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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Puget Sound Energy – Why Are Electric Bills So
High at This WA Utility? (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
Washington to Agree to Link Carbon Markets with
California, Quebec (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
Big Tech Is Bankrolling the Clean Energy
Transition...While Emitting More Than Ever (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
An Electric Truck for Less Than $25,000?
Deliveries Begin This Year (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://autos.yahoo.com/ev-and-future-tech/articles/electric-truck-less-25-000-120000727.html
Public Power’s Affordability Edge Faces Its
Hardest Test in Years (Power Magazine)
https://www.powermag.com/public-powers-affordability-edge-faces-its-hardest-test-in-years/
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Puget Sound Energy – Why Are Electric Bills So
High at This WA Utility?
2.
Big Tech Is Bankrolling the Clean Energy
Transition...While Emitting More Than Ever
3.
Red, White & Glowing Blue: Trump's Push for New
Reactors Reaches the Finish Line
4.
Lake Powell Hits Lowest Summer Level Ever,
Raising Risk of 'Dead Pool'
5.
The Tab to Keep a Pacific Northwest Coal Plant on
Standby Keeps Rising. Who Will Pay?
6.
Oregon Public Utility Commission Approves
Utility Wildfire Mitigation Plans
7.
Switching San Diego from San Diego Gas & Electric
to Public Power 'Feasible', Report Finds
8.
The Carolinas: Feds to Buy Back Duke Energy's Offshore
Wind Lease Off Brunswick County
9.
Sustainable Dairy Digester Programs Receive
$13.8 Million Commerce Investment
10.
Facing Scorching Summers, Oregon Lawmakers May
Revisit Heat Pump Expansion Programs
11.
California’s Choice: Cleaner Air for Schools or Money
for Utilities
12.
How to Adjust Your Air Conditioner Temperature to
Help Save Money
13.
Audio – ‘The Evergreen’: How Much Water from the
Deschutes Goes to Turn the Desert Green?
14.
Washington to Agree to Link Carbon Markets with California,
Quebec
15.
WA Supreme Court Upholds State Climate Law’s
Farm Fuel Exemption Rules
16.
FCC Passes E-Rate Review Despite Opposition
17.
California Regulator Suing FCC Over Copper
Preemption Rule
18.
If Artificial Intelligence Data Centers Are
Exploding Nationwide, Why Are So Few Being Built in California?
19.
An Electric Truck for Less Than $25,000? Deliveries
Begin This Year
20.
Four in Five Under-16s in Australia Using Social
Media Despite Ban, Study Shows
21.
Supreme Court Rules States Can Count Late-Arriving
Mailed Ballots, Rejecting Trump-Led Challenge
22.
U.S. House Panel Advances Grid Reliability,
Ratepayer Bills Amid Rising Power Demand
23.
Kim Thompson Is Selected as Acting Chief
Financial Officer
24.
Dangerous & Likely Record-Setting Heat Wave
to Scorch Millions July Fourth Week
25.
Two Die After Seaplane Hits Tri-Cities Power
Line & Crashes into Columbia River
26.
Public Power’s Affordability Edge Faces Its
Hardest Test in Years
27.
How Data Centers Rescued a Struggling Central Washington
Community
28.
DOE Emergency Orders Are Incurring Additional
Costs. What Are the Benefits?
Word of the Day
Scuttlebutt \SKUTT-ul-butt\ Noun - Rumor, gossip
WORD ORIGIN, FROM MERRIAM-WEBSTER - Nowadays, office workers catch up on the latest scuttlebutt around the water cooler, and when they do, they continue a long-standing (although not necessarily honorable) tradition. That kind of gossip sharing probably also occurred on the sailing ships of yore. Back in the early 1800s, the cask containing a ship’s daily supply of freshwater was called a “scuttlebutt”; that name was later applied to a drinking fountain on a ship or at a naval installation. By the early 20th century, the term for the water source was also applied to the gossip and rumors generated around it, and the latest chatter has been called “scuttlebutt” ever since.
1.
Puget Sound Energy – Why Are Electric Bills So
High at This WA Utility? (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
2.
Big Tech Is Bankrolling the Clean Energy
Transition...While Emitting More Than Ever (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
3.
Red, White & Glowing Blue: Trump's Push for New
Reactors Reaches the Finish Line (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/29/nx-s1-5847944/new-nuclear-reactors-america-250-safety-concerns
4.
Lake Powell Hits Lowest Summer Level Ever,
Raising Risk of 'Dead Pool' (USA Today – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/lake-powell-hits-lowest-summer-190043854.html
5.
