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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Multiple
Atmospheric Rivers & Substantial Precipitation (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2025/10/multiple-atmospheric-rivers-and.html
NERC President
Warns of ‘Five-Alarm Fire’ for Grid Reliability (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/data-center-grid-reliability-ferc-nerc/803467/
PacifiCorp Reaches
$125 Million Settlement with Oregon Wineries, Vineyards Over Wildfire Smoke
Damage to Crops (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
For the Birds:
Horse Heaven Project Could Shrink to Protect Ferruginous Hawks (The Center
Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_617dca8f-01c6-4fc9-9a20-32e637ba13bc.html
State Halts Rebates
to Farmers Hit with Fuel Fees Under WA Climate Law (Washington State Standard)
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. NERC
President Warns of ‘Five-Alarm Fire’ for Grid Reliability
2. PacifiCorp
Reaches $125 Million Settlement with Oregon Wineries, Vineyards Over Wildfire
Smoke Damage to Crops
3. Oregon:
Holiday Farm Fire Survivors Blame the Bonneville Power Administration, EWEB;
Justice Yet to Come
4. NorthWestern
Plans ‘Large Load’ Tariff for Montana Data Centers
5. Hydro
Project Upgrade to Restrict Access to Oregon Reservoir for Five Years
6. After
Closing Coal Plants, Idaho Power Is the Rare Utility Cutting Rates
7. Video:
Small Nuclear Reactors – Why Canada Is Investing Billions
8. LIHEAP
Funding at Risk Amidst Shutdown
9. Idaho:
Twin Falls May Get Push-Button Waterfalls
10. The
Bonneville Power Administration Solidifies Senior Leadership Positions; Suzanne
Cooper Named Deputy Administrator & COO
11. For
the Birds: Horse Heaven Project Could Shrink to Protect Ferruginous Hawks
12. Proposal
for 1,300-Acre Solar Farm Goes Again to Washington Governor for Approval
13. Heat
Pumps Face Their Toughest Test Yet
14. Sea
Cucumbers Wash Ashore by the Thousands in a Coastal Oregon Town
15. Idaho
Power Boosts Snake River Fishing with 70,000 Rainbow Trout Release
16. One
of the World’s Rarest Whales That Makes the Atlantic Its Home Grows in
Population
17. Kennewick
Irrigation District Appeals Water Curtailment Order
18. Washington
State Cities Face Unprecedented Water Cuts Amid Drought
19. Water
Tensions Rise on Both Sides of the Cascades
20. State
Halts Rebates to Farmers Hit with Fuel Fees Under WA Climate Law
21. A
DNS Error Appeared to Cause a Major AWS Outage, Bringing Down Platforms from
Reddit to Snapchat
22. Satellite
Images Show How Data Centers Are Changing America's Landscape
23. Newspapers
Closing, News Deserts Growing for Beleaguered News Industry
24. A
Theory Why the Internet Is Going Down the Toilet
25. Five
Steps to Find Balance Between the Madness and Magic of Artificial Intelligence
26. Key
U.S. Senate Panel Approves Bill That Would Help Co-ops Reduce Wildfire Risk
27. Multiple
Atmospheric Rivers & Substantial Precipitation
28. La
Niña’s Fingerprints Are All Over Winter Weather Forecasts
29. Analysis-New
Copper Demand Drivers from U.S., India as China Juggernaut Slows
30. Editorial:
Will Wild Salmon Pay the Price for Artificial Intelligence?
31.
Guest Essay: Utility Identity Fraud Is a Bigger
Problem Than People Think
Word of the Day – Horrible Haiku Edition
Blandish \BLANN-dish\ Verb - 1: to coax or persuade with flattery: cajole 2: to act or speak in a flattering or coaxing manner.\
Blandishments aside
Haggis is Haggis, always
Not my cup of guts
https://joelshorriblehaiku.blogspot.com/
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
NERC President Warns of ‘Five-Alarm Fire’ for Grid
Reliability (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/data-center-grid-reliability-ferc-nerc/803467/
2.
PacifiCorp Reaches $125 Million Settlement with Oregon
Wineries, Vineyards Over Wildfire Smoke Damage to Crops (The Oregonian,
Portland, OR)
3.
Oregon: Holiday Farm Fire Survivors Blame the Bonneville
Power Administration, EWEB; Justice Yet to Come (The Lookout, Eugene, OR)
4.
NorthWestern Plans ‘Large Load’ Tariff for Montana
Data Centers (Utility Dive)
5.
Hydro Project Upgrade to Restrict Access to Oregon
Reservoir for Five Years (KVAL-TV, Eugene, OR)
https://kval.com/outdoors/hydro-project-upgrade-to-restrict-access-to-reservoir-for-5-years
6.
After Closing Coal Plants, Idaho Power Is the
Rare Utility Cutting Rates (Latitude Media)
7.
