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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
NWPPA’s Manager as Leader Series Heads to Vancouver, Washington
All courses in NWPPA’s Manager as Leader Series will be coming to Vancouver, Washington, as two-part workshops this year. Own Your Role and Build Thriving Relationships will be Aug. 5-6, Interact With Impact and Lead Change will be Oct. 7-8, and Lead Teams and Coach for Success will be Dec. 1-2. These workshops are designed to ignite, inspire, and nurture the leader mindset within you. Register by next Monday, June 22, to get the early-bird rate for the August workshop.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
WA Supreme Court
Weighs If Huge Wind Farm by Tri-Cities Lawfully Approved (Tri-City Herald, WA –
Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/wa-supreme-court-weighs-huge-175111071.html
Avista Puts Spokane
Data Center Negotiations on Pause (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/jun/12/avista-puts-data-center-negotiations-on-pause/
‘It’s Going to Kill
Us.’ Electric Utility’s Latest Rate Hike Request Especially Steep for Wyoming
Ag Irrigators (Wyofile)
Parasite Thriving in
Warming Waters of Upper Klamath River Killing Off Young Chinook Salmon
(Washington State Standard)
Oregon Drought
Emergencies Spread to Nearly Half of Counties as Wildfire Season Looms (The
Oregonian, OR – Via Yahoo! News)
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
‘It’s Going to Kill Us.’ Electric Utility’s
Latest Rate Hike Request Especially Steep for Wyoming Ag Irrigators
2.
Wyoming Lawmakers Mull Electric Generation Tax
to Address Average Customers’ Rising Bills
3.
Another Delay in Land Deal for $1.5 Billion
Richland Fertilizer Plant – Seeks 1,300-Megawatt Intertie with the Bonneville
Power Administration
4.
DOE Extends TransAlta Centralia Unit 2 Emergency
Order
5.
San Francisco Has Been Trying to Leave Pacific
Gas & Electric for 100 Years. Will This Time Be Different?
6.
Idaho Power to Relicense Cascade Dam Power Plant
7.
Canadian Energy: Transmission Projects Bolster
New York, New England Summer Reliability: NPCC
8.
WA Supreme Court Weighs If Huge Wind Farm by
Tri-Cities Lawfully Approved
9.
Renewable Energy Groups Sue Pentagon Over
‘Existential Threat’ to Wind Industry
10.
Largest Wind Farm in the United States Slated to
Begin Commercial Operations
11.
Hotter Oregon Summers Mean More Air Conditioners
All Across the State
12.
Sonoma Clean Power Aims for 1,000 No-Cost Smart
Thermostats Amid Virtual Power Plant Push
13.
Parasite Thriving in Warming Waters of Upper
Klamath River Killing Off Young Chinook Salmon
14.
Plan to Kill 450,000 Barred Owls on West Coast
Apparently Underway
15.
President Trump Opens Up Pacific Marine National
Monuments to Commercial Fishing
16.
Oregon Drought Emergencies Spread to Nearly Half
of Counties as Wildfire Season Looms
17.
Portland Firefighters Back Ballot Initiative to
Fund More Police with Climate Money
18.
FCC Signals Intent to Regulate Public Power Pole
Attachments
19.
Musk's Starlink Hooked Rural Customers. Then
Came the Price Increases.
20.
Avista Puts Spokane Data Center Negotiations on
Pause
21.
More to Every Story: Utility Workers See
Potential Eastern Washington Data Center as Opportunity
22.
Mr. Wonderful Is Wounded in the Battle Over His
Massive Utah Data Center
23.
The Theory Taking the Rich by Storm: China Funds
Data Center Haters
24.
Amid Wildfire Season, Pacific Northwest U.S.
Senators Call for Public Information Officers to Be Reinstated
25.
Lawmakers Fight to Stop the Trump
Administration’s Dismantling of a $386M Ocean Observatory Project
26.
Meteor Clouds
27.
U.S. House Appropriations Committee Approves
FEMA, LIHEAP Funding Bills
28.
U.S. Senate Committee Approves Hydropower Bill
Supported by APPA
29.
Proposed Changes to How USPS Handles Mail-In
Ballots Could Impact Washington Elections
30.
WA State: Wildfires Erupt Across Columbia Basin,
Prompting Evacs & Closures
31.
Portland Breaks Record with 2026’s First Heat
Wave
32.
Western WA Heat Wave: 90 Degree-Day Prompts Heat
Advisory During First Seattle World Cup Match
33.
El Niño Is Officially Here, Bringing Domino
Weather Effects Across the Planet
34.
Guest Essay: The Bipartisan Wildfire Bill Is
Ready. Oregon’s U.S. Senators Should Help Pass It.
35.
The Columbia-Snake River Is a Lifeline for
Idaho’s Farmers – Now It Needs Their Help
Word of the Day
Dolce \dol-CHAY\ Adjective - Soft, smooth; used as a direction in music.
“Hello friends,” drawled the smarmy weatherman in his dolce tones; honey dripping from each word. “I’ll be back with MY forecast later in the show.”
Energy
& Utility Issues
1.
‘It’s Going to Kill Us.’ Electric Utility’s
Latest Rate Hike Request Especially Steep for Wyoming Ag Irrigators (Wyofile)
2.
