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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
U.S. Dept. of Energy Appoints New Bonneville
Power Administration CEO (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
Washington Attorney General Challenges Avista
Proposal to Increase Electric Rates by 10% Over Next Four Years (KREM-TV,
Spokane, WA – Via MSN News)
California Intends to Sue Trump Administration
Over Deal to End Offshore Wind Project (Associated Press)
Spokane City Council Implements Moratorium on
New Data Center Building Permits (KXLY-TV, Spokane, WA)
France Records Its Hottest Day Ever as Europe
Withers in Early Heat Wave (Associated Press)
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Washington
Attorney General Challenges Avista Proposal to Increase Electric Rates by 10%
Over Next Four Years
2. Study:
Rising Utility Bills Become an Election Issue as Rates Meet Resistance
3. Trump
Administration Announces $17.5 Billion in Loans for 10 New Large Nuclear
Reactors
4. Valar’s
Ward 250 Test Reactor Reaches Criticality in Utah
5. Portland
General Electric Building Miles of Underground Power Lines Near Mt. Hood
6. U.S.
Dept. of Energy Says Data Centers ‘Crucial’ For Country’s Future
7. California:
Shiny Balloons Are Causing Central Coast Power Outages. Follow These Safety
Tips
8. U.S.
Dept. of Energy Appoints New Bonneville Power Administration CEO
9. Former
Montana Official Tapped to Lead Bonneville Power Administration
10. DOE
Announces Travis Kavulla as Bonneville Power Administration Administrator
11. Public
Power Council Congratulates New Bonneville Power Administration Administrator,
Travis Kavula
12. U.S.
Rep. Newhouse (WA) Statement on New Bonneville Power Administration
Administrator
13. News
Release: Northwest Energy & Conservation Groups React to Appointment of New
Administrator for the Bonneville Power Administration
14. California
Intends to Sue Trump Administration Over Deal to End Offshore Wind Project
15. Utah’s
Biggest Solar Farm Comes Online
16. Solar
Manufacturing Group Seeks U.S. Trade Probe of Cell Imports from South Korea
17. A
Different Way Forward: Agrivoltaic Offers Lesson for Rural Colorado
18. Global
Pumped Storage Capacity Breaks 200GW Barrier
19. News
Release: Northwest RiverPartners Expresses Appreciation for Improvements to
2026 Fish & Wildlife Program
20. Automakers
Could Halt Car Sales in California without Delay in Vehicle Tracking Law
21. France
Records Its Hottest Day Ever as Europe Withers in Early Heat Wave
22. The
“Super” El Niño Will Weaken Super Fast
23. Oregon
Moves Forward on Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Contracts, But
Astound Backs Out
24. New
Mexico: Regulating Artificial Intelligence Could Threaten Federal Broadband
Funding
25. FCC
Questioning State Pole Regulation
26. Spokane
City Council Implements Moratorium on New Data Center Building Permits
27. Hillsboro
Data Center Fight Heads to Court
28. A
College Instructor Turns to Typewriters to Curb Artificial Intelligence-Written
Work & Teach Life Lessons
29. Rules
of the Road: Are You Riding an E-Bike or a Moped? The Difference Matters
30. States
at the Wheel: A State Policy Scorecard on Electric Vehicle Readiness
31. NOAA
Tests New Ocean Drone in Lake Washington to Better Understand Atmospheric
Rivers
32. U.S.
Rep. Bentz (OR) Introduces Hydropower Licensing Reform Legislation
33. Final
Round of Summer Sun Wednesday, Then Rain Heads to Portland
34. Seattle
Weather: Heatwave in the 80s to 90s With Lightning, Fire Danger
35. Northern
California Forecast: Warm Wednesday, But Cooling Begins Thursday
36.
Guest Essay: Dual Strategy Needed Now to
Accelerate Hanford Nuclear Waste Cleanup
Word of the Day
Scarify \SKAIR-uh-fye\ Verb – 1: to make scratches or small cuts in (as the skin) 2: to lacerate the feelings of *3: to cut or soften the wall of (a hard seed) to hasten germination 4: to clear ground of debris in preparation for replanting, as in logging clean up.
Ambrose wandered aimlessly through the wasteland that was his backyard. A stunted tree with a crazily angled swing off a cracked limb; an abandoned fishpond filled with frog eggs and mosquito larvae; and his barren garden plot, half an acre of rocky soil that looked as if God had scarified it as a part of a biblical curse. “Hmm, maybe potatoes this year,” he pondered.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Washington Attorney General Challenges Avista Proposal
to Increase Electric Rates by 10% Over Next Four Years (KREM-TV, Spokane, WA – Via
MSN News)
2. Study:
Rising Utility Bills Become an Election Issue as Rates Meet Resistance
(Transmission & Distribution World)
3. Trump
Administration Announces $17.5 Billion in Loans for 10 New Large Nuclear
Reactors (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-reactors-energy-trump-wright-57841139aca7d2780a12256692b96fc5
4. Valar’s
Ward 250 Test Reactor Reaches Criticality in Utah (Nuclear Newswire)
https://www.ans.org/news/2026-06-22/article-8136/valars-ward-250-reaches-criticality-in-utah/
5. Portland
General Electric Building Miles of Underground Power Lines Near Mt. Hood (KOIN-TV,
Portland, OR)
https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/pge-building-miles-of-underground-power-lines-near-mt-hood/
6. U.S.
Dept. of Energy Says Data Centers ‘Crucial’ For Country’s Future (States Newsroom)
https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/doe-says-data-centers-crucial-countrys-future
7. California:
Shiny Balloons Are Causing Central Coast Power Outages. Follow These Safety
Tips (San Luis Obispo Tribune, CA)
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/environment/article316236015.html
There’s
a New Kid in Town
8.
