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.
Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
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
President Trump’s
Climate Pivot Kills $8 Billion of Clean Energy Plans (Forbes Magazine)
U.S. Natural Gas
Production Remained Flat in 2024 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65025
Over 100 Employees
Leave U.S. Energy Information Administration, Putting Crucial Energy Data at
Risk, Sources Say (Reuters)
Massive Fire Erupts
at Pacific Gas & Electric Substation in Rural Northern California (MSN
News)
Up a Creek: $5B
Culvert Removal Plan Appears Dead in WA Legislature (Washington State Standard)
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. U.S.
Natural Gas Production Remained Flat in 2024
2. Massive
Fire Erupts at Pacific Gas & Electric Substation in Rural Northern
California
3. Idaho:
Security Improvements at Oxbow Dam Will Restrict Access to Spillway Area
4. WA
State: Nominees Line Up for Vacant Seat on Lewis County PUD Commission
5. Oklahoma:
Regulators Advised—Don’t Rush to Make Utility Pole Changes
6. Generation
& Transmission Focus: PNGC’s Power Expansion Helps Member Co-Ops Face Load
Growth
7. Cold-Weather
Grid Performance Improves, Plus Four Other FERC Open Meeting Takeaways
8. How
Affordable & Reliable is Your Power?
9. President
Trump’s Climate Pivot Kills $8 Billion of Clean Energy Plans
10. Optimizing
Power Network Expansion with Pumped Hydro Energy Storage Using a
Multi-Objective Enhanced Spider Wasp Optimizer Approach
11. Trump
Administration Eyes Elimination of Program That Helps Low-Income People Heat
& Cool Their Homes
12. Up
a Creek: $5B Culvert Removal Plan Appears Dead in WA Legislature
13. Gray
Whale Die-Off Feared as Starving Whales Migrate North
14. Fishers
Celebrate Trump’s Seafood Order While Conservation Groups Fear Overfishing
15. President
Trump Wants More Logging in National Forests. Here’s What That Could Mean for
WA
16. The
Justice Department Is About to Make Its Case for a Google Breakup. Here’s What
to Know
17. Washington
Wants 35% of New Vehicles to Be Electric by 2026; The State & Clark County
Have a Way to Go
18. With
Federal Electric Vehicle Support Uncertain, Oregon Lawmakers Consider Revamping
the State’s Popular Rebate to Prioritize Lower-Income Buyers
19. Health
& Human Services Eliminates Program That Helps Firefighters When Electric
Vehicles Burn
20. Over
100 Employees Leave U.S. Energy Information Administration, Putting Crucial
Energy Data at Risk, Sources Say
21. WA
State: Abbarno Bill to Protect Utility Companies & Ratepayers One Step
Closer to Becoming Law
22. Washington
State Lawmakers Approve New Work Group to Boost Wildfire Safety & Homeowner
Support
23. Maintaining/Enhancing
Hydroelectricity/River Restoration Act of 2025: United States Senate
Legislation Introduced
24. Pope
Francis, Latin America’s First Pontiff, Dies at 88
25. Editorial:
Oregon’s Energy Future is Not Very Bright
26.
Editorial: Transmission Lines – Portland City
Council Misses the Forest for the Trees
Word of the Day
Ennui /on-WEE/ Noun - A feeling of weariness & dissatisfaction: boredom.
Ennui - A One-Word Poem
Meh
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
U.S. Natural Gas Production Remained Flat in 2024
(U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65025
2.
Massive Fire Erupts at Pacific Gas & Electric
Substation in Rural Northern California (MSN News)
3.
Idaho: Security Improvements at Oxbow Dam Will Restrict
Access to Spillway Area (Elkhorn Media Group, LaGrande, OR)
4.
WA State: Nominees Line Up for Vacant Seat on Lewis
County PUD Commission (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
5.
Oklahoma: Regulators Advised—Don’t Rush to Make
Utility Pole Changes (OK Energy Today)
https://www.okenergytoday.com/2025/04/regulators-advised-dont-rush-to-make-utility-pole-changes/
6.
