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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Are Puget Sound
Energy Bills Going Up Again? Here’s What Customers Would Pay Under New Plan
(Tacoma News-Tribune, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/pse-bills-going-again-customers-120000373.html
Landmark Offshore
Wind Farms Come Online in the U.S. (Scientific American – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/landmark-offshore-wind-farms-come-173500701.html
Pacific Northwest
Looking at a Dry Spring, Summer & Fall for Agriculture (Northwest Public
Broadcasting)
WA Republicans Warn
Eliminated Tax Cut Could Push Data Centers to Competitor States (The Center
Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_a7e28c3b-ce3d-4605-9830-0e07d9692e57.html
Extreme Heat
Warning: 100-Degree Temps to Hit Southern California (KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, CA)
https://ktla.com/weather/extreme-heat-warning-100-degree-temps-to-hit-southern-california-this-week/
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Are
Puget Sound Energy Bills Going Up Again? Here’s What Customers Would Pay Under
New Plan
2. The
States Where Americans Pay the Most — And Least — For Electricity
3. Hydropower’s
Winter Role in Keeping the Pacific Northwest Running
4. Oregon:
Drone Footage Shows Herculean Effort to Remove 60 Acres of Logs from Popular
Clackamas County Boating Spot
5. U.S.
Natural Gas Production Reached a New Record in 2025
6. Cuba
Begins Restoring Power After Energy Grid Collapses in Nationwide Blackout
7. An
Expert Says His Plan Would Slash Energy Bills by 30 Percent
8. Southwest
Power Pool Prepares to Expand into Western Interconnection Region
9. U.S.
Energy Department Announces $1.9 Billion Investment in Critical Grid
Infrastructure to Reduce Electricity Costs
10. Landmark
Offshore Wind Farms Come Online in the U.S.
11. Amazon
Buys Site of Oregon’s Largest Planned Solar & Energy Storage Project
12. Solar
Plant Win for Hawaiian Energy Co-Operative
13. Nevada:
Red Rock Pumped Hydropower Proposal ‘Simply Does Not Align’ with Conservation
Goals, Water Officials Say
14. Pacific
Northwest Looking at a Dry Spring, Summer & Fall for Agriculture
15. New
Targeted Tax in WA Aims to Keep Coal Power Plant Shut Down
16. Broadband
Program Uncertainty Has Lawmakers, States on Watch
17. Larger
Municipal Networks Outperforming on Upload Speeds: Ookla
18. WA
Republicans Warn Eliminated Tax Cut Could Push Data Centers to Competitor
States
19. Report:
Oregon's Data Centers Threaten State's Climate Goals
20. Drivers
Wonder If They Should Go Electric as the War Spikes Gas Prices
21. Concerns
About New WA Agency Tasked with Modernizing Energy Grid
22. American
Public Power Association Urges U.S. Senate Action on Permitting Reform
23. Extreme
Heat Warning: 100-Degree Temps to Hit Southern California
24. Why
Adding New Nuclear Power in Washington Will Take Time
25.
Washington Association of Wheat Growers Leads Ag
Letter to Legislators on Dam Study Funding
Word of the Day
Splendiferous
\spel-DIFF-uh-russ\ Adjective - Extraordinarily or showily impressive.
Bertha’s entry at the hat party was the most splendiferous of all.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Are Puget Sound Energy Bills Going Up Again?
Here’s What Customers Would Pay Under New Plan (Tacoma News-Tribune, WA – Via
Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/pse-bills-going-again-customers-120000373.html
2.
The States Where Americans Pay the Most — And
Least — For Electricity (Fox Business)
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/states-where-americans-pay-most-least-electricity
3.
Hydropower’s Winter Role in Keeping the Pacific Northwest
Running (Salem Statesman-Journal, OR)
4.
Oregon: Drone Footage Shows Herculean Effort to
Remove 60 Acres of Logs from Popular Clackamas County Boating Spot (The
Oregonian, Portland, OR)
5.
