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.
Last Call for Future Utility Leaders—FUEL Is Nearly Full!
Do you have your sights set on an executive leadership position in the electric utility industry? If so, take the next step toward your goal by immersing yourself in NWPPA’s Future Utility Executive Leadership (FUEL) program. The FUEL program will equip you with the industry knowledge essential for utility leaders to succeed. This year’s program will take place from October 20 to 24 and November 17 to 21 in Vancouver, Washington. Just a few seats are left, so don’t wait to secure yours! Apply now at www.nwppa.org/fuel.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Power Prices Are
Expected to Soar Under New Tax Cut & Spending Law (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
Audio: Oregon’s
NuScale Power Receives Regulatory Approval for Modular Reactor Design (Oregon
Public Broadcasting)
Conservation Group
Slams Rollback of Key Marine Habitat Protections (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/conservation-group-slams-rollback-of-key-marine-habitat-protections/
Oregon DOJ Says
Public Officials Exploited Nonprofit to Cash in on Amazon Data Centers, Reap
Millions for Themselves (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
Oregon’s Largest
Active Fire Explodes to 28,000 Acres (KXL Radio, Portland, OR)
https://www.kxl.com/oregons-largest-active-fire-explodes-to-28000-acres/
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Power
Prices Are Expected to Soar Under New Tax Cut & Spending Law
2. Audio:
Oregon’s NuScale Power Receives Regulatory Approval for Modular Reactor Design
3. Why
NuScale Power Stock Jumped Today
4. Wyoming:
Bar Nunn Residents Say ‘No’ Again to Radiant Industries’ Nuclear Plans
5. Paywall
Advisory: BPA Cuts Payments for Tribes, Salmon Restoration Under Revised Cost
Projections
6. Two
Renewable Natural Gas Projects Go Online in Tri-Cities
7. Oregon
Legislature Passes First-In-Nation Microgrid Framework
8. Indian
Affairs Announces $42 Million from President's Investing in America Agenda for
Tribal Dam Safety, Water & Power Projects
9. Is
Google’s Big Hydropower Deal a Sign of Things to Come?
10. California:
Local Watchdog Group Releases Report on Moss Landing Battery Plant Fire
11. Damaged
Turbine at Wild Horse Wind Farm to Be Removed
12. California
Solar Bill Amended, Preserves 20-Year Rooftop Solar Agreements
13. Bureau
of Land Management Continues Geothermal Energy Support with Planned Lease Sales
14. U.S.
Renewable Power Transmission Project Under Fire from Farmers
15. “Solar
Panels Are Suffocating”: This Alarming Saharan Dust Crisis Threatens to Halve
Vital Energy Output Across 1,000 Square Miles
16. British
Columbia Government Rolls Out New Heat Pump Rebate Up to $5,000 to Keep Condos
Cool
17. Conservation
Group Slams Rollback of Key Marine Habitat Protections
18. $30M
to Remove Salmon Barriers Across Washington
19. The
Science Behind Eastern Washington’s Big Aquifer
20. The
Deepening Water Shortage Row Between the U.S. & Mexico
21. The
White House Took Down the Nation's Top Climate Report. You Can Still Find It
Here
22. Oregon
DOJ Says Public Officials Exploited Nonprofit to Cash in on Amazon Data
Centers, Reap Millions for Themselves
23. Amazon
Plans to Offer Satellite Internet Service in Late 2025
24. Astound
Broadband Brings Broadband to Life in Washington’s Rural Clallam County
25. There
Aren’t Enough Artificial Intelligence Chips to Support Data Center Projections,
Report Says
26. Digital
Campaign Landing Pages Convert Interest into Action
27. Largest
Ever Merge of Two Black Holes Detected by Observatory in Eastern WA.
‘Extraordinary & Puzzling'
28. USDA
Abruptly Cancels Rural Energy Grant Application Window
29. DOGE
Told Regulator to ‘Rubber Stamp’ Nuclear
30. Oregon’s
Largest Active Fire Explodes to 28,000 Acres
31. Eleven
Wildfires Burning Across WA, Four Classified as ‘Large’
32. Video
Feeds from Washington’s Wildfire Detection Cameras Available Online
33. WSP
Troopers Arrest Suspects for Vandalizing Eastern Washington Electrical Boxes
& Stealing Copper Wire
34. Guest
Essay: Trump Foils Plan to Take Down Lower Snake River Dams
35. Guest
Essay: Sarah Dyrdahl – Reimagining the Columbia
36. Guest
Essay: Nuclear Power Is a Key Piece of Washington's Clean Energy Future
37.
Guest Essay: Crucial California Energy Reform
Hinges on Critical Fix to Senate Bill 540
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Power Prices Are Expected to Soar Under New Tax
Cut & Spending Law (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
2.
Audio: Oregon’s NuScale Power Receives
Regulatory Approval for Modular Reactor Design (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
3.
Why NuScale Power Stock Jumped Today (The Motley
Fool – Via MSN)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/savingandinvesting/why-nuscale-power-stock-jumped-today/ar-AA1IB79W
4.
Wyoming: Bar Nunn Residents Say ‘No’ Again to Radiant
Industries’ Nuclear Plans (Oil City News)
5.
Paywall Advisory: BPA Cuts Payments for Tribes,
Salmon Restoration Under Revised Cost Projections (RTO Insider – Paywall Advisory)
6.
Two Renewable Natural Gas Projects Go Online in
Tri-Cities (KONA Radio, Pasco, WA)
https://610kona.com/ixp/136/p/2-renewable-natural-gas-projects-online/
7.
