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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Gusty Winds &
Dry Lightning Heighten Fire Threat in Central & Eastern Washington (KOMO
News, Seattle, WA)
NOAA Fisheries
Weighing Endangered Species Protection for Chinook Salmon (Saving Seafood)
Killer Heat &
No Help: Loss of Federal Aid for Utility Bills Could Prove Deadly (Palm Springs
Desert Sun, CA)
Smaller Nuclear
Reactors Spark Renewed Interest in a Once-Shunned Energy Source (States
Newsroom)
In a Big Bill That
Hurts Clean Energy, Residential Solar Likely to Get Hit Fast (Associated Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/in-a-big-bill-that-hurts-clean-energy-20416533.php
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Killer
Heat & No Help: Loss of Federal Aid for Utility Bills Could Prove Deadly
2. Smaller
Nuclear Reactors Spark Renewed Interest in a Once-Shunned Energy Source
3. World’s
First Nuclear Microreactor Test Bed Launches at Idaho National Laboratory
4. President
Trump Nominates Four to Tennessee Valley Authority Board After Firing Biden
Picks
5. Southwest
Power Pool’s Markets+ Phase Two Development Begins with Secured Financing
6. Fire
That Shut Heathrow Was Caused by a Preventable Technical Fault Known for Years,
Report Finds
7. How
Has U.S. Energy Use Changed Since 1776?
8. In
a Big Bill That Hurts Clean Energy, Residential Solar Likely to Get Hit Fast
9. Goldendale
Microgrid Project Loses FEMA Grant Funding
10. Eastern
Oregon Gets New Rules for Siting Solar Developments
11. In
Georgia, Sheep on a Solar Farm Is Not a Baaad Idea
12. NOAA
Fisheries Weighing Endangered Species Protection for Chinook Salmon
13. The State
of Oregon Releases Draft Management Plan for Southern Resident Orcas
14. Puget
Sound Energy-Led Partnership Powers Historic Salmon Comeback in Washington’s
Baker River
15. East Fork
Lewis River Project Aims to Restore Salmon Habitat Spoiled by Ridgefield Gravel
Mine
16. Montana
Libraries Lose Wi-Fi Hotspots Access Due to Funding Losses
17. Joseph
Williams Selected as Interim Director of the Washington State Broadband Office
18. Community
Hospital Association Applauds Supreme Court Decision Upholding Universal
Service Fund, Ensuring Vital Broadband Access for Rural Healthcare
19. U.S.
Senate Strikes Artificial Intelligence Regulatory Ban from GOP Bill After
Uproar from the States
20. Poll:
American Voters Don't Want Data Centers Built in Their Communities
21. No,
Artificial Intelligence Isn't Having 'Hallucinations.’ Turns Out, It's Worse
Than That
22. Tesla
Sales Plunge Again as Anti-Musk Boycott Shows Staying Power – Rivals Pounce on
the Weakness
23. Washington
State to Buy New Hybrid Electric Ferries from Florida Shipyard
24. Artificial
Intelligence Notetakers Are Changing Meetings, But Not Everyone Is on Board
25. The US
Plans to Begin Breeding Billions of Flies to Fight a Pest. Here Is How It Will
Work
26. Republicans
Tee Up U.S. House Vote on Trump Bill, Outcome Uncertain
27. What’s in
the Latest Version of Trump’s Big Bill That Passed the U.S. Senate
28. Gusty
Winds & Dry Lightning Heighten Fire Threat in Central & Eastern
Washington
29. Burn Bans
in Effect Across Oregon During Dry Conditions, High Temperatures
30. Warming
& Then Much Cooler for July 4
31. Bryan
Kohberger Pleads Guilty to Killing Four University of Idaho Students
32. Microsoft
to Lay Off 9,000 Employees
33. Guest
Essay: Energy Secretary Wright ‘Passionately’ Ignorant About Pacific Northwest
Hydropower
34. Guest
Essay: Spokane River Flows Are Falling Fast & Native Fish Are Paying the
Price
Word of the Day -The Horrible Haiku Edition
Galumph /gull-LUMF/ Verb - To move in a loud and clumsy way.
Dancing the foxtrot
Elephants
in the attic
High-end galumphing
https://joelshorriblehaiku.blogspot.com/
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Killer Heat & No Help: Loss of Federal Aid for
Utility Bills Could Prove Deadly (Palm Springs Desert Sun, CA)
2.
Smaller Nuclear Reactors Spark Renewed Interest in
a Once-Shunned Energy Source (States Newsroom)
3.
World’s First Nuclear Microreactor Test Bed
Launches at Idaho National Laboratory (Interesting Engineering)
https://interestingengineering.com/energy/dome-microreactor-testing-westinghouse-radiant
4.
President Trump Nominates Four to Tennessee
Valley Authority Board After Firing Biden Picks (Associated Press)
5.
Southwest Power Pool’s Markets+ Phase Two
Development Begins with Secured Financing (American Public Power Association)
6.
Fire That Shut Heathrow Was Caused by a Preventable
Technical Fault Known for Years, Report Finds (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA)
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/world/article/fire-that-shut-heathrow-was-caused-by-a-20411374.php
7.
How Has U.S. Energy Use Changed Since 1776? (U.S.
Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65644
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
8.
