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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots
– Today’s Top Five Stories
Americans Lost More Power Last Year Than Any Year in Previous Decade - Hurricanes Accounted for 80% of Those Lost Hours (Utility Dive)
Will Turbines Taller Than Space Needle Hurt Air Traffic at WA’s Third Largest Airport? (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/turbines-taller-space-needle-hurt-205241632.html
Trump Administration Renames Colorado’s National Renewable
Energy Lab: The National Lab of the Rockies (Colorado Public Radio)
https://www.cpr.org/2025/12/01/nrel-renamed-national-lab-of-the-rockies-doe-trump/
Data Centers Are Thirsty for Water. This Nevada Region Is
Prepared, at Least for Now (National Public Radio)
Massive La Nina Precipitation Coming to the Northwest (Cliff
Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2025/12/massive-la-nino-precipitation-coming-to.html
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Lost More Power Last Year Than Any Year in
Previous Decade - Hurricanes Accounted for 80% of Those Lost Hours
2.
Utah: Rocky Mountain Power Requests 4.48% Rate
Increase to Feed Fire Fund
3.
B.C. Hydro Taking Family to Court Over Blocked
Work on Major Transmission Line
4.
WA State: Police Arrest Three People on Charges
Including Theft of Electricity
5.
Puerto Rico Holds Hearings on Proposed Power
Bill Increases as Customers Fume & Outages Persist
6.
News Release: Energy Department Selects TVA and
Holtec to Advance Deployment of U.S. Small Modular Reactors
7.
Power Plants in Southwest Power Pool Can Expand
Up to 20% Under New FERC-Approved Fast-Track Review
8.
Lawmakers Urged to Act as Cyberattacks Target an
Aging U.S. Power Grid
9.
Will Turbines Taller Than Space Needle Hurt Air
Traffic at WA’s Third Largest Airport?
10.
California Has a huge Solar Power Problem. A Fix
Is Coming.
11.
Understanding Why America’s Biggest Solar
Thermal Project Is Coming to an End
12.
Final Topsoil Report of 2025 Shows Dry
Conditions in the Pacific Northwest
13.
Half of 2025 Climate Commitment Act Spending
Went Toward Washington State Ferry Fleet Electrification
14.
North Dakota On Track to Be First in Nation with
100% Broadband Internet Access
15.
Data Centers Are Thirsty for Water. This Nevada
Region Is Prepared, at Least for Now
16.
The Artificial Intelligence Frenzy Is Driving a
Memory Chip Supply Crisis
17.
IBM CEO Says There Is ‘No Way’ Spending
Trillions on Artificial Intelligence Data Centers Will Pay Off at Today’s
Infrastructure Costs
18.
Electric Vehicle Sales Are Way Down. Here’s Why
That Might Not Be a Big Deal.
19.
YouTube Says It Will Comply with Australia’s
Teen Social Media Ban
20.
WA State: Fifteen of World’s Most Influential
Scientists Work for, or with, This Tri-Cities Lab
21.
Trump Administration Renames Colorado’s National
Renewable Energy Lab: The National Lab of the Rockies
22.
U.S. House Must Vote Now on Build More Hydro
Act, Congressional Legislators Say
23.
Massive La Nina Precipitation Coming to the
Northwest
24.
Podcast: Lewis County PUD GM David Plotz
Discusses Clean Energy Implementation Plan, Data Centers
Word of the Day
Horologist \huh-RAWL-uh-jist\ Noun – 1: a person skilled in the practice or theory of horology 2: a maker of clocks or watches.
“Tic-toc, look at my clocks,” announced the wizened horologist to his assembled guests. Albert jumped a foot when they all started to chime at once. “Golly,” he thought. “This just like the ‘Time’ track on ‘Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon!’”
Energy
& Utility Issues
1.
Americans Lost More Power Last Year Than Any
Year in Previous Decade - Hurricanes Accounted for 80% of Those Lost Hours (Utility
Dive)
2. Utah: Rocky Mountain Power Requests 4.48% Rate Increase to Feed Fire Fund (Utah News Dispatch)
https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2025/12/02/rocky-mountain-power-rate-increase-for-fire-damage-fund/
3.
B.C. Hydro Taking Family to Court Over Blocked
Work on Major Transmission Line (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
4.
