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.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
How Oregon Plans to
Handle ‘Staggering’ Demand for New Transmission Lines (The Oregonian, Portland,
OR – Via MSN)
OpenAI Looks Across
U.S. for Sites to Build Its Stargate Artificial Intelligence Data Centers
(Associated Press)
Southern California
Edison Investigates Ties to California’s Eaton, Hurst Wildfires (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/southern-california-edison-eix-wildfire-eaton-hurst/739622/
Very Favorable
Water Situation in California (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2025/02/very-favorable-water-situation-in.html
New Series of
Winter Storms Lining Up to Bring More Snow & Ice to the Nation’s Midsection
(Cable News Network)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/fast-moving-winter-storm-bringing-202458687.html
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. How
Oregon Plans to Handle ‘Staggering’ Demand for New Transmission Lines
2. Southern
California Edison Investigates Ties to California’s Eaton, Hurst Wildfires
3. Jury
Awards $50 Million to 2020 Oregon Wildfire Survivors, Adding to PacifiCorp’s
Growing Tab
4. PacifiCorp
Was Grossly Negligent in Oregon’s 2020 Wildfires. Now It’s Asking Lawmakers for
Protection.
5. Agencies
Extend Columbia River Environmental Review, Delay Public Meetings
6. U.S.
Coal Plants Get Reprieve as Market & Policies Change
7. Nevada:
Ordered to Close Its Last Coal Plant, NV Energy Will Now Burn a Different
Fossil Fuel
8. Alaska:
Hilcorp-Linked Company Announces Deal to Build Natural Gas Import Facility on
Kenai Peninsula
9. DOE
To Focus on Expanding Baseload Generation: Secretary Wright
10. Las
Vegas Police Arrest Three in Copper Wire Theft at NV Energy Substation That
Caused Power Outage
11. Minister
Blames Monkey for Sri Lanka Nationwide Power Cut
12. U.S.
Senators Introduce Bill Aimed at Encouraging Production of Distribution
Transformers
13. Three
Baltic States Disconnect from the Soviet-Era Grid to Merge with the European
Energy System
14. California:
Residents Sue Energy Companies After Massive Toxic Battery Fire at Moss Landing
15. Are
WA Democrats Really Considering a Ban on Wood-Burning Fireplaces & Wood
Stoves?
16. Very
Favorable Water Situation in California
17. Efforts
to Put Carbon Dioxide Underground Face Less Support in Trump’s Second Term
18. Most
Countries Miss UN Deadline for New Climate Targets
19. Ezee
Fiber to Build Fiber Network in Washington with $400 Million Investment
20. T-Mobile,
Starlink to Launch Satellite-Based Connectivity in July for $15 per Month
21. OpenAI
Looks Across U.S. for Sites to Build Its Stargate Artificial Intelligence Data
Centers
22. Ultra-Efficient
Artificial Intelligence Won’t Solve Data Centers’ Climate Problem. This Might.
23. $71
Million Program for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Eastern Washington
Suspended After Federal Memo
24. As
Electric Vehicles Get Heavier, They’re Also Getting More Dangerous, Safety
Experts Say
25. Demonstrating
Electricity Value: Customer Satisfaction as a Utility Business Strategy
26. ‘Outright
Hostility.’ 100s of Fed Workers Fear for Their Jobs at Contaminated WA Nuclear
Site
27. President
Trump Says He Will Impose a 25% Tariff on Aluminum & Steel Imports
28. WA
State: Grant PUD General Manager Leaving for Georgia Job
29. New
Series of Winter Storms Lining Up to Bring More Snow & Ice to the Nation’s
Midsection
30. Puget
Sound Braces for Bitter Cold as Temperatures Plunge
31. Weather
Impact Alert Days Called for Thursday, Friday as Portland Braces for Potential
Snow or Freezing Rain
32. Flu
Season in the U.S. Is the Most Intense It’s Been in at Least 15 Years
33.
Guest Essay: Federal Workforce - The
‘Low-Productivity’ Oregonians Who Helped Build Our State
Word of the Day – Horrible Haiku Edition
Impecunious /im-PICK-you-nee-us/ Adjective - Having very little or no money, usually habitually: penniless.
Death of the penny?
Impecunious miser
Poor? Or no pennies?
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
How Oregon Plans to Handle ‘Staggering’ Demand for
New Transmission Lines (The Oregonian, Portland, OR – Via MSN)
2.
Southern California Edison Investigates Ties to California’s
Eaton, Hurst Wildfires (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/southern-california-edison-eix-wildfire-eaton-hurst/739622/
3.
Jury Awards $50 Million to 2020 Oregon Wildfire
Survivors, Adding to PacifiCorp’s Growing Tab (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
4.
PacifiCorp Was Grossly Negligent in Oregon’s
2020 Wildfires. Now It’s Asking Lawmakers for Protection. (Willamette Week,
Portland, OR)
5.
