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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Microsoft Blames
Chinese-Backed Hackers for SharePoint Breaches (CNBC)
Artificial
Intelligence Data Centers Are Using More Power. Regular Customers Are Footing
the Bill (Washington State Standard)
Severe Drought
Causing Utah Reservoir Levels to Drop at ‘Concerning’ Rate (Utah News Dispatch)
https://utahnewsdispatch.com/briefs/drought-in-utah-causing-reservoir-levels-to-drop/
State of Idaho Has
Paused All Work on Federal Program Developing Sites for Electric Vehicle
Charging Stations (Idaho Capital Sun)
Mount Rainier’s
Quake Swarm Breaks Seismic Records (Axios Seattle)
https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/07/21/mount-rainier-earthquake-swarm-seismic-volcano-data
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Artificial
Intelligence Data Centers Are Using More Power. Regular Customers Are Footing
the Bill
2. CNBC
Lists 10 States with Grids Best Positioned to Power Artificial Intelligence
Data Center Boom
3. Avista
Employs New Technology to Identify & Prevent Wildfires
4. Investigation
Leads to Felony Charges for Cut Utility Wires in King County
5. Coal-Fired
Power Plants Are Well-Stocked This Year
6. Tennessee,
Local Governments Will Forgo Sales Taxes on $4.5 Billion Nuclear Facility
7. Africa:
World’s Largest Power Station Could Provide Energy for Half of U.S. Homes
8. Wyoming:
Federal Funding Rebooted for Wind River Reservation Solar Project
9. Bureau
of Land Management Geothermal Leases in Oregon Sale Net More Than $430,000
10. How
Native Homes in New Mexico Are Tapping the Sun
11. United
Nations Says Booming Solar, Wind & Other Green Energy Hits Global Tipping
Point for Even Lower Costs
12. Experts
Assess Damage from Fuel Tanker Crash into Washington State Salmon Stream
13. Severe
Drought Causing Utah Reservoir Levels to Drop at ‘Concerning’ Rate
14. To
Fight Cancer-Causing ‘Erin Brockovich’ Toxin, California May Give Water
Districts Legal Cover
15. Court
Upholds a Landmark Clean-Heat Rule in Southern California
16. United
Nations’ Top Court Says Failing to Protect Planet from Climate Change Could
Violate International Law
17. WA
State: Pacific PUD Fiber Project Finished in East Bay
18. Microsoft
Blames Chinese-Backed Hackers for SharePoint Breaches
19. U.S.
Nuclear Weapons Agency Breached in Microsoft SharePoint Hack: Bloomberg
20. OpenAI
Is Eating Microsoft’s Lunch – Copilot Is Getting Kicked Out of the Cockpit
21. State
of Idaho Has Paused All Work on Federal Program Developing Sites for Electric
Vehicle Charging Stations
22. Less
Than 400 Electric Vehicle Charging Ports Built Under $7.5 Billion U.S.
Infrastructure Program
23. As
Tesla’s Sales Dwindle, a Critical Revenue Source Is Running Dry
24. GM
Says Electric Vehicles Are Its ‘North Star’ as Legacy Automaker Chases Tesla
25. Mount
Rainier’s Quake Swarm Breaks Seismic Records
26. Earth
Is Experiencing Some of Its Shortest Days on Record. It’s Unclear Why
27. A
Look at Megafires as an Oregon Wildfire Approaches the 100,000-Acre Mark
28. Eaton
Fire Could Wipe Out California’s $21-Billion Wildfire Fund, Documents Show
29. Travel
Warning: Measles Cases at Highest Since Virus Was Considered Eradicated
30.
Guest Essay: Idaho Conservation League Is
Willing to Talk About Nuclear Power
Word of the Day
Bohemian \bo-HEE-mee-un\ Noun - 1a: a native or inhabitant of Bohemia b: the group of Czech dialects used in Bohemia 2a: vagabond, wanderer; especially gypsy b: a person (as a writer or an artist) living an unconventional life usually in a colony with others.
Barnabas thought he was living life to the Bohemian fullest: rooming with four guys; drinking Jägermeister each night with wild abandon; blogging incoherently about anything and everything that popped into his febrile mind; rolling out of bed, bleary-eyed the following morning to raise the dough for rent and Top Ramen. His distraught mother put it more succinctly: “My son? He’s living like a bum.”
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Artificial Intelligence Data Centers Are Using
More Power. Regular Customers Are Footing the Bill (Washington State Standard)
2.
CNBC Lists 10 States with Grids Best Positioned
to Power Artificial Intelligence Data Center Boom (American Public Power
Association)
3.
Avista Employs New Technology to Identify &
Prevent Wildfires (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)
4.
Investigation Leads to Felony Charges for Cut
Utility Wires in King County (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
5.
Coal-Fired Power Plants Are Well-Stocked This
Year (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65787
6.
Tennessee, Local Governments Will Forgo Sales
Taxes on $4.5 Billion Nuclear Facility (Tennessee Lookout)
7.
