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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
NWPPA Announces Three Back-to-Back Conferences in January 2026
Kick off 2026 with three powerhouse events in one week! NWPPA is bringing together Wildfires: What Utilities Need to Know (Jan. 27), a new Data Center and Load Growth Summit (Jan. 28), and the Power Supply Conference (Jan. 29)—all at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel.
By stacking these events back-to-back, NWPPA is making it easier and more affordable for members to attend. Register for two of the events and receive 10% off or attend all three and save 20%.
The week will also feature two evening networking receptions, plus lunch included at each event. And for those who want to start early, the Environmental Task Force will meet Jan. 26.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
As the Pacific NW
Faces Rolling Blackouts, Study Says Renewable Energy May Not Be Enough (Oregon
Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/30/renewable-energy-oregon-washington-power-electrical-grid/
Edison Increases
Compensation for Eaton Fire Victims, But Some Say It's Not Enough (Los Angeles
Times, CA – Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/edison-increases-compensation-eaton-fire-221839812.html
After 50 Years of
Struggles to Save Spotted Owl, FWS Plan Is to Kill 500K Barred Owls (The Center
Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_913965ad-4b52-4bf5-aaa3-2240de608cc5.html
New Jersey & Virginia's
Races Will Be Powered by the Soaring Cost of Electricity (National Public
Radio)
Train of Storms to
Drench the West This Week (AccuWeather – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/train-storms-drench-west-week-160212804.html
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. As
the Pacific NW Faces Rolling Blackouts, Study Says Renewable Energy May Not Be
Enough
2. Edison
Increases Compensation for Eaton Fire Victims, But Some Say It's Not Enough
3. For
Rural Californians, Unreliable Power Has Become the Norm
4. Colorado
Springs Utilities 2026 Plan Adds Requirements for Large Load Power Users
5. Demand
& Response: How Utilities Are Answering the Call for Large-Load Power
Supply
6. Retail
Electricity Price & Cost Trends: 2024 Update
7. Video:
Explosive Device Used to Detonate Overwater Power Line on British Columbia's
Sunshine Coast
8. WA
State: Snohomish PUD Warns That Scammers Are Targeting Their Customers
9. The
Philippines: My Mother, Her Sewing Machine and the Transformative Power of
Electricity
10. Wyoming:
After Two Years Sitting Idle Outside Casper, Wind Farm to Come Down
11. Sacramento
Solar Site Claimed as ‘Bare Ground,’ Yet Thousands of Trees at Risk
12. Solar
Power Advocates Appeal Idaho Power’s Decreased Reimbursement Rates for Solar
Panels
13. WA
State: Long Beach Wins Grant to Install Solar Panels
14. Wind
Turbines Keep Killing Bats in Canada. Advocates Say This Needs to Chang
15. After
50 Years of Struggles to Save Spotted Owl, FWS Plan Is to Kill 500K Barred Owls
16. Trump
45-Era Bid to Weaken Endangered Species Act on Thin Ice
17. Salmon
Have Flourished Since California Dam Removal. But Some May Be Swimming Too Far
18. Orca
Calf in North Sound Pod Likely Dead, Researchers Say
19. United
Kingdom: Redundant Power Poles Get Role Helping Bird Life
20. Yakima
Basin Water Restrictions to Lift on October 31
21. Deadline
Closing in for Utah & Six Other States Hammering Out a New Water Plan
22. WA
Must Act to Ensure Cascadia's Dominance in Artificial Intelligence, Business
Leaders Warn
23. OpenAI
& Amazon Sign $38 Billion Deal for Artificial Intelligence Computing Power
24. Washington
Advances Electric Vehicle Charging with $19.4 Million Funding
25. California
Pulls the Plug on Flawed E-Bike Project Once Run by Investigated San Diego
Nonprofit
26. Nation's
Largest Fleet of Police Cybertrucks to Patrol Las Vegas
27. Study
Finds Electric Vehicles Quickly Overcome Their Energy-Intensive Build to Be
Cleaner Than Gas Cars
28. How
Tiny Drones Inspired by Bats Could Save Lives in Dark & Stormy Conditions
29. New
Jersey & Virginia's Races Will Be Powered by the Soaring Cost of
Electricity
30. Trump
Administration Cancels $1 Billion Clean Energy Grant for Pacific Northwest
31. WRECA
Announces Sheri D. Nelson as New Executive Director
32. Train
of Storms to Drench the West This Week
33. U.S.
Retailers Left Short-Changed as Penny Production Ends
34. Guest
Essay: Federal Agencies Need a Workable Plan to Protect Salmon in the Columbia
Basin
35.
Guest Essay: Advanced Nuclear Reactors Will
Secure U.S. Military Energy Resilience
Perspective of the Day
Deep thoughts: Was at McDonald’s over the weekend. Began puzzling over those little, free pepper packets. Interesting how historical strife, conflict, and sabotage have brought the once treasured spice to this.
https://www.historysnob.com/war-and-historical-events/spicy-wars-20-conflicts-spurred-on-by-spices/7
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
As the Pacific NW Faces Rolling Blackouts, Study
Says Renewable Energy May Not Be Enough (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/30/renewable-energy-oregon-washington-power-electrical-grid/
2.
Edison Increases Compensation for Eaton Fire
Victims, But Some Say It's Not Enough (Los Angeles Times, CA – Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/edison-increases-compensation-eaton-fire-221839812.html
3.
For Rural Californians, Unreliable Power Has
Become the Norm (High Country News)
https://www.hcn.org/issues/57-11/for-rural-californians-unreliable-power-has-become-the-norm/
4.