Generation & Transmission Focus: PNGC’s
Power Expansion Helps Member Co-Ops Face Load Growth (Cooperative.Com)
7.
Cold-Weather Grid Performance Improves, Plus Four
Other FERC Open Meeting Takeaways (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-nerc-cold-weather-grid-performance-pjm-data-centers/745751/
8.
How Affordable & Reliable is Your Power?
(Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)
https://ferc.gov/how-affordable-and-reliable-your-power
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
9.
President Trump’s Climate Pivot Kills $8 Billion
of Clean Energy Plans (Forbes Magazine)
10.
Optimizing Power Network Expansion with Pumped
Hydro Energy Storage Using a Multi-Objective Enhanced Spider Wasp Optimizer
Approach (Springer Nature)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-97798-3
Conservation &
Efficiency
11.
Trump Administration Eyes Elimination of Program
That Helps Low-Income People Heat & Cool Their Homes (The Hill, Washington,
DC)
Fish & Wildlife
12.
Up a Creek: $5B Culvert Removal Plan Appears
Dead in WA Legislature (Washington State Standard)
13.
Gray Whale Die-Off Feared as Starving Whales
Migrate North (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
14.
Fishers Celebrate Trump’s Seafood Order While
Conservation Groups Fear Overfishing (Associated Press)
Environmental Afflatus –
Clean Up on Aisle Three
15.
President Trump Wants More Logging in National
Forests. Here’s What That Could Mean for WA (Tacoma News-Tribune, WA – Via AOL)
https://www.aol.com/trump-wants-more-logging-national-120000892.html
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
16.
The Justice Department Is About to Make Its Case
for a Google Breakup. Here’s What to Know (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/20/nx-s1-5367750/google-breakup-antirust-trial-remedy-phase
I Sing the Car Electric
17.
Washington Wants 35% of New Vehicles to Be
Electric by 2026; The State & Clark County Have a Way to Go (Vancouver Columbian,
WA – Paywall Advisory)
18.
With Federal Electric Vehicle Support Uncertain,
Oregon Lawmakers Consider Revamping the State’s Popular Rebate to Prioritize
Lower-Income Buyers (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
19.
Health & Human Services Eliminates Program
That Helps Firefighters When Electric Vehicles Burn (E&E News/Politico)
https://www.eenews.net/articles/hhs-eliminates-program-that-helps-firefighters-when-evs-burn/
Politics, Governance,
and Management
20.
Over 100 Employees Leave U.S. Energy Information
Administration, Putting Crucial Energy Data at Risk, Sources Say (Reuters)
21.
WA State: Abbarno Bill
to Protect Utility Companies & Ratepayers One Step Closer to Becoming Law (The
Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
22.
Washington State Lawmakers Approve New Work
Group to Boost Wildfire Safety & Homeowner Support (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)
23.
Maintaining/Enhancing Hydroelectricity/River
Restoration Act of 2025: United States Senate Legislation Introduced (JD Supra)
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/maintaining-enhancing-hydroelectricity-9315051/
Other Things to Know
About Today
24.
Pope Francis, Latin America’s First Pontiff,
Dies at 88 (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
25.
Editorial: Oregon’s Energy Future is Not Very
Bright (Renewables Northwest)
https://renewablenw.org/oregons-energy-future-not-very-bright
26.
Editorial: Transmission Lines – Portland City
Council Misses the Forest for the Trees (The Oregonian, Portland, OR – Via MSN
News)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
An Electrician in
Rome Uncovers Stunning Frescoes from the 17th Century Behind a Trap Door at a Historic
Villa
1,900-Year-Old Roman
Papyrus Details Elaborate Tax Evasion Scheme, Research Suggests
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/papyrus-rome-tax-fraud-1.7510739?cmp=rss
Belgians Hunt for Hidden
Beers in Easter Event
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/04/21/belgium-Easter-beer-hunt-Lutgarde-Lasne/4441745245220/
Special Place in
Hell Edition – 500,000 Honeybees Dead in Suspected Poisoning at Virginia Farm
Song of the Day
Hector Berlioz:
Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9, H 95
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDf_ektut5c
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.