Wyoming Lawmakers Mull Electric Generation Tax to
Address Average Customers’ Rising Bills (Wyofile)
3.
Another Delay in Land Deal for $1.5 Billion
Richland Fertilizer Plant – Seeks 1,300-Megawatt Intertie with the Bonneville
Power Administration (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/another-delay-land-deal-1-120000205.html
4.
DOE Extends TransAlta Centralia Unit 2 Emergency
Order (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-transalta-centralia-emergency-order-coal/822885/
5.
San Francisco Has Been Trying to Leave Pacific
Gas & Electric for 100 Years. Will This Time Be Different? (KQED Radio, San
Francisco, CA)
6.
Idaho Power to Relicense Cascade Dam Power Plant
(Idaho County Free Press, Grangeville, ID)
7.
Canadian Energy: Transmission Projects Bolster New
York, New England Summer Reliability: NPCC (Utility Dive)
Renewable Energy & Self Storage
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/wa-supreme-court-weighs-huge-175111071.html
9.
Renewable Energy Groups Sue Pentagon Over
‘Existential Threat’ to Wind Industry (Austin American-Statesman, TX – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.statesman.com/business/article/wind-farms-pentagon-renewable-energy-lawsuit-22302783.php
10.
Largest Wind Farm in the United States Slated to
Begin Commercial Operations (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67766
Conservation & Efficiency
11.
Hotter Oregon Summers Mean More Air Conditioners
All Across the State (The Oregonian, Portland, OR – Via MSN News)
12.
Sonoma Clean Power Aims for 1,000 No-Cost Smart Thermostats
Amid Virtual Power Plant Push (Utility Dive)
Fish & Wildlife
14.
Plan to Kill 450,000 Barred Owls on West Coast Apparently
Underway (The Oregonian, Portland, OR – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/plan-kill-450-000-barred-164108011.html
15.
President Trump Opens Up Pacific Marine National
Monuments to Commercial Fishing (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-opens-pacific-marine-national-212006104.html
Water, Water, Anywhere?
Climate Change Sequestration Vault
17.
Portland Firefighters Back Ballot Initiative to Fund
More Police with Climate Money (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
London Calling –Telecommunications
18.
FCC Signals Intent to Regulate Public Power Pole
Attachments (American Public Power Association)
19.
Musk's Starlink Hooked Rural Customers. Then
Came the Price Increases. (Washington Post – Via Yahoo! News)
HAL’s Internet Café
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/jun/12/avista-puts-data-center-negotiations-on-pause/
21.
More to Every Story: Utility Workers See
Potential Eastern Washington Data Center as Opportunity (KREM-TV, Spokane, WA)
22.
Mr. Wonderful Is Wounded in the Battle Over His
Massive Utah Data Center (Gizmodo)
23.
The Theory Taking the Rich by Storm: China Funds
Data Center Haters (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/10/nx-s1-5844328/us-china-data-centers-foreign-influence
Public Relations, Marketing & Media
https://pnwag.net/call-for-pios-reinstated/
Barrel O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
25.
Lawmakers Fight to Stop the Trump Administration’s
Dismantling of a $386M Ocean Observatory Project (Associated Press)
26.
Meteor Clouds (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2026/06/meteor-clouds.html
Politics, Governance, and Management
27.
U.S. House Appropriations Committee Approves
FEMA, LIHEAP Funding Bills (American Public Power Association)
28.
U.S. Senate Committee Approves Hydropower Bill
Supported by APPA (American Public Power Association)
29.
Proposed Changes to How USPS Handles Mail-In
Ballots Could Impact Washington Elections (Inlander)
Other Things to Know About Today
30.
WA State: Wildfires Erupt Across Columbia Basin,
Prompting Evacs & Closures (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
31.
Portland Breaks Record with 2026’s First Heat
Wave (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
https://www.oregonlive.com/weather/2026/06/portland-breaks-record-with-2024s-first-heat-wave.html
32.
Western WA Heat Wave: 90 Degree-Day Prompts Heat
Advisory During First Seattle World Cup Match (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/pacific-northwest-weather/90-degree-heat/4248114
33.
El Niño Is Officially Here, Bringing Domino
Weather Effects Across the Planet (Washington Post – Via MSN News)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox Populi
34.
Guest Essay: The Bipartisan Wildfire Bill Is
Ready. Oregon’s U.S. Senators Should Help Pass It. (The Hill, Washington, DC)
https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/5918154-wildfire-legislation-federal-forests/
35.
The Columbia-Snake River Is a Lifeline for Idaho’s
Farmers – Now It Needs Their Help (Links to PDF File, Go to Pg. 20 – Idaho
Grain Producers Association)
https://www.idahograin.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IG_Summer26_Web.pdf
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Squirrel Poop Dating Back to the Last Ice Age Is Full of Mammoth,
Horse DNA
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/frozen-squirrel-poop-9.7230087
Idaho Man Juggles Flaming Torches for Over Six Minutes
Marilyn Monroe Impersonators Break
World Record in California
A Rare First Edition of 'Wuthering Heights' Complete with Spelling
Mistakes Is Up for Auction
https://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/a-rare-first-edition-of-wuthering-heights-a22305972
Song of the Day
Marilyn Monroe – Heat Wave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fElwtWVFoaw
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