WA State: Police Arrest Three People on Charges
Including Theft of Electricity (KAPP-TV, Yakima, WA)
5.
Puerto Rico Holds Hearings on Proposed Power
Bill Increases as Customers Fume & Outages Persist (Associated Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/world/puerto-rico-holds-hearings-on-proposed-power-bill-a21219181
6.
News Release: Energy Department Selects TVA and
Holtec to Advance Deployment of U.S. Small Modular Reactors (U.S. Department of
Energy)
7.
Power Plants in Southwest Power Pool Can Expand
Up to 20% Under New FERC-Approved Fast-Track Review (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-spp-priority-process-power-plant-expansion/806630/
8.
Lawmakers Urged to Act as Cyberattacks Target an
Aging U.S. Power Grid (Daily Energy Insider)
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
9.
Will Turbines Taller Than Space Needle Hurt Air
Traffic at WA’s Third Largest Airport? (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/turbines-taller-space-needle-hurt-205241632.html
10.
California Has a huge Solar Power Problem. A Fix
Is Coming. (San Francisco Chronicle, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/california-huge-solar-power-problem-120000452.html
11.
Understanding Why America’s Biggest Solar
Thermal Project Is Coming to an End (Interesting Engineering)
https://interestingengineering.com/energy/americas-biggest-solar-thermal-project
Water,
Water, Anywhere?
12.
Final Topsoil Report of 2025 Shows Dry
Conditions in the Pacific Northwest (Pacific Northwest Ag Network)
https://pnwag.net/nw-topsoil-remains-dry/
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
13.
Half of 2025 Climate Commitment Act Spending
Went Toward Washington State Ferry Fleet Electrification (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_ae7a9398-30ca-48c8-a819-39d666ac0838.html
London
Calling –Telecommunications
14.
North Dakota On Track to Be First in Nation with
100% Broadband Internet Access (North Dakota Monitor)
The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
15.
Data Centers Are Thirsty for Water. This Nevada Region
Is Prepared, at Least for Now (National Public Radio)
16.
The Artificial Intelligence Frenzy Is Driving a
Memory Chip Supply Crisis (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/ai-frenzy-is-driving-new-global-supply-chain-crisis-2025-12-03/
17.
IBM CEO Says There Is ‘No Way’ Spending
Trillions on Artificial Intelligence Data Centers Will Pay Off at Today’s
Infrastructure Costs (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ibm-ceo-says-no-way-103010877.html
I
Sing the Car Electric
18.
Electric Vehicle Sales Are Way Down. Here’s Why
That Might Not Be a Big Deal. (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/solutions/ev-sales-are-way-down-heres-why-that-might-not-be-a-big-deal/
Public
Relations, Marketing & Media
19.
YouTube Says It Will Comply with Australia’s Teen
Social Media Ban (Reuters)
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
20.
WA State: Fifteen of World’s Most Influential
Scientists Work for, or with, This Tri-Cities Lab (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via
Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/15-world-most-influential-scientists-130000407.html
Politics,
Governance, and Management
21.
Trump Administration Renames Colorado’s National
Renewable Energy Lab: The National Lab of the Rockies (Colorado Public Radio)
https://www.cpr.org/2025/12/01/nrel-renamed-national-lab-of-the-rockies-doe-trump/
22.
U.S. House Must Vote Now on Build More Hydro Act,
Congressional Legislators Say (Daily Energy Insider)
Other
Things to Know About Today
23.
Massive La Nina Precipitation Coming to the
Northwest (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2025/12/massive-la-nino-precipitation-coming-to.html
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
24.
Podcast: Lewis County PUD GM David Plotz
Discusses Clean Energy Implementation Plan, Data Centers (American Public Power
Association)
https://www.publicpower.org/podcasts
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
New Zealand Man Accused of Eating Faberge Pendant Inspired by
Bond Movie as Police Wait for Evidence
Fabergé Egg Fetches Record $30.2 Million at Rare Auction
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/faberg-egg-fetches-record-30-174326466.html
Raccoon Goes on Drunken Rampage in Virginia Liquor Store &
Passes Out on Bathroom Floor
An Artist Makes Tiny Suits of Armor for Mice
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/02/nx-s1-5529413/an-artist-makes-tiny-suits-of-armor-for-mice
Song of the Day
Al Stewart – Time Passages
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6vuCWGKwqg
Links & Paywall Advisory
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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