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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Northwest’s Only Nuclear Power Plant Reconnects to the Grid
in Time for Heat Wave (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
Bonneville Power Administration - 9th Circuit OKs
Hydroelectric Spending (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/9th-circuit-oks-hydroelectric-spending/
Feds Throw Washington’s $1.2 Billion Broadband Program into
Disarray (Washington State Standard)
Critical Reservoirs Lakes Mead, Powell Hit ‘Alarmingly Low
Levels’ Again (USA Today – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/critical-reservoirs-lakes-mead-powell-100129540.html
A Violent Ambush in Idaho Leaves Two Firefighters Dead &
One Injured. What to Know About the Attack (Associated Press)
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Northwest’s Only Nuclear Power Plant Reconnects
to the Grid in Time for Heat Wave
2.
Nuclear Energy Push Stalls, But Opponents Sense
a ‘Shift’ in Oregon
3.
Bonneville Power Administration - 9th Circuit
OKs Hydroelectric Spending
4.
Salmon, Tribal Sovereignty, & Energy Collide
as U.S. Abandons Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement
5.
$45 Million State Grant Inflames Tribal Tensions
at Willamette Falls
6.
Amid Extreme Heat, Some Power Grids May Struggle
to Keep Up with Rising Energy Demand
7.
Bureau of Land Management to Start Natural Gas
Pipeline in Montana
8.
Nevada: Rare Flower Could Slow Construction of
NV Energy’s Transmission Line
9.
Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation
Council Voted Today to Approve the Controversial Carriger Solar Project in
Klickitat County
10.
Microgrids a Step Closer to Reality for Oregon
Communities
11.
Portland General Electric Plans Solar Expansion
for Struggling Wind Farm
12.
News Release: Bureau of Land Management to Hold
July 2025 Geothermal Lease Sale in Oregon
13.
News Release: WA Department of Ecology Blazing
the Trail for More Clean Energy Projects
14.
Oregon Department of Energy Officially Launches
New Heat Pump Program
15.
Nisqually Warn That Trump’s Proposed Budget
Threatens Salmon Recovery -- And Treaty Rights
16.
Local Tribes Celebrate Sacred Food Source, Push
for River Conservation
17.
Orcas Share Food with Humans in Wild
18.
Critical Reservoirs Lakes Mead, Powell Hit
‘Alarmingly Low Levels’ Again
19.
Washington, Oregon Soils Drying Out, Idaho
Holding
20.
Portland to Resume Construction on $2 Billion
Water Treatment Plant After Clearing Legal Hurdle
21.
Google’s Emissions Up 51% as AI Electricity
Demand Derails Efforts to Go Green
22.
Feds Throw Washington’s $1.2 Billion Broadband
Program into Disarray
23.
U.S. Supreme Court OKs Fee That Subsidizes
Phone, Internet Services in Schools, Libraries & Rural Areas
24.
Musk Fumes as Trump Tax Bill Cuts Electric
Vehicle Credits
25.
WA State Touts First Electric Vehicle Charging
Station Built with Climate Commitment Act Money, Only 999,999 to Go
26.
Federal GOP Bill Adds Tax That Could Cripple
Wind & Solar Power
27.
Legislation Passes to Make Oregon Utility Bills
More Affordable
28.
Foes of WA Initiative to Repeal Climate Law
Fined $20,000 for Campaign Finance Violations
29.
A Violent Ambush in Idaho Leaves Two
Firefighters Dead & One Injured. What to Know About the Attack
30.
Idaho Braces for Severe Wildfire Season Amid
Funding Concerns
31.
$5 a Gallon? Gas Prices in Washington to Surge
Amid Fuel, Carbon Dioxide Taxes
32.
Guest Essay: Snake River Dam Opponents Said
Chinook Would Be ‘Nearly Extinct’ This Year. They Were Badly Wrong.
33.
Guest Essay: Trump Preserved the Snake River
Dams. It Will Benefit the Northwest
Word of the Day
Puissant \PWISS-unt\ Adjective – Of great force or vigor: strong, powerful.
Alfred staggered away from the door, gasping for air. His neighbor, Gomer, had just come from the local garlic festival, where he had enjoyed the pungent herb in all its many permutations. Unfortunately, Gomer’s pores had begun emitting puissant waves of garlic odor, miasma-like throughout the neighborhood. Weeks later, Alfred still experienced faint, wafting odors that made him shudder in remembrance of that fateful day.
Energy
& Utility Issues
1.
Northwest’s Only Nuclear Power Plant Reconnects to
the Grid in Time for Heat Wave (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
2.
Nuclear Energy Push Stalls, But Opponents Sense a
‘Shift’ in Oregon (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/26/oregon-nuclear-power-energy-house-bill-2410-umatilla-morrow/
3.
Bonneville Power Administration - 9th Circuit OKs
Hydroelectric Spending (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/9th-circuit-oks-hydroelectric-spending/
4.
Salmon, Tribal Sovereignty, & Energy Collide
as U.S. Abandons Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement (Grist Online)
5.
$45 Million State Grant Inflames Tribal Tensions
at Willamette Falls (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
6.
Amid Extreme Heat, Some Power Grids May Struggle
to Keep Up with Rising Energy Demand (National Public Radio)
7.
