The Northwest Public Power Association sponsors the Energy News Digest.
The News Digest on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly known as Twitter) will bring breaking news throughout the week.
Subscribe to The Energy News Digest.
Call for Nominations for NWPPA Awards
The Northwest Public Power Association asks you to consider nominations for individuals and/or organizations that should be recognized for their contributions to the industry and their community. Check out the various awards, nomination criteria, and the nominating process for each of NWPPA’s awards. We urge you to participate in making the NWPPA awards program as meaningful as possible by bringing our attention to those individuals who most deserve recognition for their work on behalf of public power. You can bring recognition to a deserving individual or organization. All it takes is a few minutes of your time.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Thousands Flee as
Wildfires Burn Out of Control & Destroy Homes Across the Los Angeles Area
(Associated Press)
Soaring Electricity
Bills Could Hobble California’s Green Energy Push: Report (San Jose
Mercury-News, CA – Via MSN)
WA State: Proposed
Windmill Project Near Kamiak Butte Sparks Community Debate (KHQ-TV, Spokane,
WA)
Washington State
Bans Commercial Finfish Net Pen Farms (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/washington-state-bans-commercial-finfish-net-pen-farms/
Underwater Volcano
Off Oregon Will Erupt This Year, Scientists Predict (Gizmodo)
https://gizmodo.com/underwater-volcano-off-oregon-will-erupt-this-year-scientists-predict-2000545335
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Soaring Electricity Bills Could Hobble
California’s Green Energy Push: Report
2.
Will California’s Power Grid Keep Running
Smoothly?
3.
Tribes, Environmentalists Gather Forces Against
Amazon’s Northwest Nuclear Plan
4.
Portland General Electric Heads to Trial Over
Tribal Fishing Platform at Willamette Falls
5.
Washington Bill Clarifies Facility Siting for
‘Holy Grail’ of Energy
6.
California Startup Strikes Deal with Data Center
Customer to Deploy Underground Small Modular Reactors
7.
California: Court of Appeal Upholds Glendale's
Environmental Impact Report for Repowering Project
8.
WA State: Proposed Windmill Project Near Kamiak
Butte Sparks Community Debate
9.
Trump: ‘We’re Going to Try to Have a Policy
Where No Windmills Are Being Built’
10.
WA State: Yakima County's Two-Year Ban on Solar
May Continue
11.
Clean Tech Battery Company Backs Out of Richland
Land Deal for Its First U.S. Plant
12.
Battery Energy Storage System Approved for
Industrial Land West of Mount Vernon, WA
13.
Solar Panels Are Powering Through U.S. West
Wildfire Smoke: Study
14.
Washington State Bans Commercial Finfish Net Pen
Farms
15.
Annual Ocean Indicators Point to Varied
Conditions for Pacific Salmon
16.
Oregon Lawmakers Appeal to Incoming Trump
Administration to Stop Mass-Killing of Barred Owls, Citing Cost
17.
Biden Administration Withdraws Old-Growth Forest
Plan After Getting Pushback from Industry & GOP
18.
Report: WA State Meets Emissions Goal for 2020,
Much Progress Needed Ahead of Next Deadline
19.
Critic: WA Dept. of Ecology Releasing 'Out of
Date' Emissions Data on Climate Goals
20.
Why More Frequent Cold Blasts Could Be Coming
from Global Warming
21.
WA Sues T-Mobile Over Data Breach Impacting 2
Million Residents
22.
NTCA Report Finds Middle Mile Costs Dropping for
Rural Providers
23.
Whoops: Volkswagen Leaks Sensitive Data of
800,000 Electric Vehicle Owners
24.
Meta Drops Fact-Checking, Loosens Its Content
Moderation Rules
25.
Underwater Volcano Off Oregon Will Erupt This
Year, Scientists Predict
26.
President-Elect Trump Weighing Executive Order
Protecting Gas Stoves
27.
Thousands Flee as Wildfires Burn Out of Control
& Destroy Homes Across the Los Angeles Area
28.
California Fire Map & Tracker
29.
Winter Chill Incoming? Portland Snow Forecast
Look Ahead
30.
WA Gov. Inslee Declares State of Emergency After
Deadly Bomb Cyclone Devastates Washington
31.
Guest Essay: All Energy Options Should Be
Considered by Americans
32.
Guest Essay: Transmission – Midwest to Lead in
‘Build, Baby, Build’ (Utility Dive)
Word of the Day – Horrible Haiku Edition
Gelid /JELL-id/ Adjective – Something described as gelid, such as the weather or a person’s demeanor, is literally or figuratively extremely cold or icy.
Dreams interrupted
By my spouse’s
gelid feet
Hoth, the ice planet
Energy
& Utility Issues
2.
Will California’s Power Grid Keep Running
Smoothly? (San Diego Union-Tribune, CA)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/01/06/will-californias-power-grid-keep-running-smoothly/
3.
Tribes, Environmentalists Gather Forces Against
Amazon’s Northwest Nuclear Plan (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
4.
