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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Nuclear Power Ventures Heat Up
Around Washington State (Washington State Standard)
Germany: Activist Group Says It
Was Behind Berlin Fire That Cut Power to Thousands (British Broadcasting
Corporation)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78v984ywgeo
Big Tech’s Fast-Expanding Plans
for Data Centers Are Running into Stiff Community Opposition (Associated Press)
Wyoming: Backer of Controversial
Seminoe Pumped Hydroelectric Project Proposes New Tack (WyoFile)
https://wyofile.com/backer-of-controversial-seminoe-hydroelectric-project-proposes-new-tack/
Offshore Wind Companies Challenge
Trump Anti-Wind Orders (The Hill, Washington, DC)
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5670336-offshore-wind-trump-court-challenge/
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Nuclear Power Ventures Heat Up Around Washington
State
2.
Germany: Activist Group Says It Was Behind
Berlin Fire That Cut Power to Thousands
3.
California: Modesto Man Electrocuted, Killed by
Touching MID Transformer Line
4.
Three Maryland Men Charged with Stealing
Millions in Copper Materials Linked to Organized Crime, Deputies Say
5.
Puget Sound Energy Electric, Natural Gas Rates
Go Up
6.
WA State: Car Suspended in the Air After Driver
Hits Downed Power Lines in Mason County
7.
ESIG Task Force Recommends Transmission Reforms
for a More Reliable, Efficient Grid
8.
Negative Prices for Electricity Are Getting More
Common in Europe & Consumer Costs Have Dipped—While Americans Face Rising
Energy Bills
9.
Oregon:100 Years of Albany Hydro: Is This the
End?
10.
Offshore Wind Companies Challenge Trump
Anti-Wind Orders
11.
Wyoming: Backer of Controversial Seminoe Pumped
Hydroelectric Project Proposes New Tack
12.
California Water District Plans Up to 21 GW of
Solar on Land Fallowed Due to Water Shortages
13.
New California Fee Seeks to Increase Collection,
Recycling of Lithium Batteries
14.
U.S. Senate Bill Would Strip Broadband Funding
15.
Big Tech’s Fast-Expanding Plans for Data Centers
Are Running into Stiff Community Opposition
16.
Artificial Intelligence Data Centers Are Forcing
Dirty ‘Peaker’ Power Plants Back into Service
17.
$126 Million Incentive Program for Zero-Emission
Trucks Nears Launch in WA
18.
Tesla Loses Title as World’s Biggest Electric
Vehicle Maker as Sales Fall for Second Year in a Row
19.
Kansas Co-op Wins National Electric Vehicle
Award for Education, Infrastructure Efforts
20.
Energy Critical in 2026 WA Legislative Session,
Ybarra Says
21.
Winter Storm Warning: Tough Travel Over the
Oregon Mountains Midweek
22.
Up to Four Feet of Snow Expected in the
Washington Cascades This Week
23.
Guest Essay: Building Up Idaho’s Energy
Infrastructure
24.
Guest Essay: Before Alaska Becomes an Artificial
Intelligence Data Farm, Be Sure to Read the Fine Print
Word of the Day
Solar System \SOE-lerr SIS-tum\ Noun - The sun together with the group of celestial bodies that are held by its attraction and revolve around it; also: a similar system centered on another star.
When did unpermitted mystical creation become OK in someone’s backyard, on their roof, or in the arid desert? “I just installed a solar system at my house,” puffed the spectacled, weekend handyman to his awestruck neighbor. “Wow,” the bystander exclaimed. “How many planets does it have, and are any of them inhabited?”
Energy & Utility Issues
1.
Nuclear Power Ventures Heat Up Around Washington
State (Washington State Standard)
2.
Germany: Activist Group Says It Was Behind
Berlin Fire That Cut Power to Thousands (British Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78v984ywgeo
3.
California: Modesto Man Electrocuted, Killed by
Touching MID Transformer Line (Modesto Bee, CA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.modbee.com/news/local/article314085604.html
4.
Three Maryland Men Charged with Stealing
Millions in Copper Materials Linked to Organized Crime, Deputies Say (WTOP
Radio, Washington, DC)
5.
