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.
The Energy News Digest is edited by Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus.
NWPPA’s Annual Conference & Membership Meeting
Join us as we raise a glass to 85 years of public power excellence at our Annual Conference and Membership Meeting in Santa Rosa, California. Mark your calendars for May 19-22, 2025, as utility executives and policymakers convene in Sonoma County to celebrate this historic milestone and shape our industry’s future.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Trump
Administration Exempts Nearly 70 Coal Plants from Biden-Era Rule on Mercury
& Other Toxic Air Pollution (Associated Press)
Gov. Ferguson Says
WA Will Appeal After FEMA Denies State’s Disaster-Relief Request (The Olympian,
WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/gov-ferguson-says-wa-appeal-120000352.html
Manitoba
‘Repatriating’ Some Hydro Exports from U.S. to Power Canadian Projects Instead
(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
California Battery
Facility Fire Raises Concerns Over Energy Storage Plant Regulation (National
Public Radio)
Oregon Lawmakers
Urge Trump Administration to Declare Fishery Disaster (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Manitoba
‘Repatriating’ Some Hydro Exports from U.S. to Power Canadian Projects Instead
2. New
British Columbia Hydro Dams Could Be on the Table: Energy Minister
3. The
Fight Over Washington’s Natural Gas Measure Isn’t Over
4. Idaho
Power Requests Decrease in Annual Power Cost Adjustment
5. Wyoming
OKs Rocky Mountain Power Rate Hike, Tapping Customers for Another $85.5 Million
6. Bonneville
Power, Umatilla Electric Celebrate New Substation
7. Lower
Snake River Dams Transportation Study – Phase 1 Nearing Completion
8. NERC
Proposes Cold Weather Reliability Standard
9. Bonneville
Power Administration’s Plan to Join New Energy Market May Benefit Pacific NW
Customers
10. Groups
Send Letter to Senators in Support of LIHEAP
11. EIA
Projections Show U.S. Energy Consumption Decreasing in the Near Term,
Increasing in Early 2040s
12. California
Battery Facility Fire Raises Concerns Over Energy Storage Plant Regulation
13. WA
State: Grant PUD Commissioners Approve 20-Year Solar Power Production Contract
14. Montana
Legislature Approves Community Solar Legislation
15. Montana:
With Solar for All Funds Unfrozen, Tribal Awardees Are Cautiously (And Quickly)
Getting to Work
16. Oregon
Lawmakers Urge Trump Administration to Declare Fishery Disaster
17. Commercial
Salmon Fishing in California Will Be Closed for a Third Year in a Row
18. Proposed
Federal Cuts Jeopardize Pacific Salmon Habitat Restoration, Tribal Rights
19. Anxiety
Drugs Found in Rivers Make Salmon Take More Risks
20. Ecologists
Help with Burrowing Owl ‘Spring Cleaning’ at Umatilla Chemical Depot
21. Trump
Administration Exempts Nearly 70 Coal Plants from Biden-Era Rule on Mercury
& Other Toxic Air Pollution
22. List
of Exempted Power Plants
23. Is
the Mississippi River Endangered? New Ranking Says Iconic River at Risk.
24. Kennewick
Water Again Found Tainted With ‘Forever Chemicals.’ What to Know
25. Why
Your Water Bill Is an Inflation Problem That Isn’t Budging
26. Oregon
Bill Would Expand Water Use Exemptions for Small Farmers
27. Newsom,
California Democrats Double Down on Cap-And-Trade Program
28. ‘Global
Race for Artificial Intelligence Dominance’ Could Start at Eastern WA Nuclear
Site
29. Data
Centers Bring Money to Small Towns. But Do They Also Bring Jobs?
30. WA
State: Cowles Family Plans to Donate the Spokesman-Review to Local Nonprofit
31. Federal
Judge Orders Immediate Thaw of Climate, Infrastructure Funds
32. U.S.
Senator Crapo (ID) Introduces Bill to Protect the Permitting Process for Energy
Projects
33. Hazard
Mitigation & FEMA Loan Interest Legislation Introduced in U.S. Senate,
House
34. Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory Director to Step Down
35. Gov.
Ferguson Says WA Will Appeal After FEMA Denies State’s Disaster-Relief Request
36. WSDOT
to Launch First Work Zone Speed Camera to Protect Road Construction Workers
37. Guest
Essay: DOGE & Trump Quash a Klamath River Basin Comeback
38.
Columnist: Why Are There So Many Bad Poles?
Word of the Day
Terpsichorean \terp-suh-kuh-REE-un\ Adjective - Of or relating to dancing.
Terpsichorean Terrapins Travel to University of Maryland for Cheer Team Tryouts.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Manitoba ‘Repatriating’ Some Hydro Exports from U.S.
to Power Canadian Projects Instead (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
2.
New British Columbia Hydro Dams Could Be on the Table:
Energy Minister (The Narwhal)
https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-new-hydro-dams-possible/
3.
The Fight Over Washington’s Natural Gas Measure
Isn’t Over (Axios)
https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/04/15/washington-natural-gas-initiative-fight
4.
Idaho Power Requests Decrease in Annual Power
Cost Adjustment (KBOI-TV, Boise, ID)
5.
Wyoming OKs Rocky Mountain Power Rate Hike,
Tapping Customers for Another $85.5 Million (Wyofile)
6.
Bonneville Power, Umatilla Electric Celebrate
New Substation (East Oregonian, Pendleton, OR – Paywall Advisory)
https://eastoregonian.com/2025/04/15/bonneville-power-umatilla-electric-celebrate-new-substation/
7.