U.S. Dept. of Energy Appoints New Bonneville
Power Administration CEO (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
9. Former
Montana Official Tapped to Lead Bonneville Power Administration (Washington
State Standard)
10. DOE
Announces Travis Kavulla as Bonneville Power Administration Administrator (Bonneville
Power Administration)
11. Public
Power Council Congratulates New Bonneville Power Administration Administrator,
Travis Kavula (Public Power Council, Portland, OR – Links to PDF File)
https://www.ppcpdx.org/ppc-congratulates-new-bpa-administrator-travis-kavula/
12. U.S.
Rep. Newhouse (WA) Statement on New Bonneville Power Administration
Administrator (U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, WA)
13. News
Release: Northwest Energy & Conservation Groups React to Appointment of New
Administrator for the Bonneville Power Administration (News Release: EarthJustice)
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
15. Utah’s
Biggest Solar Farm Comes Online (Deseret News, Salt Lake City, UT)
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2026/06/23/utah-solar-farm-emery-county/
16. Solar
Manufacturing Group Seeks U.S. Trade Probe of Cell Imports from South Korea (U.S.
News & World Report)
17. A
Different Way Forward: Agrivoltaic Offers Lesson for Rural Colorado (Meeker
Herald Times, CO)
18. Global
Pumped Storage Capacity Breaks 200GW Barrier (Water Power Magazine)
https://www.waterpowermagazine.com/news/global-pumped-storage-capacity-breaks-200gw-barrier/
Fish
& Wildlife
19. News
Release: Northwest RiverPartners Expresses Appreciation for Improvements to
2026 Fish & Wildlife Program (Northwest RiverPartners)
Environmental
Afflatus – Clean Up on Aisle Three
20. Automakers
Could Halt Car Sales in California without Delay in Vehicle Tracking Law (Reuters)
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
21.
France Records Its Hottest Day Ever as Europe Withers
in Early Heat Wave (Associated Press)
22. The
“Super” El Niño Will Weaken Super Fast (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-super-el-nino-will-weaken-super-fast.html
London
Calling –Telecommunications
23. Oregon
Moves Forward on Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Contracts, But
Astound Backs Out (Broadband Breakfast)
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/oregon-moves-forward-on-bead-contracts-but-astound-backs-out/
24. New
Mexico: Regulating Artificial Intelligence Could Threaten Federal Broadband
Funding (Tri-City Record, Farmington, NM)
https://www.tricityrecordnm.com/articles/regulating-ai-could-threaten-federal-broadband-funding/
25. FCC
Questioning State Pole Regulation (POTS & PANS)
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2026/06/24/fcc-questioning-state-pole-regulation/
HAL’s
Internet Café
27. Hillsboro
Data Center Fight Heads to Court (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/23/hillsboro-data-center-fight-heads-to-court/
28. A
College Instructor Turns to Typewriters to Curb Artificial Intelligence-Written
Work & Teach Life Lessons (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/college-instructor-turns-typewriters-curb-040457997.html
I
Sing the Car Electric
29. Rules
of the Road: Are You Riding an E-Bike or a Moped? The Difference Matters
(Bellingham Herald, WA – Via MSN News)
30. States
at the Wheel: A State Policy Scorecard on Electric Vehicle Readiness (Brookings
Institute)
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
31. NOAA
Tests New Ocean Drone in Lake Washington to Better Understand Atmospheric
Rivers (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
Politics,
Governance, and Management
32. U.S.
Rep. Bentz (OR) Introduces Hydropower Licensing Reform Legislation (American
Public Power Association)
Other
Things to Know About Today
33. Final
Round of Summer Sun Wednesday, Then Rain Heads to Portland (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
https://www.koin.com/weather/final-round-of-summer-sun-wednesday-then-rain-heads-to-portland/
34. Seattle
Weather: Heatwave in the 80s to 90s With Lightning, Fire Danger (KCPQ-TV, Seattle,
WA)
https://www.fox13seattle.com/weather/heat-advisory-highs-80s-90s
35. Northern
California Forecast: Warm Wednesday, But Cooling Begins Thursday (KCRA-TV, Sacramento,
CA)
https://www.kcra.com/article/northern-california-morning-forecast-jun-24-2026/71694872
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
36. Guest
Essay: Dual Strategy Needed Now to Accelerate Hanford Nuclear Waste Cleanup (Tri-City
Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/dual-strategy-needed-now-accelerate-182928264.html
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Glacier Nat’l Park –
Going-to-the-Sun Road Fully Opens for the Summer Season
https://www.kpax.com/news/going-to-the-sun-road-fully-opens-for-the-summer-season
Iconic
Big Banana Car Pulled Over by Montana Highway Patrol
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/06/24/Montana-Highway-Patrol-Big-Banana-car/6191782315139/
Skateboarder
Crosses the United States Coast-to-Coast in 39 Days
Seattle Breaks Guinness
World Record with Dim Sum Party
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/06/22/Guinness-World-Records-Seattle-dim-sum/7131782140369/
Song of the Day
Jan & Dean – Sidewalk
Surfin’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LJ0OBJb8QE
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