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
Critics Warn Staff
Cuts at Federal Agencies Overseeing U.S. Dams Could Put Public Safety at Risk
(Associated Press)
Bonneville Power
Administration Seeks to Restaff Workforce, Including in the Flathead Valley
(Flathead Beacon, Kalispell, MT)
Columbia River
Water Now Appears to Be Part of Trump’s Escalating Trade War with Canada (The
Oregonian, Portland, OR)
Lawmakers Urge
Trump Administration to Cancel Owl-Killing Plan, Say It Would Cost Too Much
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/03/11/trump-barred-owls-kill/
At Least 39 Dead
After Tornadoes, Wildfires & Dust Storms Wreak Havoc Across the U.S.
(Associated Press)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tornadoes-wildfires-dust-storms-states_n_67d77ed6e4b0179a4f939980
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Critics
Warn Staff Cuts at Federal Agencies Overseeing U.S. Dams Could Put Public
Safety at Risk
2. Bonneville
Power Administration Seeks to Restaff Workforce, Including in the Flathead
Valley
3. Three
Newhouse Bills Seek to Reinforce Home-State Dams, Support Hydropower
4. Glen
Canyon Dam Hydropower, Water Conservation Face Battles
5. Bills
Advance to Help Oregonians with Utility Hikes, Adapt to Extreme Weather
6. NW
Natural Residential Customers Could See a Nearly 7% Rate Hike Later This Year
7. U.S.
Approves Expansion of Montana Coal Mine
8. California’s
Utility Bill Crisis Is Clear to All. The Solution, Not So Much.
9. WA
State: Snohomish PUD Warns That Scammers Are Targeting Their Customers
10. Electricity
Gradually Returns to Cuba After Substation Failure Left Millions in the Dark
11. Report:
Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Cuts Climate Policy Team & Partnership
Support
12. EIA
Updates Forecast for 2025 U.S. Natural Gas Prices, Expects Oil Prices to
Decrease Later in The Year
13. California:
Bureau of Land Management Approves Sapphire Gen-Tie Transmission Line &
Facilities – Project Will Transmit Up to 117 MW Of Energy to the California
Grid
14. Wyoming
Pumped Storage: It’s Unclear What the Seminoe Energy Project’s Environmental
Study Will Look Like
15. Maximizing
Hydropower Efficiency with Hydrogen Production
16. California
Unveils First State Plan to Unleash Heat Pumps
17. Lawmakers
Urge Trump Administration to Cancel Owl-Killing Plan, Say It Would Cost Too
Much
18. Chokepoints:
Washington’s $5 Billion Fish Passage Problem & How We Got Here
19. Electric
Co-ops Applaud EPA Review of Power Plant Rules
20. Columbia
River Water Now Appears to Be Part of Trump’s Escalating Trade War with Canada
21. Snow
or No? Northwest’s Water Outlook Gets Murky with Federal Cuts
22. Water
Officials in California Knew That Opening Dams to Meet Trump’s Wishes Was
Ill-Advised. Here’s Why It Happened Anyway
23. Washington
Carbon Auction Prices Rise Again
24. WA
House Passes Bill to Help Farmers Avoid Paying Climate Commitment Act Fuel
Taxes
25. Oregon
Will Continue ‘Climate Action’ Despite EPA Rollbacks, Governor Says
26. Microsoft
Is Open to Using Natural Gas to Power Artificial Intelligence Data Centers to
Keep Up with Demand
27. Oregon
Could Again Delay Clean Truck Rules to Give Technology, Chargers Time to Catch
Up
28. Washington
Policy Center: State’s Electric Vehicle Program Falls Short of Expectations
29. Spokane
& Bonner County Sheriff’s Offices Can No Longer Hide or Delete Critical
Facebook Comments After First Amendment Concerns, Judges Rule
30. Vice
President Vance Hopeful ‘High-Level’ TikTok Deal Will Be Completed by Early
April
31. Amid
Mass NOAA Firings, U.S. Sen. Murray Delivers Grim Forecast: ‘Dark Clouds
Coming’
32. Oregon:
Portland Eyes Using Clean Energy Fund, Again, as Budget Shortfall Looms
33. At
Least 39 Dead After Tornadoes, Wildfires & Dust Storms Wreak Havoc Across
the U.S.
34.
Guest Essay: Rural America’s Power Struggle –
President Trump’s Energy Blind Spot
Word of the Day
Vade Mecum \vay-dee-MEE-kum\ Noun – 1: a book for ready reference: manual 2: something regularly carried about by a person.
See Funk and Wagonalls
Its "Laugh-In's" Vade mecum
Sock it to me babe!
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Critics Warn Staff Cuts at Federal Agencies
Overseeing U.S. Dams Could Put Public Safety at Risk (Associated Press)
2.
Bonneville Power Administration Seeks to Restaff
Workforce, Including in the Flathead Valley (Flathead Beacon, Kalispell, MT)
3.
Three Newhouse Bills Seek to Reinforce
Home-State Dams, Support Hydropower (Ripon Advance)
4.
Glen Canyon Dam Hydropower, Water Conservation
Face Battles (Western Water)
https://www.western-water.com/2025/03/10/glen-canyon-dam-hydropower-water-conservation-face-battles/
5.
Bills Advance to Help Oregonians with Utility
Hikes, Adapt to Extreme Weather (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
6.
NW Natural Residential Customers Could See a Nearly
7% Rate Hike Later This Year (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/03/11/nw-natural-customers-seven-percent-rate-hike/
7.
U.S. Approves Expansion of Montana Coal Mine (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-approves-expansion-montana-coal-mine-2025-03-13/
8.
