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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Major Power Outage in Spain & Portugal Knocks Out Subway
Networks, Traffic Lights & ATMs (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/spain-portugal-power-outage-electricity-b0c5fbca49b8422248c4f933e20303b3
Tacoma Man Charged with Sabotaging Power Grid Six Times. No
Neo-Nazi Link Found (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
Feds Put Review of Columbia River Hydropower System on Ice
(Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA - Paywall Advisory)
A Dry April Lowers Water Supply Forecast (Lewiston Morning
Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.lmtribune.com/local-news/a-dry-april-lowers-water-supply-forecast-19309957
U.S. Wants to Slap Tariffs as High as 3,500% on Solar Panels
from Southeast Asia (Cable News Network)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/22/business/us-tariffs-southeast-asia-solar-panels-intl/index.html
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Tacoma Man Charged with Sabotaging Power Grid
Six Times. No Neo-Nazi Link Found
2.
Feds Put Review of Columbia River Hydropower
System on Ice
3.
Bill Blocking Utilities from Passing Wildfire
Costs to Consumers Passes Oregon Senate
4.
WA Bill Signed into Law Adds Oversight to
Private Utility Wildfire Protection Plans
5.
California: SoCal Edison Starts Work to Remove
Idle Power Line in Eaton Canyon
6.
Oregon House Passes Bill Making Large Data
Centers Pay for Power Grid Costs
7.
Big Tech’s Soaring Energy Demands Are Making
Coal-Fired Power Plant Sites Attractive
8.
Smaller, Public Utilities See Growth Potential
in Data Centers, But There Are Risks: APPA
9.
Pacific Gas & Electric Foresees ‘Bright
Future’ with Lower Prices, Higher Demand
10.
At The Bonneville Power Administration, DOGE
Cuts Are Having a ‘Compounding Effect’ on Staffing the Grid
11.
Demand for Electrical Engineers Is Surging
12.
Oregon Electric Utility Asserts Willamette Falls
Land Rights in Court Battle
13.
California: Palm Springs Neighborhood Launches
First-of-Its-Kind Utility Undergrounding Project
14.
Rising Utility Bills Have Americans Worried
15.
U.S. Wants to Slap Tariffs as High as 3,500% on
Solar Panels from Southeast Asia
16.
‘Repowering’ Era for America’s Aging Wind Energy
Industry Begins, Despite Trump’s Effort to Kill It
17.
California Utility Executive-Turned-Lawmaker
Seeks to Slash Energy Credit Benefits for Rooftop Solar Panels
18.
Grand Valley Power to Power Homes with
Hydropower After Purchasing Agreement with Redlands Water & Power
19.
Washington Legislature Passes Columbia
Endorsement; Next Heads to Governor
20.
ODFW Monitoring After Sick & Dead Brown
Pelicans Found on Oregon Coast
21.
$19 Million Snoqualmie River Restoration Project
Sees Early Success for Salmon, Flood Safety
22.
WA Environmental Legislation Passed This Year
That You Should Know
23.
A Dry April Lowers Water Supply Forecast
24.
A Rare Glimpse Inside the Mountain Tunnel That
Carries Water to Southern California
25.
Trump Administration Minimized Federal Climate
Scientists’ Findings of Record Carbon Dioxide Growth
26.
WA State: Grant PUD Unveils Plan to Upgrade
Fiber Network for Faster Speeds & Future Demand
27.
Oregon: Fraudster Tries to Steal $6.7 Million
from City of Portland, in Phishing Scheme Targeting Huge Construction Project
28.
Bezos-Backed Slate Auto Unveils $20,000 Electric
Truck as Competitor to Musk’s Tesla
29.
Tesla Profits Plummet 71% Amid Backlash to Elon
Musk’s Role with Trump Administration
30.
April Showers Bring ‘Dirty Rain’ to New England
After Storm Absorbs Desert Dust 2,000 Miles Away
31.
Nearly $78 Billion Budget Sent to Gov. Ferguson
as WA Leg Session Ends
32.
A Mass Exodus Begins at the U.S. Department of
Energy
33.
Republican Lawmakers Face Clean-Energy Conundrum
as They Work on Tax Bill
34.
Major Power Outage in Spain & Portugal
Knocks Out Subway Networks, Traffic Lights & ATMs
35.
Oregon Wildfire Forecast Is Looking ‘Eerily
Similar’ to 2024’s Record-Breaking Year
36.
Army Corps Cuts Back Washington Camping &
Recreation Access
37.
Washington’s Only Nuclear Power Station Will Be
Shut Down for Two Months. Can Wind Energy Fill the Gap?
38.
Canada: I Mourn the Decline of Atlantic Salmon.
I Need Politicians Who Get What’s at Stake
Today is National Great Poetry Reading Day
Excerpt from The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-great-poetry-reading-day-april-28
Energy
& Utility Issues
1.
Tacoma Man Charged with Sabotaging Power Grid Six
Times. No Neo-Nazi Link Found (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
2.
Feds Put Review of Columbia River Hydropower
System on Ice (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA - Paywall Advisory)
3.
Bill Blocking Utilities from Passing Wildfire
Costs to Consumers Passes Oregon Senate (KPIC-TV, Roseburg, OR)
4.
WA Bill Signed into Law Adds Oversight to Private
Utility Wildfire Protection Plans (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_37c1e9cf-bfc6-4b5e-8fa1-1872bec56814.html
5.
California: SoCal Edison Starts Work to Remove
Idle Power Line in Eaton Canyon (KNBC-TV, Los Angeles, CA)
6.
Oregon House Passes Bill Making Large Data
Centers Pay for Power Grid Costs (KCBY-TV, Coos Bay, OR)
7.
Big Tech’s Soaring Energy Demands Are Making
Coal-Fired Power Plant Sites Attractive (Associated Press)
8.