The Tab to Keep a Pacific Northwest Coal Plant on
Standby Keeps Rising. Who Will Pay? (Washington State Standard)
6.
Oregon Public Utility Commission Approves
Utility Wildfire Mitigation Plans (KEX Radio, Portland, OR)
https://1190kex.iheart.com/content/2026-06-26-oregon-puc-approves-utility-wildfire-mitigation-plans/
7.
Switching San Diego from San Diego Gas & Electric
to Public Power 'Feasible', Report Finds (KPBS Broadcasting, San Diego, CA)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
8.
The Carolinas: Feds to Buy Back Duke Energy's Offshore
Wind Lease Off Brunswick County (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/feds-buy-back-duke-energys-164610047.html
9.
Sustainable Dairy Digester Programs Receive
$13.8 Million Commerce Investment (WA Dept. of Commerce)
Conservation &
Efficiency
10.
Facing Scorching Summers, Oregon Lawmakers May
Revisit Heat Pump Expansion Programs (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
11.
California’s Choice: Cleaner Air for Schools or Money
for Utilities (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/carbon-free-buildings/california-schools-or-utilities
12.
How to Adjust Your Air Conditioner Temperature to
Help Save Money (KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, CA)
https://ktla.com/news/how-to-adjust-your-a-c-temperature-to-help-save-money/
Water, Water Anywhere?
13.
Audio – ‘The Evergreen’: How Much Water from the
Deschutes Goes to Turn the Desert Green? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/29/deschutes-river-water-opb-the-evergreen/
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
14.
Washington to Agree to Link Carbon Markets with California,
Quebec (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
15.
WA Supreme Court Upholds State Climate Law’s
Farm Fuel Exemption Rules (Washington State Standard)
London Calling
–Telecommunications
16.
FCC Passes E-Rate Review Despite Opposition
(Inside Towers)
https://insidetowers.com/fcc-passes-e-rate-review-despite-opposition/
17.
California Regulator Suing FCC Over Copper
Preemption Rule (Broadband Breakfast)
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/california-regulator-suing-fcc-over-copper-preemption-rule/
HAL’s Internet Café
18.
If Artificial Intelligence Data Centers Are
Exploding Nationwide, Why Are So Few Being Built in California? (Los Angeles
Times, CA – via Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/other-anti-data-center-movement-100000358.html
I Sing the Car Electric
19.
An Electric Truck for Less Than $25,000? Deliveries
Begin This Year (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://autos.yahoo.com/ev-and-future-tech/articles/electric-truck-less-25-000-120000727.html
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
20.
Four in Five Under-16s in Australia Using Social
Media Despite Ban, Study Shows (The Guardian, UK)
Politics, Governance,
and Management
21.
Supreme Court Rules States Can Count Late-Arriving
Mailed Ballots, Rejecting Trump-Led Challenge (Associated Press)
22.
U.S. House Panel Advances Grid Reliability,
Ratepayer Bills Amid Rising Power Demand (Daily Energy Insider)
23.
Kim Thompson Is Selected as Acting Chief
Financial Officer (Bonneville Power Administration)
Other Things to Know
About Today
24.
Dangerous & Likely Record-Setting Heat Wave
to Scorch Millions July Fourth Week (Yahoo! News)
25.
Two Die After Seaplane Hits Tri-Cities Power
Line & Crashes into Columbia River (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via MSN News)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
26. Public
Power’s Affordability Edge Faces Its Hardest Test in Years (Power Magazine)
https://www.powermag.com/public-powers-affordability-edge-faces-its-hardest-test-in-years/
27. How
Data Centers Rescued a Struggling Central Washington Community (The Center
Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_4fd6044d-5a5d-4152-b0a0-8dce7f20f361.html
28. DOE
Emergency Orders Are Incurring Additional Costs. What Are the Benefits? (Utility
Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-emergency-power-plants-reliability-benefits-costs/822934/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Guinness Crowns Canberra Town Crier as the World’s
Loudest Person at 122.4 Decibels
Two Chicks Hatch Inside Police Motorcycle After
‘Mama Bird’ Makes Nest: ‘Traffic Birdie Is Now on Baby Watch’
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/2-chicks-hatch-inside-police-153851971.html
St. Bernard Dogs Still Roam the Swiss Alps as Part
of This ‘Living Museum’ & Its Breeding Program
https://apnews.com/article/saint-bernard-dogs-switzerland-b9c51b08a2fff186254c61e385671dab
Larry the Cat Outlasts Six British Prime
Ministers
https://www.reuters.com/pictures/larry-cat-outlasts-six-british-prime-ministers-2026-06-23/
Song of the Day
Al Stewart – Year of the Cat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyLq_40dqHc
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