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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Trump Admin Spikes
Update to Snake River Dam Study (Lewiston Morning Tribune, ID – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.lmtribune.com/local-news/trump-admin-spikes-update-to-dam-study-19859501
Feds Speed Up
Review for Natrium Nuclear Power Plant in Wyoming (Wyofile)
https://wyofile.com/feds-speed-up-review-for-natrium-nuclear-power-plant-in-wyoming/
Oregon Wave Energy
Startup Shutting Down After Losing Federal Funds (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Internet Companies
Will Have to Apply Again for $675 Million in Federal Broadband Money (Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/internet-companies-apply-again-675-140200521.html
Death Toll from
Texas Flash Floods Rises to at Least 95, Officials Say (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/least-13-fatalities-reported-texas-210230248.html
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Trump
Admin Spikes Update to Snake River Dam Study
2. Agencies
Cancel Re-Do of Columbia River System Environmental Impact Statement
3. Notice
of Intent to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for
the Columbia River System Operations
4. Feds
Speed Up Review for Natrium Nuclear Power Plant in Wyoming
5. Montana:
Power Rates Go Up, But Not as Much
6. WA
State: Lewis County PUD Charts a Path Forward as Major Bonneville Power
Administration Contract Decision Looms
7. California
Budget Leaves Grid Reliability Programs in Limbo, Advocates Say
8. Hydropower
Saps Flows from the Mighty Kern River. Rafters Want Their Whitewater Back.
9. Georgia:
Man Shocked Trying to Steal Copper from Live Electrical Box, Dunwoody Police
Say
10. Ethiopia’s
Mega Dam on the Nile River ‘Now Complete’: PM
11. What
Canada Can Learn from Co-op Power in the Rural United States
12. Oregon
Wave Energy Startup Shutting Down After Losing Federal Funds
13. WA
State: Moses Lake Facility Among Those Affected by Group14 Layoffs
14. Underwater
Turbine Spinning for Six Years Off Scotland’s Coast Is a Breakthrough for Tidal
Energy
15. Future
of Hood Canal Bridge Under Review as Salmon Concerns Grow
16. USDA
to Scale Back NEPA’s Role in Agency Actions
17. WA
Forest Health Survey Finds 545,000 Acres of Stressed or Dead Trees
18. Latest
Water Report Not Good for Eastern WA Irrigators, Residents
19. Aging
Wapato Dam Critical to Yakama Nation Is Due for Upgrades
20. Internet
Companies Will Have to Apply Again for $675 Million in Federal Broadband Money
21. Washington
Ranked #1 for Broadband Spending in the U.S.
22. Idaho
Ranks Dead Last in Internet Speeds. Change Is Afoot, But Will It Help?
23. What
to Know About Buying Electric Vehicles After the Federal Tax Incentives End
24. Death
Toll from Texas Flash Floods Rises to at Least 95, Officials Say
25. WA’s
Drought Deepens & the Summer Forecast Offers No Respite
26. As
Oregon’s Wildfire Risk Map Dies, Washington Creates Its Own
27. Oregon:
Copper-Wire Thieves Are Knocking Out Streetlights Across Portland, Leaving
Highways – And Police – In the Dark
28. After
Six Years, 32,000 Boulders & $172 Million, The Columbia River Jetty Rehab
Is Almost Done
29. Mississippi
River Shippers Get Weeklong Tour of Columbia River Shipping System
30. Editorial:
Why Is Your California Electricity Bill So High? It May Be Your Neighbor
31. Guest
Essay: High-Speed Internet Is No Longer a Luxury. Too Many Americans Still
Don’t Have It
32.
Guest Essay: Faith And Values – ‘Duty to Speak
the Truth for the Salmon’: Fed Ignores Alternatives to Generate Electricity
That Would Help Columbia Basin Salmon Runs
Word of the Day
Cloying \KLOY-ing \ Adjective – Disgusting or distasteful by reason of excess; also: excessively sweet or sentimental.
“Oh, Archie,” purred Edith to her temperamental husband. Her cloying efforts to calm him only fueled his outrage, leading to another politically incorrect episode of “All in the Family.”
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Trump Admin Spikes Update to Snake River Dam
Study (Lewiston Morning Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.lmtribune.com/local-news/trump-admin-spikes-update-to-dam-study-19859501
2.
Agencies Cancel Re-Do of Columbia River System
Environmental Impact Statement (Capital Press - Paywall Advisory)
3.
Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the Columbia River System Operations
(The Federal Register – Links to PDF File)
https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-12604.pdf
4.
Feds Speed Up Review for Natrium Nuclear Power
Plant in Wyoming (Wyofile)
https://wyofile.com/feds-speed-up-review-for-natrium-nuclear-power-plant-in-wyoming/
5.