Video: Small Nuclear Reactors – Why Canada Is
Investing Billions (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6945943
8.
LIHEAP Funding at Risk Amidst Shutdown (KMVT-TV,
Twin Falls, ID)
https://www.kmvt.com/2025/10/22/liheap-funding-risk-amidst-shutdown/
9.
Idaho: Twin Falls May Get Push-Button Waterfalls
(KIVI-TV, Nampa, ID)
10.
The Bonneville Power Administration Solidifies
Senior Leadership Positions; Suzanne Cooper Named Deputy Administrator & COO
(Bonneville Power Administration)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
11.
For the Birds: Horse Heaven Project Could Shrink
to Protect Ferruginous Hawks (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_617dca8f-01c6-4fc9-9a20-32e637ba13bc.html
12.
Proposal for 1,300-Acre Solar Farm Goes Again to
Washington Governor for Approval (Washington State Standard)
Conservation &
Efficiency
13.
Heat Pumps Face Their Toughest Test Yet (Yahoo!
News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/heat-pumps-face-toughest-test-150000425.html
Fish & Wildlife
14.
Sea Cucumbers Wash Ashore by the Thousands in a Coastal
Oregon Town (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/oregon-sea-cucumbers-wash-ashore-seaside-083a22bbd6b7ba94d5aa4c727b51ba4a
15.
Idaho Power Boosts Snake River Fishing with 70,000
Rainbow Trout Release (KTVB-TV, Boise, ID)
16.
One of the World’s Rarest Whales That Makes the Atlantic
Its Home Grows in Population (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/right-whales-endangered-species-fishing-4e732806eb7f52a0e3dc2db42dbd1361
Water, Water, Anywhere?
17.
Kennewick Irrigation District Appeals Water
Curtailment Order (KNDO & KNDU-TV, Yakima/Tri-Cities, WA)
18.
Washington State Cities Face Unprecedented Water
Cuts Amid Drought (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
19.
Water Tensions Rise on Both Sides of the Cascades
(Washington State Standard)
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/10/21/major-water-decisions-on-both-sides-of-the-cascades/
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
20.
State Halts Rebates to Farmers Hit with Fuel
Fees Under WA Climate Law (Washington State Standard)
London Calling
–Telecommunications
21.
A DNS Error Appeared to Cause a Major AWS Outage,
Bringing Down Platforms from Reddit to Snapchat (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/common-error-appeared-cause-major-010258022.html
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
22.
Satellite Images Show How Data Centers Are
Changing America's Landscape (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/satellite-images-show-data-centers-103501609.html
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
23.
Newspapers Closing, News Deserts Growing for
Beleaguered News Industry (Associated Press)
24.
A Theory Why the Internet Is Going Down the Toilet
(Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/21/theory-why-the-internet-is-going-down-the-toilet/
25.
Five Steps to Find Balance Between the Madness
and Magic of Artificial Intelligence (Pioneer Utility Resources)
https://www.pioneerutilityresources.com/2025aiworkshop/
Politics, Governance,
and Management
26.
Key U.S. Senate Panel Approves Bill That Would
Help Co-ops Reduce Wildfire Risk (National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association)
https://www.electric.coop/key-senate-panel-approves-bill-that-would-help-co-ops-reduce-wildfire-risk
Other Things to Know
About Today
27.
Multiple Atmospheric Rivers & Substantial
Precipitation (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2025/10/multiple-atmospheric-rivers-and.html
28.
La Niña’s Fingerprints Are All Over Winter
Weather Forecasts (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/oct/21/la-ninas-fingerprints-are-all-over-winter-weather-/
29.
Analysis-New Copper Demand Drivers from U.S., India
as China Juggernaut Slows (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/analysis-copper-demand-drivers-us-000253643.html
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
30.
Editorial: Will Wild Salmon Pay the Price for Artificial
Intelligence? (The Daily Astorian, OR)
https://dailyastorian.com/2025/10/22/editorial-will-wild-salmon-pay-the-price-for-ai/
31.
Guest Essay: Utility Identity Fraud Is a Bigger
Problem Than People Think (Utility Dive)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Woman Cooks 40
Recipes Found on Gravestones – And Says They’re “To Die For”
NASA Confirms Earth
Now Has Two Moons Until 2083
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/nasa-confirms-earth-now-two-213956357.html
This Seat Taken? Thieves
Busted for Stealing Over 1,000 Restaurant Chairs in Spain
https://apnews.com/article/stolen-chairs-spain-restaurants-51556ca98953700f5a9c305b59b0fa5c
Errol the Courthouse
Dog Retires After a Decade of Service
https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/10/22/king-county-errol-courthouse-dog-retires-seattle
Song of the Day
George Strait - The
Chair
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfUdRDxNjpI
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Links in The Energy News Digest are for current stories. Media organizations frequently update their websites, which may result in broken links.
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