-wind-project-decision-shasta-county/7046164002/

14.   GOP Lawmakers Take Aim at Arizona Renewable Energy Standards (Associated Press)

https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2021-03-30/gop-lawmakers-take-aim-at-arizona-renewable-energy-standards

15.   Interest in Hydrogen Fuel Growing in the Pacific Northwest -- And Tax Dollars Following (Northwest Public Broadcasting)

https://www.nwnewsnetwork.org/post/interest-hydrogen-fuel-growing-pacific-northwest-and-tax-dollars-following

16.   Portland, Maine Company Builds Second Underwater Power Generator at Brunswick Landing for Alaskan Village (Portland Press-Herald, ME)

https://www.pressherald.com/2021/03/29/portland-company-builds-second-underwater-power-generator-at-brunswick-landing-for-alaskan-village/

17.   Op/Ed: Joy Ditto - Incentivize Public Power’s Clean Energy Future (The Hill, Washington, DC)

https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/545686-incentivize-public-powers-clean-energy-future?rl=1

18.   Biomass: The ‘Green Energy’ That Might Be Ruining the Planet (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/03/26/biomass-carbon-climate-politics-477620

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

19.   Puget Sound Energy Begins Smart Street Light Installations to Help Customers Save Energy, Reduce Carbon (Whatcom Talk, Bellingham, WA)

https://www.whatcomtalk.com/2021/03/31/pse-begins-smart-street-light-installations-to-help-customers-save-energy-reduce-carbon/

20.   Op/Ed: All-Electric Homes Too Pricey for Low-Income Buyers (Colorado Politics)

https://www.coloradopolitics.com/opinion/all-electric-homes-too-pricey-for-low-income-buyers/article_29c63b58-8d34-11eb-8e53-3becc7859c4c.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

21.   Op/Ed: Studies Shed Light on Why Dams Matter to Salmon & Orcas (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/opinion/columnists/2021/03/30/your-turn-what-dams-mean-salmon-orcas/4810417001/

22.   Op/Ed: The Struggle to Share a Shrinking Resource — Northwest Salmon (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/the-struggle-to-share-a-shrinking-resource-northwest-salmon/

23.   Editorial: Washington State’s Culvert Challenge Deserves Federal Funding (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/washingtons-culvert-challenge-deserves-federal-funding/

24.   Young Steelhead Begin Journey to Pacific as Part of Idaho Power’s Annual Fish-Hauling Operation (Big Country News, Clarkston, WA)

https://www.bigcountrynewsconnection.com/idaho/young-steelhead-begin-journey-to-pacific-as-part-of-idaho-powers-annual-fish-hauling-operation/article_1bc6a398-919a-11eb-abbf-8b9796e56ce7.html

ENVIRONMENTAL AFFLATUS – CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE

25.   U.S. Officials OK Plan to Send Radioactive Waste to Idaho (KTVB-TV, Boise, ID)

https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/national/us-officials-ok-plan-to-send-radioactive-waste-to-idaho/277-b1c7f9d7-007a-433a-8d25-fe70429b81ec

26.   Hazardous Waste Landfill in Oregon Plans Expansion (Associated Press)

https://apnews.com/article/chemical-waste-waste-management-hazardous-waste-oregon-8aef2824fa4504b887550043c49d74e4

27.   Oregon: The Battle to Protect One of America’s Last Wild Landscapes (Huffington Post)

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/owyhee-canyonlands-sagebrush-climate-change_n_605de458c5b66d30c743e3e5

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

28.   Washington State Senator’s Cap-&-Trade Claim Mystifies Farm Groups (Capital Press)

https://www.capitalpress.com/state/washington/washington-senators-cap-and-trade-claim-mystifies-farm-groups/article_b40db8d4-90b5-11eb-ab02-e37ab2bc67ad.html

29.   What Idaho Researchers Are Learning About Climate Change from a Glacier (Boise Public Radio, ID)

https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/post/what-idaho-researchers-are-learning-about-climate-change-glacier#stream/0

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

30.   President Biden Floats Plan to Bring Broadband to All Americans (Gizmodo)

https://gizmodo.com/biden-floats-plan-to-bring-broadband-to-all-americans-1846589551

31.   Oregon: Blue River Will Get Better Broadband, Thanks to Grant (KLCC Radio, Eugene, OR)

https://www.klcc.org/post/blue-river-will-get-better-broadband-thanks-grant

32.   AT&T Says 10 Mbps Upload Speed is Enough for Nationwide Broadband: Lawyer Accuses Company of Overcharging (TechTimes)

https://www.techtimes.com/articles/258592/20210331/at-t-internet-deals-10-mbps-upload-speed-enough-nationwide-broadband-lawyer-overcharging.htm

33.   T-Mobile Takes a Stab at 5G Home Broadband (Bloomberg News)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-31/t-mobile-takes-a-stab-at-5g-home-broadband-where-others-failed

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

34.   Volkswagen Admits Marketing Prank, Pulls Fake Release on Name Change (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-usa-name/volkswagen-admits-marketing-prank-pulls-fake-release-on-name-change-idUSKBN2BM1O3

35.   Op/Ed: Mass Media Is Having a Very Bad Moment (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/mass-media-is-having-a-very-bad-moment/

BUSINESS, GOVERNANCE, & MANAGEMENT

36.   The Dalles Lock Set to Reopen After Emergency Repairs (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

https://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/Media/News-Releases/Article/2553911/the-dalles-lock-set-to-open-after-emergency-repairs/

37.   President Biden Calls for Massive Climate & Transit Package (Axios)

https://www.axios.com/biden-climate-transit-package-d9c8ffad-4486-4e61-a7bb-3d421fa0546d.html

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Doc Severinsen, Oregon Native & Longtime ‘Tonight Show’ Bandleader, Is Profiled in a PBS Special

https://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/2021/03/doc-severinsen-oregon-native-and-longtime-tonight-show-bandleader-is-profiled-in-a-pbs-special.html

Stranger Lived Undetected in Couple’s Basement, Stealing Their Food, Washington Cops Say

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/state/washington/article250325746.html?ac_cid=DM417821&ac_bid=-80541498

NCAA Kicks Beavers Out of Hotel in the Middle of the Night After Elite 8 Loss

https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/oregon-state-beavers/ncaa-kicks-oregon-state-beavers-out-hotel-middle-night-after-elite-8

Hickory the Mule Is Back Home After Leading Hikers to Injured Owner, Then Disappearing into Forest

https://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/2021/03/hickory-the-mule-is-back-home-after-leading-hikers-to-injured-owner-then-disappearing-into-forest.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Doc Severinsen – McArthur Park

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF8scBG0iJs

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

Links in The Energy News Digest lead to current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links. Media attribution includes information about possible paywall restrictions.