Lower Snake River Dams Transportation Study –
Phase 1 Nearing Completion (Washington Dept. of Transportation)
8.
NERC Proposes Cold Weather Reliability Standard
(Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nerc-proposes-cold-weather-reliability-standard-EOP-012-3/745229/
9.
Bonneville Power Administration’s Plan to Join
New Energy Market May Benefit Pacific NW Customers (Tri-Cities Area Journal of
Business, WA)
https://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/articles/bpa-market-move
10.
Groups Send Letter to Senators in Support of
LIHEAP (American Public Power Association)
https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/groups-send-letter-senators-support-liheap
11.
EIA Projections Show U.S. Energy Consumption
Decreasing in the Near Term, Increasing in Early 2040s (U.S. Energy Information
Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/pressroom/releases/press568.php
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
12.
California Battery Facility Fire Raises Concerns
Over Energy Storage Plant Regulation (National Public Radio)
13.
WA State: Grant PUD Commissioners Approve 20-Year
Solar Power Production Contract (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA – Via
Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/grant-pud-commissioners-approve-20-195200925.html
14.
Montana Legislature Approves Community Solar
Legislation (The Daily Montanan)
https://dailymontanan.com/2025/04/15/legislature-approves-community-solar-legislation/
15.
Montana: With Solar for All Funds Unfrozen,
Tribal Awardees Are Cautiously (And Quickly) Getting to Work (Tech Brew)
https://www.emergingtechbrew.com/stories/2025/04/15/solar-for-all-tribal-awardees
Fish & Wildlife
16.
Oregon Lawmakers Urge Trump Administration to
Declare Fishery Disaster (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
17.
Commercial Salmon Fishing in California Will Be
Closed for a Third Year in a Row (Associated Press)
18.
Proposed Federal Cuts Jeopardize Pacific Salmon
Habitat Restoration, Tribal Rights (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/04/12/federal-cuts-pacific-salmon-tribal-rights/
19.
Anxiety Drugs Found in Rivers Make Salmon Take
More Risks (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/anxiety-drugs-found-in-rivers-make-salmon-take-more-risks
20.
Ecologists Help with Burrowing Owl ‘Spring
Cleaning’ at Umatilla Chemical Depot (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
Environmental Afflatus –
Clean Up on Aisle Three
21.
Trump Administration Exempts Nearly 70 Coal
Plants from Biden-Era Rule on Mercury & Other Toxic Air Pollution
(Associated Press)
22.
List of Exempted Power Plants (U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency – PDF File)
23.
Is the Mississippi River Endangered? New Ranking
Says Iconic River at Risk. (USA Today – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/mississippi-river-endangered-ranking-says-090324878.html
Water, Water, Anywhere?
24.
Kennewick Water Again Found Tainted With ‘Forever
Chemicals.’ What to Know (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/kennewick-water-again-found-tainted-235059723.html
25.
Why Your Water Bill Is an Inflation Problem That
Isn’t Budging (Yahoo! News)
26.
Oregon Bill Would Expand Water Use Exemptions for
Small Farmers (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
27.
Newsom, California Democrats Double Down on
Cap-And-Trade Program (The Hill, Washington, DC)
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
28.
‘Global Race for Artificial Intelligence
Dominance’ Could Start at Eastern WA Nuclear Site (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via
AOL News)
https://www.aol.com/global-race-ai-dominance-could-120000677.html
29.
Data Centers Bring Money to Small Towns. But Do
They Also Bring Jobs? (National Public Radio)
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
30.
WA State: Cowles Family Plans to Donate the
Spokesman-Review to Local Nonprofit (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Via Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/cowles-family-plans-donate-spokesman-150600074.html
Politics, Governance,
and Management
31.
Federal Judge Orders Immediate Thaw of Climate,
Infrastructure Funds (Politico)
32.
U.S. Senator Crapo (ID) Introduces Bill to
Protect the Permitting Process for Energy Projects (Daily Energy Insider)
33.
Hazard Mitigation & FEMA Loan Interest
Legislation Introduced in U.S. Senate, House (American Public Power
Association)
34.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Director
to Step Down (Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, WA)
https://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/articles/ashby-steps-down
Other Things to Know
About Today
35.
Gov. Ferguson Says WA Will Appeal After FEMA
Denies State’s Disaster-Relief Request (The Olympian, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/gov-ferguson-says-wa-appeal-120000352.html
36.
WSDOT to Launch First Work Zone Speed Camera to
Protect Road Construction Workers (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
37.
Guest Essay: DOGE & Trump Quash a Klamath
River Basin Comeback (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/contributor-doge-trump-quash-klamath-101904916.html
38.
Columnist: Why Are There So Many Bad Poles?
(Pots & Pans)
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2025/04/16/why-are-there-so-many-bad-poles/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Two Women Have Sent
Each Other the Same Weathered Birthday Card for 81 Years
45-Year Mystery
Behind Eerie Photo from the Shining Is Believed to Be Solved
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/the-shining-photo-identification-1.7507349
Watch as Elephants
Form a Protective Circle in San Diego After 5.2-Magnitude Earthquake
https://www.yahoo.com/news/watch-elephants-form-protective-circle-002219796.html
Wink Martindale, the
Genial Game Show Host & Early Interviewer of Elvis, Dies at 91
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/04/16/wink-martindale-the-genial-game-show-host-dies-at-91/
Song of the Day
Wendy Carlos – The
Shining (Soundtrack)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU21Tww4vlo
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.