Puget Sound Energy Electric, Natural Gas Rates
Go Up (Snoqualmie Valley Record, WA)
https://www.valleyrecord.com/northwest/puget-sound-energy-electric-natural-gas-rates-go-up/
6.
WA State: Car Suspended in the Air After Driver
Hits Downed Power Lines in Mason County (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
7.
ESIG Task Force Recommends Transmission Reforms
for a More Reliable, Efficient Grid (Utility Dive)
8.
Negative Prices for Electricity Are Getting More
Common in Europe & Consumer Costs Have Dipped—While Americans Face Rising
Energy Bills (Fortune Magazine)
9.
Oregon:100 Years of Albany Hydro: Is This the End?
(Hasso-Hering News, Albany, OR)
https://hh-today.com/100-years-of-albany-hydro-is-this-the-end/
Renewable Energy & Self Storage
10.
Offshore Wind Companies Challenge Trump
Anti-Wind Orders (The Hill, Washington, DC)
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5670336-offshore-wind-trump-court-challenge/
11.
Wyoming: Backer of Controversial Seminoe Pumped Hydroelectric
Project Proposes New Tack (WyoFile)
https://wyofile.com/backer-of-controversial-seminoe-hydroelectric-project-proposes-new-tack/
12.
California Water District Plans Up to 21 GW of
Solar on Land Fallowed Due to Water Shortages (PV Magazine)
13.
New California Fee Seeks to Increase Collection,
Recycling of Lithium Batteries (San Mateo Daily Journal, CA)
London Calling –Telecommunications
14.
U.S. Senate Bill Would Strip Broadband Funding
(Pacific Northwest Ag Network)
https://pnwag.net/strip-broadband-funding/
The Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
15.
Big Tech’s Fast-Expanding Plans for Data Centers
Are Running into Stiff Community Opposition (Associated Press)
16.
Artificial Intelligence Data Centers Are Forcing
Dirty ‘Peaker’ Power Plants Back into Service (Reuters)
I Sing the Car Electric
17.
$126 Million Incentive Program for Zero-Emission
Trucks Nears Launch in WA (Washington State Standard)
18.
Tesla Loses Title as World’s Biggest Electric
Vehicle Maker as Sales Fall for Second Year in a Row (NBC News)
19.
Kansas Co-op Wins National Electric Vehicle
Award for Education, Infrastructure Efforts (National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association)
https://www.electric.coop/kansas-co-op-wins-national-ev-award-for-education-infrastructure-efforts
Politics, Governance, and Management
20.
Energy Critical in 2026 WA Legislative Session,
Ybarra Says (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
Other Things to Know About Today
21.
Winter Storm Warning: Tough Travel Over the Oregon
Mountains Midweek (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
https://www.koin.com/weather/winter-storm-warning-tough-travel-over-the-mountains-midweek-01052026/
22.
Up to Four Feet of Snow Expected in the Washington
Cascades This Week (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox Populi
23.
Guest Essay: Building Up Idaho’s Energy
Infrastructure (Idaho State Journal)
24.
Guest Essay: Before Alaska Becomes an Artificial
Intelligence Data Farm, Be Sure to Read the Fine Print (Anchorage Daily News,
AK)
https://www.adn.com/opinions/2026/01/03/opinion-before-alaska-becomes-an-ai-data-farm-be-sure-to-read-the-fine-print/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Bluefin Tuna Fetches Record $3.2m at Tokyo Auction
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/bluefin-tuna-fetches-record-3-081953186.htm
Artificial Intelligence-Generated
Police Report States Utah Officer Was Turned into a Frog
Sniffing Cities: Researcher Uses ‘Smell
Walks’ to Map the World’s Scents
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/smellscape-atlas-9.7031519
Escaped Monkey Causes Chaos
Inside Tennessee Music Store
Song of the Day
Dimitri Tiomkin – The Old Man and
the Sea (Soundtrack Suite)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iTn8Ftq9Sg
Links & Paywall Advisory
Links in The Energy News Digest
are for current stories. Media organizations frequently update their websites,
which can cause 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 cookies may help you access certain paywall sites.