Africa: World’s Largest Power Station Could
Provide Energy for Half of U.S. Homes (MSN News)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
8.
Wyoming: Federal Funding Rebooted for Wind River
Reservation Solar Project (Wyoming Public Media)
9.
Bureau of Land Management Geothermal Leases in Oregon
Sale Net More Than $430,000 (Elkhorn Media Group, LaGrande, OR)
https://elkhornmediagroup.com/blm-geothermal-leases-in-oregon-sale-net-more-than-430000/
10.
How Native Homes in New Mexico Are Tapping the
Sun (New York Times – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/climate/new-mexico-navajo-power.html
11.
United Nations Says Booming Solar, Wind &
Other Green Energy Hits Global Tipping Point for Even Lower Costs (Associated
Press)
Fish & Wildlife
12.
Experts Assess Damage from Fuel Tanker Crash into
Washington State Salmon Stream (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
Water, Water, Anywhere?
13.
Severe Drought Causing Utah Reservoir Levels to Drop
at ‘Concerning’ Rate (Utah News Dispatch)
https://utahnewsdispatch.com/briefs/drought-in-utah-causing-reservoir-levels-to-drop/
14.
To Fight Cancer-Causing ‘Erin Brockovich’ Toxin,
California May Give Water Districts Legal Cover (Cal Matters)
https://calmatters.org/environment/2025/07/california-erin-brockovich-chemical-lawsuit/
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
15.
Court Upholds a Landmark Clean-Heat Rule in Southern
California (Canary Media)
16.
United Nations’ Top Court Says Failing to
Protect Planet from Climate Change Could Violate International Law (Associated
Press)
https://apnews.com/article/un-court-opinion-climate-change-1ac84a94a5aaffd63518ef1da3502a9e
London Calling
–Telecommunications
17.
WA State: Pacific PUD Fiber Project Finished in East
Bay (Chinook Observer, Long Beach, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://chinookobserver.com/2025/07/22/pud-fiber-project-finished-in-east-bay/
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
18.
Microsoft Blames Chinese-Backed Hackers for
SharePoint Breaches (CNBC)
19.
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Agency Breached in
Microsoft SharePoint Hack: Bloomberg (Huffington Post)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/text_n_68803549e4b0f277db44d940
20.
OpenAI Is Eating Microsoft’s Lunch – Copilot Is
Getting Kicked Out of the Cockpit (Gizmodo)
https://gizmodo.com/openai-is-eating-microsofts-lunch-2000630194
I Sing the Car Electric
21.
State of Idaho Has Paused All Work on Federal
Program Developing Sites for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (Idaho Capital
Sun)
22.
Less Than 400 Electric Vehicle Charging Ports
Built Under $7.5 Billion U.S. Infrastructure Program (Reuters)
23.
As Tesla’s Sales Dwindle, a Critical Revenue
Source Is Running Dry (Gizmodo)
https://gizmodo.com/as-teslas-sales-dwindle-a-critical-revenue-source-is-running-dry-2000632872
24.
GM Says Electric Vehicles Are Its ‘North Star’ as
Legacy Automaker Chases Tesla (CNBC)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/22/general-motors-electric-vehicles-tesla.html
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
25.
Mount Rainier’s Quake Swarm Breaks Seismic
Records (Axios Seattle)
https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/07/21/mount-rainier-earthquake-swarm-seismic-volcano-data
26.
Earth Is Experiencing Some of Its Shortest Days on
Record. It’s Unclear Why (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
Other Things to Know
About Today
27.
A Look at Megafires as an Oregon Wildfire
Approaches the 100,000-Acre Mark (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/megafire-wildfires-oregon-cram-fire-9aec4a2ac9ed8a43446e866b31b0985b
28.
Eaton Fire Could Wipe Out California’s $21-Billion
Wildfire Fund, Documents Show (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/eaton-fire-could-wipe-californias-100000690.html
29.
Travel Warning: Measles Cases at Highest Since
Virus Was Considered Eradicated (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
30.
Guest Essay: Idaho Conservation League Is
Willing to Talk About Nuclear Power (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/idaho-conservation-league-willing-talk-100000220.html
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Grieving Family
Adopt ‘Identical’ Dog After Losing Pet, Then Make Wild DNA Discovery
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/grieving-family-adopt-identical-dog-35572071
Ground Squirrels
Are Taking Over Minot, North Dakota, Possibly Outnumbering City’s Human
Population
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/ground-squirrels-prairie-dogs-minot-north-dakota/
Ozzy Osbourne Dies at
76, Weeks After Farewell Black Sabbath Concert; Follow Live Updates as Tributes
Pour in from Music Legends
Physicists Blow Up
Gold with Giant Lasers, Accidentally Disprove Renowned Physics Model
Song of the Day
The Moody Blues – I
Know You’re Out There Somewhere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guHQwOF2Qk8&list=RDguHQwOF2Qk8&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
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