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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Northwest Power &
Conservation Council Hears Concerns About Data Centers, Electricity Bills &
Salmon (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/power-council-hears-concerns-data-035900915.html
Puget Sound Energy’s
Residential Electricity Rates Could Go Up 16.75% in 2027 – State Attorney
General Challenges Rate Increase Proposal; Public Comment Solicited (Cascadia
Daily)
Columbia River
Dredging Is Helping Endangered Birds, But It May Also Be Hurting Salmon
(KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
OpenAI Boss Says World
‘Right to Be Afraid’ But Should Trust Artificial Intelligence Firms (British
Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/nvidia-boss-says-ai-doesnt-221314529.html
WA State: Newly
Released Video Shows Accused in the Act of Sparking Deadly Chelan Hills Fire
(KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/video-chelan-hills-fire-deadly/
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1. Northwest Power & Conservation Council Hears Concerns
About Data Centers, Electricity Bills & Salmon
2. Pacific Northwest Power Demand Expected to Surge 50-100%
Over Next Two Decades
3. Puget Sound Energy’s Residential Electricity Rates Could Go
Up 16.75% in 2027 – State Attorney General Challenges Rate Increase Proposal;
Public Comment Solicited
4. Washington Electricity Rates
5. WA State: Centralia Coal Plant Ordered to Stay Open Again
Despite Closure Date
6. U.S. Nuclear Regulator’s Overhaul of Rules to Run Well into
2027, Its Chief Says
7. ‘Plug-In’ Solar May Provide Rate Relief for Households That
Can’t Get Rooftop Panels
8. Montana: New Community Solar Project Opens in Whitefish
9. Wyoming: Seminoe Pumped-Water Storage Critics Cheer News
That the Bureau of Land Management Will Perform Additional Analysis
10. Columbia River Dredging Is Helping Endangered Birds, But It
May Also Be Hurting Salmon
11. Washington, Idaho to Tighten Steelhead Bag Limits on the
Snake River in Response to Paltry Return
12. More Chum Salmon Entering Yukon River, But Experts Say
That’s Not a Clear Sign of Recovery
13. Massachusetts: To Bring Back Historic Herring Populations,
Volunteers Get Down & Dirty
14. Wyoming’s Governor Cheers Trump Administration Move to
Repeal Power Plant Rules Limiting Planet-Warming Emissions
15. Satellites Show Earth Lost More Than 12 Trillion Tons of
Ice from Greenland, Antarctica in 47 Years
16. Colorado: Dam It – 10th Circuit Lets Denver Water Complete
Gross Reservoir Expansion
17. The Rio Grande Is Having Its Driest Year on Record
18. Oregon Purging Dead from Telephone & Broadband Lifeline
Rolls
19. New Starlink Partnership to Bring Phone Service to Remote
U.S. Areas
20. OpenAI Boss Says World ‘Right to Be Afraid’ But Should
Trust Artificial Intelligence Firms
21. First of Three Salem Town Halls Held to Gather Community
Input on Data Centers
22. Data Center Dominance: There’s One Issue Where Republicans
& Democrats Are Unified Before the Midterms, a New Poll Finds
23. California: Orange County E-Bike Buyback Nets Hundreds of
Vehicles, Drawing Big Crowds & Some Controversy
24. Federal Reserve Hikes Key Rate for First Time in Three
Years, Defying Trump Demands for a Cut
25. WA State: Newly Released Video Shows Accused in the Act of
Sparking Deadly Chelan Hills Fire
26. Washington Wildfire Season Easing, But DNR Says State Not
Out of Danger Yet
27. PNNL, SEPA Jointly Provide New Interactive Map Showing
State-By-State Wildfire Legislation
28. Remote Work Is Here to Stay
29. Guest Essay: As Extinction Nears, Welcome to Idaho’s
‘Salmon-Less River’
Word of the Day
Capacious \kup-PAY-shush\ Adjective - Able to hold or contain a lot: large in capacity.
Capacious: See the “Undetectable Extension Charm” on Hermione Granger’s handbag in the “Deathly Hallows.”
1. Northwest
Power & Conservation Council Hears Concerns About Data Centers, Electricity
Bills & Salmon (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/power-council-hears-concerns-data-035900915.html
2. Pacific
Northwest Power Demand Expected to Surge 50-100% Over Next Two Decades (KXLY-TV,
Spokane, WA)
3. Puget
Sound Energy’s Residential Electricity Rates Could Go Up 16.75% in 2027 – State
Attorney General Challenges Rate Increase Proposal; Public Comment Solicited
(Cascadia Daily)
4. Washington
Electricity Rates (Electric Choice)
https://www.electricchoice.com/electricity-prices-by-state/washington/
5. WA
State: Centralia Coal Plant Ordered to Stay Open Again Despite Closure Date (KHQ-TV,
Spokane, WA)