Bureau of Land Management to Start Natural Gas
Pipeline in Montana (NBC Montana)
https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/bureau-of-land-management-to-start-natural-gas-pipeline-in-montana
8.
Nevada: Rare Flower Could Slow Construction of NV
Energy’s Transmission Line (Pahrump Valley Times, NV)
https://pvtimes.com/news/rare-flower-could-slow-construction-of-nv-energys-transmission-line-144770/
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
9.
Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation
Council Voted Today to Approve the Controversial Carriger Solar Project in
Klickitat County (Gorge Radio, Hood River, OR)
10.
Microgrids a Step Closer to Reality for Oregon Communities
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)
11.
Portland General Electric Plans Solar Expansion for
Struggling Wind Farm (Solarcell)
https://usasolarcell.com/news/2025/06/29/pge-plans-solar-expansion-for-struggling-wind-farm/
12.
News Release: Bureau of Land Management to Hold July
2025 Geothermal Lease Sale in Oregon (Bureau of Land Management)
https://www.blm.gov/announcement/blm-hold-july-2025-geothermal-lease-sale-oregon
13.
News Release: WA Department of Ecology Blazing the
Trail for More Clean Energy Projects (Washington Dept. of Ecology)
Conservation
& Efficiency
14.
Oregon Department of Energy Officially Launches
New Heat Pump Program (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/24/odoe-new-heat-pump-program/
Fish
& Wildlife
15.
Nisqually Warn That Trump’s Proposed Budget
Threatens Salmon Recovery -- And Treaty Rights (The Olympian, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/nisqually-warn-trump-proposed-budget-182705646.html
16.
Local Tribes Celebrate Sacred Food Source, Push for
River Conservation (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
17.
Orcas Share Food with Humans in Wild (Mirage News)
https://www.miragenews.com/orcas-share-food-with-humans-in-wild-1487731/
Water,
Water, Anywhere?
18.
Critical Reservoirs Lakes Mead, Powell Hit ‘Alarmingly
Low Levels’ Again (USA Today – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/critical-reservoirs-lakes-mead-powell-100129540.html
19.
Washington, Oregon Soils Drying Out, Idaho
Holding (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)
https://pnwag.net/wa-or-soils-drying-out/
20.
Portland to Resume Construction on $2 Billion Water
Treatment Plant After Clearing Legal Hurdle (The Oregonian, Portland, OR – Via MSN)
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
21.
Google’s Emissions Up 51% as AI Electricity
Demand Derails Efforts to Go Green (The Guardian, UK)
London
Calling –Telecommunications
22.
Feds Throw Washington’s $1.2 Billion Broadband
Program into Disarray (Washington State Standard)
23.
U.S. Supreme Court OKs Fee That Subsidizes
Phone, Internet Services in Schools, Libraries & Rural Areas (Associated
Press)
I
Sing the Car Electric
24.
Musk Fumes as Trump Tax Bill Cuts Electric
Vehicle Credits (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
25.
WA State Touts First Electric Vehicle Charging
Station Built with Climate Commitment Act Money, Only 999,999 to Go (KPQ Radio,
Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/ixp/136/p/state-touts-1-ev-charging-station/
Politics,
Governance, and Management
26.
Federal GOP Bill Adds Tax That Could Cripple
Wind & Solar Power (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jun/29/gop-bill-adds-tax-that-could-cripple-wind-and-sola/
27.
Legislation Passes to Make Oregon Utility Bills
More Affordable (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
28.
Foes of WA Initiative to Repeal Climate Law
Fined $20,000 for Campaign Finance Violations (Washington State Standard)
Other
Things to Know About Today
29.
A Violent Ambush in Idaho Leaves Two
Firefighters Dead & One Injured. What to Know About the Attack (Associated
Press)
30.
Idaho Braces for Severe Wildfire Season Amid
Funding Concerns (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jun/28/idaho-braces-for-severe-wildfire-season-amid-fundi/
31.
$5 a Gallon? Gas Prices in Washington to Surge
Amid Fuel, Carbon Dioxide Taxes (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
32.
Guest Essay: Snake River Dam Opponents Said Chinook
Would Be ‘Nearly Extinct’ This Year. They Were Badly Wrong. (Spokesman-Review,
Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jun/29/todd-myers-snake-river-dam-opponents-said-chinook-/
33.
Guest Essay: Trump Preserved the Snake River Dams.
It Will Benefit the Northwest (Tri-City Herald, WA – Vias MSN)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Is There Really a ‘Demon in the Fridge’ at Lacey Wendy’s?
https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article309393115.html
Archaeologists Found a 500-Year-Old Compass—Turns Out It May
Have Belonged to Copernicus
Domino Tower Measuring Over 33 Feet Tall Breaks World Record
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/06/26/Guinness-World-Records-domino-tower/3391750953433/
Christmas Tree Farm Owners Find Ring Lost 15 Years Earlier
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/06/30/Christmas-tree-farm-ring/8561751295965/
Song of the Day
Gustav Holst - The Planets - Full Suite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnHLORma8Wk&list=RDcnHLORma8Wk&start_radio=1
Links & Paywall Advisory
Links in The Energy News Digest are for current stories. Media organizations frequently update their websites, which can result in broken links.
Although I choose stories that are accessible without paying
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