Oregon Legislature Passes First-In-Nation
Microgrid Framework (Utility Dive)
8.
Indian Affairs Announces $42 Million from President's
Investing in America Agenda for Tribal Dam Safety, Water & Power Projects (Redland
Nation News)
9.
Is Google’s Big Hydropower Deal a Sign of Things
to Come? (Fierce Telecom)
https://www.fierce-network.com/cloud/googles-big-hydropower-deal-sign-things-come
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
10.
California: Local Watchdog Group Releases Report
on Moss Landing Battery Plant Fire (Santa Cruz Sentinel, CA)
11.
Damaged Turbine at Wild Horse Wind Farm to Be
Removed (Source ONE News, Ephrata, WA)
12.
California Solar Bill Amended, Preserves 20-Year
Rooftop Solar Agreements (KMIR-TV, Palm Springs, CA)
13.
Bureau of Land Management Continues Geothermal
Energy Support with Planned Lease Sales (E&E News)
https://www.eenews.net/articles/blm-continues-geothermal-energy-support-with-planned-lease-sales/
14.
U.S. Renewable Power Transmission Project Under
Fire from Farmers (Reuters)
15.
“Solar Panels Are Suffocating”: This Alarming
Saharan Dust Crisis Threatens to Halve Vital Energy Output Across 1,000 Square
Miles (Energy Reporters)
Conservation &
Efficiency
16.
British Columbia Government Rolls Out New Heat
Pump Rebate Up to $5,000 to Keep Condos Cool (The Daily Hive)
https://dailyhive.com/victoria/bc-heat-pump-rebate-condos-apartments
Fish & Wildlife
17.
Conservation Group Slams Rollback of Key Marine
Habitat Protections (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/conservation-group-slams-rollback-of-key-marine-habitat-protections/
18.
$30M to Remove Salmon Barriers Across Washington
(KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/salmon-habitat-restoration-grants-washington/
Water, Water, Anywhere?
19.
The Science Behind Eastern Washington’s Big
Aquifer (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jul/14/the-science-behind-eastern-washingtons-big-aquifer/
20.
The Deepening Water Shortage Row Between the U.S.
& Mexico (British Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0epzp21z47o
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
21.
The White House Took Down the Nation's Top
Climate Report. You Can Still Find It Here (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/01/nx-s1-5453501/national-climate-assessment-nca5-archive-report
London Calling
–Telecommunications
22.
Oregon DOJ Says Public Officials Exploited
Nonprofit to Cash in on Amazon Data Centers, Reap Millions for Themselves (The
Oregonian, Portland, OR)
23.
Amazon Plans to Offer Satellite Internet Service
in Late 2025 (PYMNTS)
https://www.pymnts.com/amazon/2025/amazon-plans-offer-satellite-internet-service-late-2025/
24.
Astound Broadband Brings Broadband to Life in Washington’s
Rural Clallam County (Lightwave Online)
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
25.
There Aren’t Enough Artificial Intelligence Chips
to Support Data Center Projections, Report Says (Utility Dive)
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
26.
Digital Campaign Landing Pages Convert Interest
into Action (Pioneer Utility Resources)
https://www.pioneerutilityresources.com/landdeals/
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
27.
Largest Ever Merge of Two Black Holes Detected by
Observatory in Eastern WA. ‘Extraordinary & Puzzling' (Tri-City Herald, WA
– Via MSN)
Politics, Governance,
and Management
28.
USDA Abruptly Cancels Rural Energy Grant
Application Window (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/usda-solar-rural-grants-uncertainty
29.
DOGE Told Regulator to ‘Rubber Stamp’ Nuclear (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/14/doge-to-regulator-rubber-stamp-nuclear-00450658
Other Things to Know
About Today
30.
Oregon’s Largest Active Fire Explodes to 28,000
Acres (KXL Radio, Portland, OR)
https://www.kxl.com/oregons-largest-active-fire-explodes-to-28000-acres/
31.
Eleven Wildfires Burning Across WA, Four
Classified as ‘Large’ (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/local/11-wildfires-wa-large/4110350
32.
Video Feeds from Washington’s Wildfire Detection
Cameras Available Online (Washington State Standard)
33.
WSP Troopers Arrest Suspects for Vandalizing Eastern
Washington Electrical Boxes & Stealing Copper Wire (KXLY-TV, Spokane, WA)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
34.
Guest Essay: Trump Foils Plan to Take Down Lower
Snake River Dams (Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, WA)
https://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/articles/brunell-july-2025
35.
Guest Essay: Sarah Dyrdahl – Reimagining the
Columbia (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jul/16/sarah-dyrdahl-reimagining-the-columbia/
36.
Guest Essay: Nuclear Power Is a Key Piece of Washington's
Clean Energy Future (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via MSN)
37.
Guest Essay: Crucial California Energy Reform
Hinges on Critical Fix to Senate Bill 540 (Fresno Bee, CA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/article310662350.html
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
They Cut Down England’s
Beloved Sycamore Gap Tree. Now They Face Over Four Years in Prison
Small Child Climbs into
Claw Machine at Ohio Community Center
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/07/11/Mason-Ohio-claw-machine-rescue/3951752253692/
British Chefs Cook
Up World's Largest Scotch Egg
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/07/16/Guinness-World-Records-largest-scotch-egg/1951752684454/
California Woman's
Home Flooded with Unwanted Amazon Packages
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/07/11/unwanted-Amazon-packages-San-Jose-California/1801752255748/
Song of the Day
The Carpenters –
Please, Mr. Postman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyGWEq8IXlQ&list=RDfyGWEq8IXlQ&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 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.