U.S. Natural Gas Production Reached a New Record
in 2025 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67345
6.
Cuba Begins Restoring Power After Energy Grid
Collapses in Nationwide Blackout (CBS News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/cubas-national-energy-grid-collapses-190150722.html
7.
An Expert Says His Plan Would Slash Energy Bills
by 30 Percent (Washington Post – Via MSN News)
8.
Southwest Power Pool Prepares to Expand into
Western Interconnection Region (Daily Energy Insider)
9.
U.S. Energy Department Announces $1.9 Billion
Investment in Critical Grid Infrastructure to Reduce Electricity Costs (U.S.
Dept of Energy)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
10.
Landmark Offshore Wind Farms Come Online in the
U.S. (Scientific American – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/landmark-offshore-wind-farms-come-173500701.html
11.
Amazon Buys Site of Oregon’s Largest Planned
Solar & Energy Storage Project (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/11/oregon-amazon-solar-energy-storage-project/
12.
Solar Plant Win for Hawaiian Energy Co-Operative
(Coop News)
https://www.thenews.coop/solar-plant-win-for-hawaiian-energy-co-operative/
13. Nevada:
Red Rock Pumped Hydropower Proposal ‘Simply Does Not Align’ with Conservation
Goals, Water Officials Say (Nevada Current)
Water, Water, Anywhere?
14.
Pacific Northwest Looking at a Dry Spring,
Summer & Fall for Agriculture (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
15.
New Targeted Tax in WA Aims to Keep Coal Power
Plant Shut Down (Washington State Standard)
London Calling
–Telecommunications
16.
Broadband Program Uncertainty Has Lawmakers,
States on Watch (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/mar/13/broadband-program-uncertainty-has-lawmakers-states/
17.
Larger Municipal Networks Outperforming on
Upload Speeds: Ookla (Broadband Breakfast)
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/larger-municipal-networks-outperforming-on-upload-speeds-ookla/
HAL’s Internet Café
18.
WA Republicans Warn Eliminated Tax Cut Could
Push Data Centers to Competitor States (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_a7e28c3b-ce3d-4605-9830-0e07d9692e57.html
19.
Report: Oregon's Data Centers Threaten State's
Climate Goals (MSN News)
I Sing the Car Electric
20.
Drivers Wonder If They Should Go Electric as the
War Spikes Gas Prices (Associated Press)
Politics, Governance,
and Management
21.
Concerns About New WA Agency Tasked with
Modernizing Energy Grid (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/issues/energy/article_670af00b-3018-4446-862e-6bcc12a15371.html
22.
American Public Power Association Urges U.S. Senate
Action on Permitting Reform (American Public Power Association)
https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/appa-urges-senate-action-permitting-reform
Other Things to Know
About Today
23.
Extreme Heat Warning: 100-Degree Temps to Hit
Southern California (KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, CA)
https://ktla.com/weather/extreme-heat-warning-100-degree-temps-to-hit-southern-california-this-week/
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
24.
Why Adding New Nuclear Power in Washington Will
Take Time (Axios)
25.
Washington Association of Wheat Growers Leads Ag
Letter to Legislators on Dam Study Funding (Washington Association of Wheat
Growers)
https://www.wawg.org/wawg-leads-ag-letter-to-legislators-on-dam-study-funding/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
'One Battle After
Another' Takes Best Picture at the Oscars
A Red Fox Stows
Away on a Cargo Ship, Traveling from England to the U.S.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/red-fox-stows-away-cargo-224821987.html
She Stopped for
Coffee on Her Way to the Animal Shelter. The Baristas Surprised Her with Pup
Cups for Every Dog
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/she-stopped-coffee-her-way-010000650.html
Selection
Sunday 2026 Highlights: Men’s & Women’s March Madness Brackets Are Set
https://apnews.com/live/march-madness-selection-sunday-2026
Song of the Day
Sweet - Fox on the Run
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN-ldsWbFe8
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
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