California’s Utility Bill Crisis Is Clear to
All. The Solution, Not So Much. (Canary Media)
9.
WA State: Snohomish PUD Warns That Scammers Are
Targeting Their Customers (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
10.
Electricity Gradually Returns to Cuba After
Substation Failure Left Millions in the Dark (Associated Press)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/electricity-gradually-returns-cuba-substation-193224672.html
11.
Report: Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Cuts
Climate Policy Team & Partnership Support (MSN News)
12.
EIA Updates Forecast for 2025 U.S. Natural Gas
Prices, Expects Oil Prices to Decrease Later in The Year (U.S. Energy
Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/pressroom/releases/press566.php
Renewable Energy
& Self Storage
13.
California: Bureau of Land Management Approves Sapphire
Gen-Tie Transmission Line & Facilities – Project Will Transmit Up to 117 MW
Of Energy to the California Grid (News Release – Bureau of Land Management)
https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-approves-sapphire-gen-tie-transmission-line-and-facilities
14.
Wyoming Pumped Storage: It’s Unclear What the Seminoe
Energy Project’s Environmental Study Will Look Like (Wyoming Public Media)
15.
Maximizing Hydropower Efficiency with Hydrogen
Production (Idaho National Laboratory)
https://inl.gov/feature-story/maximizing-hydropower-efficiency-with-hydrogen-production/
Conservation &
Efficiency
16.
California Unveils First State Plan to Unleash
Heat Pumps (Canary Media)
Fish & Wildlife
17.
Lawmakers Urge Trump Administration to Cancel
Owl-Killing Plan, Say It Would Cost Too Much (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/03/11/trump-barred-owls-kill/
18.
Chokepoints: Washington’s $5 Billion Fish
Passage Problem & How We Got Here (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/chokepoints/fish-passage-problem/4060483
Environmental
Afflatus – Clean Up on Aisle Three
19.
Electric Co-ops Applaud EPA Review of Power
Plant Rules (National Rural Electric Cooperative Association)
https://www.electric.coop/electric-co-ops-applaud-epa-review-of-power-plant-rules
Water, Water,
Anywhere?
20.
Columbia River Water Now Appears to Be Part of Trump’s
Escalating Trade War with Canada (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
21.
Snow or No? Northwest’s Water Outlook Gets Murky
with Federal Cuts (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/snow-or-no-northwest-s-water-outlook-gets-murky-with-federal-cuts
22.
Water Officials in California Knew That Opening
Dams to Meet Trump’s Wishes Was Ill-Advised. Here’s Why It Happened Anyway (Los
Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/water-officials-knew-opening-dams-100057488.html
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
23.
Washington Carbon Auction Prices Rise Again (Washington
State Standard)
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/03/12/washington-carbon-auction-prices-rise-again/
24.
WA House Passes Bill to Help Farmers Avoid
Paying Climate Commitment Act Fuel Taxes (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_742c349a-0120-11f0-8822-b79d305dd486.html
25.
Oregon Will Continue ‘Climate Action’ Despite EPA
Rollbacks, Governor Says (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
The Wizarding World
of Technology & Cybersecurity
26.
Microsoft Is Open to Using Natural Gas to Power Artificial
Intelligence Data Centers to Keep Up with Demand (CNBC)
I Sing the Car
Electric
27.
Oregon Could Again Delay Clean Truck Rules to
Give Technology, Chargers Time to Catch Up (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/03/13/oregon-delays-clean-truck-rules/
28.
Washington Policy Center: State’s Electric
Vehicle Program Falls Short of Expectations (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/local/electric-vehicle-program-falls-short/4061071
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
29.
Spokane & Bonner County Sheriff’s Offices
Can No Longer Hide or Delete Critical Facebook Comments After First Amendment Concerns,
Judges Rule (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/mar/12/spokane-and-bonner-county-sheriffs-offices-can-no-/
30.
Vice President Vance Hopeful ‘High-Level’ TikTok
Deal Will Be Completed by Early April (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-deal-vance-sale-trump-d54f3a01f8e2b04c01f80adfa4b884cb
Politics,
Governance, and Management
31.
Amid Mass NOAA Firings, U.S. Sen. Murray Delivers
Grim Forecast: ‘Dark Clouds Coming’ (Tacoma News-Tribune, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/amid-mass-noaa-firings-u-120000868.html
32.
Oregon: Portland Eyes Using Clean Energy Fund,
Again, as Budget Shortfall Looms (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
Other Things to Know
About Today
33.
At Least 39 Dead After Tornadoes, Wildfires &
Dust Storms Wreak Havoc Across the U.S. (Associated Press)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tornadoes-wildfires-dust-storms-states_n_67d77ed6e4b0179a4f939980
Soapbox Serenade –
Vox Populi
34.
Guest Essay: Rural America’s Power Struggle – President
Trump’s Energy Blind Spot (LinkedIn)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Owner Reunited with
Her Cat Months After Palisades Fire Destroyed Her Home
Here’s What You
Need to Know About St. Patrick’s Day
https://apnews.com/article/st-patricks-day-34e5e7278243258bee3c2f7005e7b208
NASA Astronauts’
Return Is Near. Their Long, Unlikely Trip Puts Focus on Resilience.
https://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2025/0317/space-iss-astronauts-nasa?icid=rss
Doctors Note
Increase in Cases of Glue Mistaken for Eye Drops
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/03/12/eye-drops-nail-glue-UCHealth/9011741801710/
Song of the Day
John Denver – Back
Home Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LyjyHwPrCE
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.
