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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Southern California
Edison Wildfire Fund to Pay Millions, Fast-Track Death Claims (Reuters)
Red Flag Conditions
Prompt Power Shutoffs in Parts of Southern California (Palm Springs Desert Sun,
CA)
Kennedy Directs CDC
to Study Alleged Harms of Offshore Wind Farms, Bloomberg News Reports (Reuters)
Hurricane Melissa
Roars Through Cuba After Thrashing Jamaica, Haiti (Reuters)
Microsoft Azure,
365 Outage Starting to Ease (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/microsoft-azure-365-outage-starting-173436234.html
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Southern
California Edison Wildfire Fund to Pay Millions, Fast-Track Death Claims
2. Red
Flag Conditions Prompt Power Shutoffs in Parts of Southern California
3. Idaho
Develops Process for Utility Companies to Submit Wildfire Mitigation Plans
4. California:
Local Leaders Push for Overdue Oroville Dam Deal to Benefit Community
5. U.S.
Strikes $80 Billion Deal for New Nuclear Power Plants
6. Residential
Electricity Prices Up More Than 6% in August: EIA
7. Mapped:
The Average Cost of Electricity by U.S. State
8. Why
Americans Behind on Utility Bills May Freeze If Fed Government Shutdown Doesn't
End Soon
9. Decades-Old
Property Dispute Involving the Bonneville Power Administration Arrives at U.S.
Supreme Court
10. Chinook
Landing, LLC v. United States
11. Kennedy
Directs CDC to Study Alleged Harms of Offshore Wind Farms, Bloomberg News
Reports
12. Chugach
Electric Advances Alaska’s Largest Solar Project
13. Breakthrough
at Newberry Volcano Could Power 24/7 Clean Energy Future, Company Says
14. Commercial
Dungeness Crab Fishing Season Delayed for All of California
15. Klamath
River Temperatures Changed Dramatically After Dam Removal. That’s Helping
Salmon Swim Farther Upstream
16. Fake
Beaver Dams Help Restore Wyoming Wetlands
17. Almost
40% of Nevada Groundwater Wells Are in Decline, Study Says
18. Climate
Dollars Eyed to Backfill WA Wildfire Funding
19. Bill
Gates Calls for Climate Fight to Shift Focus from Curbing Emissions to Reducing
Human Suffering
20. FCC
Votes to Gut Broadband 'Nutrition Labels.' Here’s What It Means for You
21. In
a First, A Data Center Is Using a Big Battery to Get Online Faster
22. Logistical
Challenges Remain for Adoption of Electric Vehicle Trucks, WA Industry
Advocates Say
23. Meta
Appeals $35 Million Campaign Finance Fine at WA Supreme Court
24. Federal
Reserve Cuts Key Rate as Government Shutdown Clouds Economic Outlook
25. Policymakers
Plan for ‘Energy Superabundance’ at Western Governors Conference
26. Montana
Public Service Commission Taps New President
27. Microsoft
Azure, 365 Outage Starting to Ease
28. Hurricane
Melissa Roars Through Cuba After Thrashing Jamaica, Haiti
29. First
Wave of Amazon Layoffs Detailed as South Sound Delivery Service Shutters
30. Remember
to “Fall Back” and Change Clocks on Nov. 2nd
31. Guest
Essay: We’re Back in Court for Columbia Basin Salmon’s Survival
32. Guest
Essay: Utahns Deserve Lower Bills, Not Higher Profits for PacifiCorp
33.
Guest Essay: Gas Reliance Will Worsen the Energy
Affordability Crisis
Word of the Day
Tenebrous \TEN-uh-bruss\ Adjective – shut off from the light: DARK, MURKY 2: hard to understand: OBSCURE 3: causing gloom.
Brandy was sure her hearing was perfect, since she passed her hearing test with flying colors. “Bat-like perception” was the description from the person administering the test. Therefore, she was at a loss to interpret the tenebrous monosyllabic grunts and gestures being used by the instructor in her afternoon speech class at the Liberian University in Monrovia. “It figures they would hire a caveman for this,” she muttered.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Southern California Edison Wildfire Fund to Pay
Millions, Fast-Track Death Claims (Reuters)
2.
Red Flag Conditions Prompt Power Shutoffs in
Parts of Southern California (Palm Springs Desert Sun, CA)
3.
Idaho Develops Process for Utility Companies to Submit
Wildfire Mitigation Plans (Idaho Capital Sun)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/idaho-develops-process-utility-companies-100153547.html
4.
California: Local Leaders Push for Overdue
Oroville Dam Deal to Benefit Community (KNVN-TV, Chico, CA)
5.
U.S. Strikes $80 Billion Deal for New Nuclear
Power Plants (Reuters)
6.
Residential Electricity Prices Up More Than 6%
in August: EIA (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/residential-electricity-prices-up-more-than-6-in-august-eia/803849/
7.
Mapped: The Average Cost of Electricity by U.S.