In a Big Bill That Hurts Clean Energy,
Residential Solar Likely to Get Hit Fast (Associated Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/in-a-big-bill-that-hurts-clean-energy-20416533.php
9.
Goldendale Microgrid Project Loses FEMA Grant
Funding (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
https://www.nwpb.org/2025/07/01/goldendale-microgrid-project-loses-fema-grant-funding/
10.
Eastern Oregon Gets New Rules for Siting Solar
Developments (East Oregonian, Pendleton, OR)
11.
In Georgia, Sheep on a Solar Farm Is Not a Baaad
Idea (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/food-and-agriculture/in-georgia-sheep-on-a-solar-farm-is-not-a-baaad-idea/
Fish & Wildlife
12.
NOAA Fisheries Weighing Endangered Species Protection
for Chinook Salmon (Saving Seafood)
13.
The State of Oregon Releases Draft Management
Plan for Southern Resident Orcas (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/01/southern-resident-orca-oregon/
14.
Puget Sound Energy-Led Partnership Powers
Historic Salmon Comeback in Washington’s Baker River (Daily Energy Insider)
15.
East Fork Lewis River Project Aims to Restore
Salmon Habitat Spoiled by Ridgefield Gravel Mine (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
London Calling
–Telecommunications
16.
Montana Libraries Lose Wi-Fi Hotspots Access Due
to Funding Losses (KFBB-TV, Great Falls, MT)
17.
Joseph Williams Selected as Interim Director of
the Washington State Broadband Office (Washington State Department of Commerce)
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WADOC/bulletins/3e77391
18.
Community Hospital Association Applauds Supreme
Court Decision Upholding Universal Service Fund, Ensuring Vital Broadband
Access for Rural Healthcare (West Virginia News)
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
19.
U.S. Senate Strikes Artificial Intelligence Regulatory
Ban from GOP Bill After Uproar from the States (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/congress-ai-provision-moratorium-states-20beeeb6967057be5fe64678f72f6ab0
20.
Poll: American Voters Don't Want Data Centers
Built in Their Communities (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/issues/energy/article_d5b56472-f767-4dbe-93ac-69ca663fa0c9.html
21.
No, Artificial Intelligence Isn't Having 'Hallucinations.’
Turns Out, It's Worse Than That (Huffington Post)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ai-hallucinations-whats-really-happening_l_68556bd5e4b0278e54ed3d14
I Sing the Car Electric
22.
Tesla Sales Plunge Again as Anti-Musk Boycott
Shows Staying Power – Rivals Pounce on the Weakness (Associated Press)
23.
Washington State to Buy New Hybrid Electric
Ferries from Florida Shipyard (Washington State Standard)
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
24.
Artificial Intelligence Notetakers Are Changing
Meetings, But Not Everyone Is on Board (TechSpot)
https://www.techspot.com/news/106785-ai-notetakers-changing-meetings-but-not-everyone-board.html
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
25.
The US Plans to Begin Breeding Billions of Flies
to Fight a Pest. Here Is How It Will Work (Associated Press)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-plans-begin-breeding-billions-035153855.html
Politics, Governance,
and Management
26.
Republicans Tee Up U.S. House Vote on Trump Bill,
Outcome Uncertain (Reuters)
27.
What’s in the Latest Version of Trump’s Big Bill
That Passed the U.S. Senate (Associated Press)
Other Things to Know
About Today
28.
Gusty Winds & Dry Lightning Heighten Fire
Threat in Central & Eastern Washington (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
29.
Burn Bans in Effect Across Oregon During Dry
Conditions, High Temperatures (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/01/burn-bans-oregon-dry-conditions-high-temperatures/
30.
Warming & Then Much Cooler for July 4 (Cliff
Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2025/06/warming-and-then-much-cooler-for-july-4.html
31.
Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty to Killing Four University
of Idaho Students (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/live/brian-kohberger-idaho-killings-updates
32.
Microsoft to Lay Off 9,000 Employees (KIRO
Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/microsoft-lay-off-9000-employees/MIDQH3JCCRDUBGW2ITWMPKHITE/
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
33.
Guest Essay: Energy Secretary Wright ‘Passionately’
Ignorant About Pacific Northwest Hydropower (The Hill, Washington, DC)
34.
Guest Essay: Spokane River Flows Are Falling
Fast & Native Fish Are Paying the Price (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jul/02/katelyn-scott-river-flows-are-falling-fast-and-nat/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
The T-Rex World
Championship Races Were Quite Ferocious This Year
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/photos-t-rex-world-championship-200201536.html
21-Year-Old Rows
Across Atlantic Ocean, Earning Three World Records
Music History Is
Littered with Projects Planned, Anticipated, Even Completed – Then Scrapped
https://apnews.com/article/lost-albums-music-bruce-springsteen-27529fc84fcfddbb2f3c392984c06ef2
Artificial
Intelligence-Powered Robots Face Off in China Soccer Tournament
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/07/02/ROBO-League-soccer-robots/3821751468167/
Song of the Day
Was Not Was - Walk the
Dinosaur
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONzTeznN4Xc&list=RDONzTeznN4Xc&start_radio=1
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Links in The Energy News Digest are for current stories. Media organizations frequently update their websites, which can result in broken links.
Although I choose
stories that are accessible without paying a subscription, individual
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