Smaller, Public Utilities See Growth Potential in
Data Centers, But There Are Risks: APPA (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/public-power-utilities-data-centers-appa/746254/
9.
Pacific Gas & Electric Foresees ‘Bright
Future’ with Lower Prices, Higher Demand (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pge-wildfire-data-center-rate-case-earnings/746319/
10.
At The Bonneville Power Administration, DOGE
Cuts Are Having a ‘Compounding Effect’ on Staffing the Grid (Latitude Media)
11.
Demand for Electrical Engineers Is Surging (Latitude
Media)
https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/demand-for-electrical-engineers-is-surging/
12.
Oregon Electric Utility Asserts Willamette Falls
Land Rights in Court Battle (Courthouse News Service)
13.
California: Palm Springs Neighborhood Launches
First-of-Its-Kind Utility Undergrounding Project (Palm Springs Post, CA)
14.
Rising Utility Bills Have Americans Worried (Canary
Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/utilities/rising-gas-electric-bills-survey
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
15.
U.S. Wants to Slap Tariffs as High as 3,500% on Solar
Panels from Southeast Asia (Cable News Network)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/22/business/us-tariffs-southeast-asia-solar-panels-intl/index.html
16.
‘Repowering’ Era for America’s Aging Wind Energy
Industry Begins, Despite Trump’s Effort to Kill It (CNBC News)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/27/wind-power-trump-climate-change-energy-policy.html
17.
California Utility Executive-Turned-Lawmaker
Seeks to Slash Energy Credit Benefits for Rooftop Solar Panels (WRE News)
18.
Grand Valley Power to Power Homes with Hydropower
After Purchasing Agreement with Redlands Water & Power (KKCO-TV, Grand
Junction, CO)
Fish
& Wildlife
19.
Washington Legislature Passes Columbia
Endorsement; Next Heads to Governor (Northwest Sportsman)
20.
ODFW Monitoring After Sick & Dead Brown
Pelicans Found on Oregon Coast (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/odfw-monitoring-sick-dead-brown-185658674.html
21.
$19 Million Snoqualmie River Restoration Project
Sees Early Success for Salmon, Flood Safety (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_2bc2b8e1-5a9e-45c9-8a2f-a382b65ff84a.html
Environmental
Afflatus – Clean Up on Aisle Three
22.
WA Environmental Legislation Passed This Year
That You Should Know (Cascade PBS)
Water,
Water, Anywhere?
23.
A Dry April Lowers Water Supply Forecast (Lewiston
Morning Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.lmtribune.com/local-news/a-dry-april-lowers-water-supply-forecast-19309957
24.
A Rare Glimpse Inside the Mountain Tunnel That
Carries Water to Southern California (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/rare-glimpse-inside-mountain-tunnel-100056601.html
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
25.
Trump Administration Minimized Federal Climate
Scientists’ Findings of Record Carbon Dioxide Growth (Cable News Network)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/22/climate/noaa-co2-record/index.html
London
Calling –Telecommunications
26.
WA State: Grant PUD Unveils Plan to Upgrade
Fiber Network for Faster Speeds & Future Demand (Source ONE News, Ephrata,
WA)
The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
27.
Oregon: Fraudster Tries to Steal $6.7 Million from
City of Portland, in Phishing Scheme Targeting Huge Construction Project (The
Oregonian, Portland, OR)
I
Sing the Car Electric
28.
Bezos-Backed Slate Auto Unveils $20,000 Electric
Truck as Competitor to Musk’s Tesla (Forbes Magazine – Via MSN)
29.
Tesla Profits Plummet 71% Amid Backlash to Elon Musk’s
Role with Trump Administration (MSN News)
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
30.
April Showers Bring ‘Dirty Rain’ to New England After
Storm Absorbs Desert Dust 2,000 Miles Away (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/new-england-dirty-rain-e41de0976847af5458a796dbb1e2238a
Politics,
Governance, and Management
31.
Nearly $78 Billion Budget Sent to Gov. Ferguson as
WA Leg Session Ends (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_40b0927f-302a-45d8-b770-aeaa2c376552.html
32.
A Mass Exodus Begins at the U.S. Department of Energy
(Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/politics/a-mass-exodus-begins-at-the-energy-department
33.
Republican Lawmakers Face Clean-Energy Conundrum
as They Work on Tax Bill (Reuters)
Other
Things to Know About Today
34.
Major Power Outage in Spain & Portugal Knocks
Out Subway Networks, Traffic Lights & ATMs (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/spain-portugal-power-outage-electricity-b0c5fbca49b8422248c4f933e20303b3
35.
Oregon Wildfire Forecast Is Looking ‘Eerily
Similar’ to 2024’s Record-Breaking Year (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
36.
Army Corps Cuts Back Washington Camping &
Recreation Access (RV Travel)
https://www.rvtravel.com/army-corps-cuts-back-washington-camping-recreation-access/
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
37.
Washington’s Only Nuclear Power Station Will Be
Shut Down for Two Months. Can Wind Energy Fill the Gap? (Cliff Mass Weather
Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2025/04/washingtons-only-nuclear-power-station.html
38.
Canada: I Mourn the Decline of Atlantic Salmon. I
Need Politicians Who Get What’s at Stake (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/first-person-election-roger-jenkins-fishing-1.7514380
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Puppies Steal the Show at Portland International Airport for
a Good Cause
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2025 inductees are here. See
who made the list.
German Men with the Strongest Fingers Compete in Bavaria’s ‘Fingerhakeln’
Wrestling Championship
A Secret Note Hidden in Dachau-Built ‘Violin of Hope’ Tells a
Tale of Survival & Craftsmanship
Song of the Day
Joe Cocker - Feeling Alright
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LRRpKVObKk
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
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