Agencies Extend Columbia River Environmental
Review, Delay Public Meetings (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
6.
U.S. Coal Plants Get Reprieve as Market &
Policies Change (Power Magazine)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-coal-plants-reprieve-market-183942198.html
7.
Nevada: Ordered to Close Its Last Coal Plant, NV
Energy Will Now Burn a Different Fossil Fuel (Nevada Independent)
8.
Alaska: Hilcorp-Linked Company Announces Deal to
Build Natural Gas Import Facility on Kenai Peninsula (Alaska Beacon)
9.
DOE To Focus on Expanding Baseload Generation:
Secretary Wright (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-energy-baseload-generation-nuclear-transmission-wright/739412/
10.
Las Vegas Police Arrest Three in Copper Wire
Theft at NV Energy Substation That Caused Power Outage (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/las-vegas-police-arrest-3-001003062.html
11.
Minister Blames Monkey for Sri Lanka Nationwide
Power Cut (British Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8d92n28pqjo
12.
U.S. Senators Introduce Bill Aimed at
Encouraging Production of Distribution Transformers (American Public Power
Association)
13.
Three Baltic States Disconnect from the Soviet-Era
Grid to Merge with the European Energy System (Associated Press)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
14.
California: Residents Sue Energy Companies After
Massive Toxic Battery Fire at Moss Landing (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/residents-sue-energy-companies-massive-110041994.html
Conservation &
Efficiency
15.
Are WA Democrats Really Considering a Ban on
Wood-Burning Fireplaces & Wood Stoves? (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/wa-democrats-really-considering-ban-130000649.html
Water, Water, Anywhere?
16.
Very Favorable Water Situation in California (Cliff
Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2025/02/very-favorable-water-situation-in.html
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
17.
Efforts to Put Carbon Dioxide Underground Face
Less Support in Trump’s Second Term (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/carbon-dioxide-capture-trump-tax-credit-a7290db5557a6f539eb5ba67a677aca0
18.
Most Countries Miss UN Deadline for New Climate
Targets (Reuters)
London Calling
–Telecommunications
19.
Ezee Fiber to Build Fiber Network in Washington
with $400 Million Investment (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
20.
T-Mobile, Starlink to Launch Satellite-Based
Connectivity in July for $15 per Month (Reuters)
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
21.
OpenAI Looks Across U.S. for Sites to Build Its
Stargate Artificial Intelligence Data Centers (Associated Press)
22.
Ultra-Efficient Artificial Intelligence Won’t
Solve Data Centers’ Climate Problem. This Might. (Washington Post – Via MSN)
I Sing the Car Electric
23.
$71 Million Program for Electric Vehicle
Charging Stations in Eastern Washington Suspended After Federal Memo
(Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/feb/09/71-million-program-for-ev-charging-stations-in-eas/
24.
As Electric Vehicles Get Heavier, They’re Also
Getting More Dangerous, Safety Experts Say (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
25.
Demonstrating Electricity Value: Customer
Satisfaction as a Utility Business Strategy (Power Magazine)
Politics, Governance,
and Management
26.
‘Outright Hostility.’ 100s of Fed Workers Fear
for Their Jobs at Contaminated WA Nuclear Site (Tri-City Herald, WA – Vis MSN)
27.
President Trump Says He Will Impose a 25% Tariff
on Aluminum & Steel Imports (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/10/trump-says-he-ll-put-tariffs-on-aluminum-and-steel-imports/
28.
WA State: Grant PUD General Manager Leaving for Georgia
Job (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2025/feb/07/grant-pud-general-manager-leaving-for-georgia-job/
Other Things to Know
About Today
29.
New Series of Winter Storms Lining Up to Bring
More Snow & Ice to the Nation’s Midsection (Cable News Network)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/fast-moving-winter-storm-bringing-202458687.html
30.
Puget Sound Braces for Bitter Cold as
Temperatures Plunge (MSN News)
31.
Weather Impact Alert Days Called for Thursday, Friday
as Portland Braces for Potential Snow or Freezing Rain (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
32.
Flu Season in the U.S. Is the Most Intense It’s
Been in at Least 15 Years (Associated Press)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/flu-season-us-most-intense-181648380.html
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
33.
Guest Essay: Federal Workforce - The ‘Low-Productivity’
Oregonians Who Helped Build Our State (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Washington’s
Congressmembers Have Been Sharing One ‘Ugly’ Painting for 50 Years
A Stradivarius Violin
Sells for $11.3 Million at Auction, Falling Short of Record
Eagles Deny the Chiefs
a Super Bowl Three-Peat with Dominant Defense in a 40-22 Rout
https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-2025-eagles-chiefs-score-e2ff209c074a00a6faff39750ff048f8
Trump Has Directed U.S.
Treasury to Stop Minting New Pennies, Citing Rising Cost
Song of the Day
Henhouse Five Plus
Too – In the Mood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPmZMZGVdnE
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.