Colorado Springs Utilities 2026 Plan Adds
Requirements for Large Load Power Users (Colorado Public Radio)
https://www.cpr.org/2025/10/30/colorado-springs-utilities-2026-large-load-power-users-requirements/
5.
Demand & Response: How Utilities Are
Answering the Call for Large-Load Power Supply (Site Selection Magazine)
6.
Retail Electricity Price & Cost Trends: 2024
Update (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory – PDF File)
https://emp.lbl.gov/publications/retail-electricity-price-and-cost
7.
Video: Explosive Device Used to Detonate
Overwater Power Line on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast (Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6959509
8.
WA State: Snohomish PUD Warns That Scammers Are
Targeting Their Customers (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
9.
The Philippines: My Mother, Her Sewing Machine and
the Transformative Power of Electricity (The Manila Times, Philippines)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
10.
Wyoming: After Two Years Sitting Idle Outside
Casper, Wind Farm to Come Down (Cowboy State Daily)
11.
Sacramento Solar Site Claimed as ‘Bare Ground,’
Yet Thousands of Trees at Risk (Sacramento Bee, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/sacramento-solar-claimed-bare-ground-222837643.html
12.
Solar Power Advocates Appeal Idaho Power’s Decreased
Reimbursement Rates for Solar Panels (Idaho Capital Sun)
13.
WA State: Long Beach Wins Grant to Install Solar
Panels (Chinook Observer, Long Beach, WA)
https://chinookobserver.com/2025/11/02/long-beach-wins-grant-to-install-solar-panels/
14.
Wind Turbines Keep Killing Bats in Canada. Advocates
Say This Needs to Change (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whatonearth/bats-dying-wind-turbines-9.6952188
Fish & Wildlife
15.
After 50 Years of Struggles to Save Spotted Owl,
FWS Plan Is to Kill 500K Barred Owls (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_913965ad-4b52-4bf5-aaa3-2240de608cc5.html
16.
Trump 45-Era Bid to Weaken Endangered Species
Act on Thin Ice (Courthouse News Service)
https://courthousenews.com/trump-45-era-bid-to-weaken-endangered-species-act-on-thin-ice/
17.
Salmon Have Flourished Since California Dam
Removal. But Some May Be Swimming Too Far (San Francisco Chronicle, CA – Via MSN)
18.
Orca Calf in North Sound Pod Likely Dead,
Researchers Say (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
19.
United Kingdom: Redundant Power Poles Get Role
Helping Bird Life (British Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cew4nwe1zx0o
Water, Water, Anywhere?
20.
Yakima Basin Water Restrictions to Lift on October
31 (KNDO & KNDU-TV, Yakima/Tri-Cities, WA)
21.
Deadline Closing in for Utah & Six Other
States Hammering Out a New Water Plan (Utah News Dispatch)
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
22.
WA Must Act to Ensure Cascadia's Dominance in Artificial
Intelligence, Business Leaders Warn (The Olympian, WA – Via MSN)
23.
OpenAI & Amazon Sign $38 Billion Deal for Artificial
Intelligence Computing Power (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kiro7.com/news/business/openai-amazon-sign/WTSRGNDEY45TLN5CY2YHOYXG7Q/
I Sing the Car Electric
24.
Washington Advances Electric Vehicle Charging
with $19.4 Million Funding (KNDO & KNDU-TV, Yakima/Tri-Cities, WA)
25.
California Pulls the Plug on Flawed E-Bike Project
Once Run by Investigated San Diego Nonprofit (San Diego Union-Tribune, CA)
26.
Nation's Largest Fleet of Police Cybertrucks to Patrol
Las Vegas (Associated Press)
27.
Study Finds Electric Vehicles Quickly Overcome
Their Energy-Intensive Build to Be Cleaner Than Gas Cars (Associated Press)
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
28.
How Tiny Drones Inspired by Bats Could Save
Lives in Dark & Stormy Conditions (MSN News)
Politics, Governance,
and Management
29.
New Jersey & Virginia's Races Will Be
Powered by the Soaring Cost of Electricity (National Public Radio)
30.
Trump Administration Cancels $1 Billion Clean
Energy Grant for Pacific Northwest (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)
31.
WRECA Announces Sheri D. Nelson as New Executive
Director (Washington Rural Electric Cooperative Association)
https://www.wreca.coop/news-releases/wreca-announces-sheri-d-nelson-as-new-executive-director/
Other Things to Know
About Today
32.
Train of Storms to Drench the West This Week (AccuWeather
– Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/train-storms-drench-west-week-160212804.html
33.
U.S. Retailers Left Short-Changed as Penny
Production Ends (Reuters – Via MSN)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
34.
Guest Essay: Federal Agencies Need a Workable
Plan to Protect Salmon in the Columbia Basin (Washington State Standard)
35.
Guest Essay: Advanced Nuclear Reactors Will
Secure U.S. Military Energy Resilience (The Hill, Washington, DC)
https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/5583130-nuclear-power-military-resilience/amp/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Dictionary.com
Names '6-7' as 2025 Word of the Year. Here's What It Really Means.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dictionary-com-names-6-7-123033890.html
Eating Contest: These
Cats Do It for Glory, Not Salmon. (No, It’s the Salmon.)
https://dnyuz.com/2025/11/02/these-cats-do-it-for-glory-not-salmon-no-its-the-salmon/
Young T. Rex or a New
Dinosaur? New Bones Add to the Debate
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/young-t-rex-or-a-new-dinosaur-new-bones-add-to-21129104.php
Utah Man Drops
1,917-Pound Pumpkin onto His Geo Metro
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/10/30/giant-pumpkin-Geo-Metro-Utah-drop/3311761832032/
Song of the Day
Tom Petty – Free
Fallin'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SccggMlZQtw
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