Portland General Electric Heads to Trial Over
Tribal Fishing Platform at Willamette Falls (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
5.
Washington Bill Clarifies Facility Siting for ‘Holy
Grail’ of Energy (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_d124007e-cc64-11ef-aba2-4b687b7015d5.html
6.
California Startup Strikes Deal with Data Center
Customer to Deploy Underground Small Modular Reactors (Power Magazine)
7.
California: Court of Appeal Upholds Glendale's
Environmental Impact Report for Repowering Project (American Public Power
Association)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
8.
WA State: Proposed Windmill Project Near Kamiak
Butte Sparks Community Debate (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)
9.
Trump: ‘We’re Going to Try to Have a Policy
Where No Windmills Are Being Built’ (The Hill, Washington, DC)
10.
WA State: Yakima County's Two-Year Ban on Solar
May Continue (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA – Paywall Advisory)
11.
Clean Tech Battery Company Backs Out of Richland
Land Deal for Its First U.S. Plant (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/clean-tech-battery-company-backs-223047329.html
12.
Battery Energy Storage System Approved for
Industrial Land West of Mount Vernon, WA (Cascadia Daily)
13.
Solar Panels Are Powering Through U.S. West Wildfire
Smoke: Study (The Hill, Washington, DC)
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5069650-wildfire-smoke-impact-solar-panels-study/
Fish & Wildlife
14.
Washington State Bans Commercial Finfish Net Pen
Farms (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/washington-state-bans-commercial-finfish-net-pen-farms/
15.
Annual Ocean Indicators Point to Varied Conditions
for Pacific Salmon (NOAA Fisheries)
16.
Oregon Lawmakers Appeal to Incoming Trump Administration
to Stop Mass-Killing of Barred Owls, Citing Cost (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
Environmental Afflatus –
Clean Up on Aisle Three
17.
Biden Administration Withdraws Old-Growth Forest
Plan After Getting Pushback from Industry & GOP (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/biden-old-growth-forests-climate-change-e365debe64acf791f16de2ce75cb9342
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
18.
Report: WA State Meets Emissions Goal for 2020,
Much Progress Needed Ahead of Next Deadline (KGMI Radio, Bellingham, WA)
19.
Critic: WA Dept. of Ecology Releasing 'Out of Date'
Emissions Data on Climate Goals (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_2a085e78-cd4c-11ef-851f-b3b63206708d.html?a
20.
Why More Frequent Cold Blasts Could Be Coming
from Global Warming (Associated Press)
London Calling
–Telecommunications
21.
WA Sues T-Mobile Over Data Breach Impacting 2 Million
Residents (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/wa-attorney-general-sues-t-mobile-over-data-breach
22.
NTCA Report Finds Middle Mile Costs Dropping for
Rural Providers (Broadband Breakfast)
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/ntca-report-finds-middle-mile-costs-dropping-for-rural-providers/
I Sing the Car Electric
23.
Whoops: Volkswagen Leaks Sensitive Data of 800,000
Electric Vehicle Owners (TechDirt)
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
24.
Meta Drops Fact-Checking, Loosens Its Content
Moderation Rules (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/meta-drops-fact-checking-loosens-123512391.html
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
25.
Underwater Volcano Off Oregon Will Erupt This
Year, Scientists Predict (Gizmodo)
https://gizmodo.com/underwater-volcano-off-oregon-will-erupt-this-year-scientists-predict-2000545335
Politics, Governance,
and Management
26.
President-Elect Trump Weighing Executive Order
Protecting Gas Stoves (Reuters)
Other Things to Know
About Today
27.
Thousands Flee as Wildfires Burn Out of Control &
Destroy Homes Across the Los Angeles Area (Associated Press)
28.
California Fire Map & Tracker (Frontline
Wildfire Defense)
https://www.frontlinewildfire.com/california-wildfire-map/
29.
Winter Chill Incoming? Portland Snow Forecast
Look Ahead (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
30.
WA Gov. Inslee Declares State of Emergency After
Deadly Bomb Cyclone Devastates Washington (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
31.
Guest Essay: All Energy Options Should Be
Considered by Americans (The Reflector, Battle Ground, WA)
32.
Guest Essay: Transmission – Midwest to Lead in ‘Build,
Baby, Build’ (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/midwest-miso-transmission-lrtp-thomas/736641/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Steer Swims Across the Columbia River, Runs Loose on
Interstate Near Hood River, Police Say
Blame It on GPS – Wrong Turn Strands Car on Ski Slope at Colorado
Resort
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/01/08/Keystone-Resort-Colorado-car-parked-ski-slope/5721736362183/
Christmas Gift from 1978 Found
Behind Wall of Illinois Home
Italian Mayor's Proclamation Makes It Illegal to Get Sick
Song of the Day
Matt Monro – Born Free (Soundtrack)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQqNS0UDkCA
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 paywall restrictions. Regularly clearing your
browser’s history and cookie files may help you access some paywall sites.