State (Visual Capitalist)
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-the-average-cost-of-electricity-by-u-s-state/
8.
Why Americans Behind on Utility Bills May Freeze
If Fed Government Shutdown Doesn't End Soon (USA Today)
9.
Decades-Old Property Dispute Involving the
Bonneville Power Administration Arrives at U.S. Supreme Court (Politico -
Paywall Advisory)
10.
Chinook Landing, LLC v. United States
(FedCircuitBlog)
https://fedcircuitblog.com/supreme-court/petitions/chinook-landing-llc-v-united-states/
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
11.
Kennedy Directs CDC to Study Alleged Harms of Offshore
Wind Farms, Bloomberg News Reports (Reuters)
12.
Chugach Electric Advances Alaska’s Largest Solar
Project (Must Read Alaska)
https://mustreadalaska.com/chugach-electric-advances-alaskas-largest-solar-project/
13.
Breakthrough at Newberry Volcano Could Power
24/7 Clean Energy Future, Company Says (KBNZ-TV, Bend, OR)
Fish & Wildlife
14.
Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishing Season Delayed
for All of California (KSBW-TV, Monterey, CA)
15.
Klamath River Temperatures Changed Dramatically
After Dam Removal. That’s Helping Salmon Swim Farther Upstream (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/28/klamath-river-temperatures-dam-removal-salmon-upstream/
Environmental Afflatus –
Clean Up on Aisle Three
16.
Fake Beaver Dams Help Restore Wyoming Wetlands
(WyoFile)
https://wyofile.com/fake-beaver-dams-help-restore-wyoming-wetlands/
Water, Water, Anywhere?
17.
Almost 40% of Nevada Groundwater Wells Are in
Decline, Study Says (Idaho Capital Sun)
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
18.
Climate Dollars Eyed to Backfill WA Wildfire
Funding (Washington State Standard)
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/briefs/climate-dollars-eyed-for-wa-wildfire-funding/
19.
Bill Gates Calls for Climate Fight to Shift
Focus from Curbing Emissions to Reducing Human Suffering (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/bill-gates-climate-change-united-nations-4108f76e746d1e3e13845f33b8ae7007
London Calling
–Telecommunications
20.
FCC Votes to Gut Broadband 'Nutrition Labels.'
Here’s What It Means for You (C|Net News)
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
21.
In a First, A Data Center Is Using a Big Battery
to Get Online Faster (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/batteries/aligned-data-center-get-online-faster
I Sing the Car Electric
22.
Logistical Challenges Remain for Adoption of Electric
Vehicle Trucks, WA Industry Advocates Say (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_1824f3dd-e788-41e3-9e76-f11d09673b99.html
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
23.
Meta Appeals $35 Million Campaign Finance Fine at
WA Supreme Court (Washington State Standard)
Politics, Governance,
and Management
24.
Federal Reserve Cuts Key Rate as Government
Shutdown Clouds Economic Outlook (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-cut-inflation-jobs-e689e1397856aa24ffebdaaefa9762a2
25.
Policymakers Plan for ‘Energy Superabundance’ at
Western Governors Conference (Washington State Standard)
26.
Montana Public Service Commission Taps New
President (The Daily Montanan)
https://dailymontanan.com/2025/10/28/public-service-commission-taps-new-president/
Other Things to Know
About Today
27.
Microsoft Azure, 365 Outage Starting to Ease (Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/microsoft-azure-365-outage-starting-173436234.html
28.
Hurricane Melissa Roars Through Cuba After
Thrashing Jamaica, Haiti (Reuters)
29.
First Wave of Amazon Layoffs Detailed as South
Sound Delivery Service Shutters (Tacoma News-Tribune, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/first-wave-amazon-layoffs-detailed-153926492.html
30.
Remember to “Fall Back” and Change Clocks on
Nov. 2nd (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/clock-change-sunday-november-3rd/
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
31.
Guest Essay: We’re Back in Court for Columbia
Basin Salmon’s Survival (Seattle Times, WA – Via Save Our Wild Salmon)
32.
Guest Essay: Utahns Deserve Lower Bills, Not
Higher Profits for PacifiCorp (Utah News Dispatch)
33.
Guest Essay: Gas Reliance Will Worsen the Energy
Affordability Crisis (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/natural-gas-energy-affordability-gridlab/803619/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
More Gummy Bears,
Less Chocolate: Halloween Trend Has Been Going for Years
This Alberta Dog
Could Safely Drive a Truck & Serve You Beer — At Least on Paper
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-pug-bartender-9.6951462?cmp=rss
A Newly Discovered
Dr. Seuss Manuscript Will Celebrate America's 250th Anniversary
https://www.kcra.com/article/dr-seuss-sing-the-50-united-states-new-manuscript/69180734
WWI Soldiers’
Messages in a Bottle Found on Australian Beach More Than 100 Years Later
Song of the Day
The Velvet Underground
– Candy Says
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4rbTBKRedE
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