6. U.S.
Nuclear Regulator’s Overhaul of Rules to Run Well into 2027, Its Chief Says (Reuters)
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
7. ‘Plug-In’
Solar May Provide Rate Relief for Households That Can’t Get Rooftop Panels (KPBS
Broadcasting, San Diego, CA)
8. Montana:
New Community Solar Project Opens in Whitefish (NBC Montana)
https://nbcmontana.com/news/local/new-community-solar-project-opens-in-whitefish
9. Wyoming:
Seminoe Pumped-Water Storage Critics Cheer News That the Bureau of Land
Management Will Perform Additional Analysis (WyoFile)
Fish
& Wildlife
10. Columbia
River Dredging Is Helping Endangered Birds, But It May Also Be Hurting Salmon (KGW-TV,
Portland, OR)
11. Washington,
Idaho to Tighten Steelhead Bag Limits on the Snake River in Response to Paltry
Return (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/sep/15/washington-to-tighten-steelhead-bag-limits-on-the-/
12. More
Chum Salmon Entering Yukon River, But Experts Say That’s Not a Clear Sign of Recovery
(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
13. Massachusetts:
To Bring Back Historic Herring Populations, Volunteers Get Down & Dirty
(Associated Press)
Environmental
Afflatus – Clean Up on Aisle Three
14. Wyoming’s
Governor Cheers Trump Administration Move to Repeal Power Plant Rules Limiting
Planet-Warming Emissions (Wyofile)
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
15. Satellites
Show Earth Lost More Than 12 Trillion Tons of Ice from Greenland, Antarctica in
47 Years (Associated Press)
Water,
Water Anywhere?
16. Colorado:
Dam It – 10th Circuit Lets Denver Water Complete Gross Reservoir Expansion (Courthouse
News Service)
https://courthousenews.com/dam-it-10th-circuit-lets-denver-water-complete-gross-reservoir-expansion/
17. The
Rio Grande Is Having Its Driest Year on Record (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/09/14/nx-s1-5961292/the-rio-grande-is-having-its-driest-year-on-record
London
Calling –Telecommunications
18. Oregon
Purging Dead from Telephone & Broadband Lifeline Rolls (Broadband
Breakfast)
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/oregon-purging-dead-from-lifeline-rolls/
19. New
Starlink Partnership to Bring Phone Service to Remote U.S. Areas (Mashable)
https://mashable.com/tech/starlink-landline-phone-service
HAL’s
Internet Café
20. OpenAI
Boss Says World ‘Right to Be Afraid’ But Should Trust Artificial Intelligence Firms
(British Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/nvidia-boss-says-ai-doesnt-221314529.html
21. First
of Three Salem Town Halls Held to Gather Community Input on Data Centers (KPTV-TV,
Portland, OR)
https://www.kptv.com/2026/09/16/first-3-salem-town-halls-held-gather-community-input-data-centers/
The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
22.
Data Center Dominance: There’s One Issue Where Republicans
& Democrats Are Unified Before the Midterms, a New Poll Finds (Associated
Press)
I
Sing the Car Electric
23. California:
Orange County E-Bike Buyback Nets Hundreds of Vehicles, Drawing Big Crowds &
Some Controversy (Los Angeles Times, CA – via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/o-c-e-bike-buyback-110000111.html
Politics,
Governance, and Management
24. Federal
Reserve Hikes Key Rate for First Time in Three Years, Defying Trump Demands for
a Cut (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-warsh-trump-inflation-bab1bcb07e973bfb2dd0c3e5fbbb73b1
Other
Things to Know About Today
25. WA
State: Newly Released Video Shows Accused in the Act of Sparking Deadly Chelan
Hills Fire (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/video-chelan-hills-fire-deadly/
26. Washington
Wildfire Season Easing, But DNR Says State Not Out of Danger Yet (Columbia
Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
27. PNNL,
SEPA Jointly Provide New Interactive Map Showing State-By-State Wildfire
Legislation (Daily Energy Insider)
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
28.
Remote Work Is Here to Stay (Pots & Pans)
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2026/09/16/remote-work-here-to-stay/
29.
Guest Essay: As Extinction Nears, Welcome to Idaho’s
‘Salmon-Less River’ (Idaho Capital Sun)
https://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/09/16/as-extinction-nears-welcome-to-idahos-salmon-less-river/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Chihuahuas Are
Secretly Part Coyote, Study Finds
https://kpq.com/ixp/1137/p/chihuahua-coyote-ancestry-dna/
‘Rickroll’ & ‘Looksmaxxing’
Are Official: Merriam-Webster Adds 1,400 New Words to Dictionary Website
Some Birds Survived the
Asteroid That Wiped Out Dinosaurs. Fossilized Poop Can Help Explain Why
https://www.kcra.com/article/birds-survived-asteroid-dinosaurs-fossilized-poop/73744953
Strangest Items Pulled
from Yellowstone’s Hydrothermal Areas Include Pokémon Cards, Retainers &
More
https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/yellowstone-hydrothermal-trash-unusual-items/
Song of the Day
Rick Astley - Never
Gonna Give You Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miLcaqq2Zpk
Roll the Credits…
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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
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