Montana: Power Rates Go Up, But Not as Much (KGVO
Radio, Missoula, MT)
https://newstalkkgvo.com/northwestern-energy-rate-increase-2/
6.
WA State: Lewis County PUD Charts a Path Forward
as Major Bonneville Power Administration Contract Decision Looms (The
Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
7.
California Budget Leaves Grid Reliability
Programs in Limbo, Advocates Say (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/california-budget-grid-reliability-program-dsgs/752237/
8.
Hydropower Saps Flows from the Mighty Kern River.
Rafters Want Their Whitewater Back. (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/hydropower-saps-flows-mighty-kern-100000827.html
9.
Georgia: Man Shocked Trying to Steal Copper from
Live Electrical Box, Dunwoody Police Say (WSB-TV, Atlanta, Georgia)
10.
Ethiopia’s Mega Dam on the Nile River ‘Now
Complete’: PM (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ethiopias-mega-dam-nile-now-102605296.html
11.
What Canada Can Learn from Co-op Power in the Rural
United States (Corporate Insights)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
12.
Oregon Wave Energy Startup Shutting Down After
Losing Federal Funds (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
13.
WA State: Moses Lake Facility Among Those
Affected by Group14 Layoffs (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
14.
Underwater Turbine Spinning for Six Years Off Scotland’s
Coast Is a Breakthrough for Tidal Energy (ABC News)
Fish & Wildlife
15.
Future of Hood Canal Bridge Under Review as
Salmon Concerns Grow (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
Environmental Afflatus –
Clean Up on Aisle Three
16.
USDA to Scale Back NEPA’s Role in Agency Actions
(KFGO Radio, Fargo, ND)
https://kfgo.com/2025/07/07/usda-to-scale-back-nepas-role-in-agency-actions/
17.
WA Forest Health Survey Finds 545,000 Acres of Stressed
or Dead Trees (Washington State Standard)
Water, Water, Anywhere?
18.
Latest Water Report Not Good for Eastern WA
Irrigators, Residents (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/ixp/136/p/irrigation-water-report-not-good/
19.
Aging Wapato Dam Critical to Yakama Nation Is
Due for Upgrades (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA – Paywall Advisory)
London Calling
–Telecommunications
20.
Internet Companies Will Have to Apply Again for $675
Million in Federal Broadband Money (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/internet-companies-apply-again-675-140200521.html
21.
Washington Ranked #1 for Broadband Spending in
the U.S. (KONA Radio, Pasco, WA)
https://610kona.com/ixp/137/p/washington-wifi-spending-2025/
22.
Idaho Ranks Dead Last in Internet Speeds. Change
Is Afoot, But Will It Help? (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/business/article309339240.html
I Sing the Car Electric
23.
What to Know About Buying Electric Vehicles
After the Federal Tax Incentives End (Associated Press)
Other Things to Know
About Today
24.
Death Toll from Texas Flash Floods Rises to at Least
95, Officials Say (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/least-13-fatalities-reported-texas-210230248.html
25.
WA’s Drought Deepens & the Summer Forecast
Offers No Respite (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
26.
As Oregon’s Wildfire Risk Map Dies, Washington Creates
Its Own (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/07/washington-state-wildfire-risk-map/
27.
Oregon: Copper-Wire Thieves Are Knocking Out
Streetlights Across Portland, Leaving Highways – And Police – In the Dark (The
Oregonian, Portland, OR)
28.
After Six Years, 32,000 Boulders & $172 Million,
The Columbia River Jetty Rehab Is Almost Done (Washington State Standard)
29.
Mississippi River Shippers Get Weeklong Tour of Columbia
River Shipping System (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
30.
Editorial: Why Is Your California Electricity
Bill So High? It May Be Your Neighbor (Sacramento Bee, CA – Via MSN News)
31.
Guest Essay: High-Speed Internet Is No Longer a Luxury.
Too Many Americans Still Don’t Have It (Tacoma News-Tribune, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/article309968770.html
32.
Guest Essay: Faith And Values – ‘Duty to Speak the
Truth for the Salmon’: Fed Ignores Alternatives to Generate Electricity That
Would Help Columbia Basin Salmon Runs (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jul/07/faith-and-values-duty-to-speak-the-truth-for-the-s/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Newly Spotted Comet
Is Third Interstellar Object Seen in Our Solar System
So, a Salmon Fell from
the Sky Before the Mariners’ 4th of July Game
Fortune Cookie
Numbers Earn Kentucky Woman a $50,000 Lottery Prize
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/07/02/lotto-Kentucky-Lottery-fortune-cookie/4171751486889/
Crash Covers Pennsylvania
Interstate in Boxes of Mozzarella Cheese
Song of the Day
Glenn Miller -
Three Little Fishes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFMSzRlBJ9g
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
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files may help you access some paywall sites.
