The Northwest Public Power Association sponsors The Energy News Digest.
The News Digest on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly known as Twitter) will bring breaking news throughout the week.
Subscribe to The Energy News Digest.
Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Oregon, Washington & Tribes Head Back to Court After
Trump Pulls Out of Deal to Recover Salmon (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/snake-columbia-rivers-dams-salmon-trump-f50c272ac4a7171d0475358a5857d461
West Needs Significant Transmission Upgrades by 2035,
WestTEC Study Shows (American Public Power Association)
Puget Sound Energy in WA. Loses Out on Cheap Electricity.
Amazon Is the Winner (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://610kona.com/ixp/1135/p/energy-competition-amazon-pse-washington/
California Reserved $165 Million for Tesla to Electrify Its
Trucking Industry. The Result May Stifle Electric Vehicle Innovation (Los
Angeles Times, CA – Via AOL)
https://www.aol.com/news/california-reserved-165-million-tesla-110000264.html
Chance of El Niño Forming in Pacific Ocean May Push Global
Temperatures to Record Highs in 2027 (The Guardian, UK)
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
West Needs Significant Transmission Upgrades by
2035, WestTEC Study Shows
2.
Natural Gas Installations More Than Doubled in
2025: FERC
3.
Record Natural Gas Stock Withdrawals During Week
Ending January 30, 2026
4.
Berkshire Utility Urges Oregon Appeals Court to
Limit Wildfire Damages
5.
Next-Gen Nuclear’s Tipping Point: Meta &
Hyperscalers Start Deals with Bill Gates’ Terrapower, Sam Altman-Backed Oklo,
& More
6.
Wanted: Volunteers to Host Nuclear Waste,
Forever
7.
Federal Energy Assistance Programs Survive
Budget Gauntlet
8.
Professor: California Sees Nation’s Least
Affordable Electricity
9.
Puget Sound Energy in WA. Loses Out on Cheap
Electricity. Amazon Is the Winner
10.
They Paid Thousands for New Solar Panels. Then
Their Oregon Contractor Went Dark
11.
U.S. Rooftop Solar Installers Cut Jobs,
Restructure as Homeowner Subsidy Expires
12.
Ranchers Say Don’t Bash Us for Using Our Private
Property Rights for Wind Energy
13.
Are Faked Public Comments About to Tank an Ohio
Solar Farm?
14.
Oregon, Washington & Tribes Head Back to
Court After Trump Pulls Out of Deal to Recover Salmon
15.
Judge Eyes Interim Dam Changes in Revived
Columbia Basin Salmon Fight
16.
The West’s Snowpack Is in Trouble This Winter
17.
NOAA Forecast Provides a Little Hope for Our
Suffering Snowpack
18.
Chance of El Niño Forming in Pacific Ocean May
Push Global Temperatures to Record Highs in 2027
19.
FCC Fast-Tracks Comcast Pole Dispute, Issuing
“First-of-Its-Kind” Order in 60 Days to Protect BEAD Buildout
20.
The Challenge of Adding Fiber to Poles
21.
Who Uses the Internet?
22.
California Reserved $165 Million for Tesla to
Electrify Its Trucking Industry. The Result May Stifle Electric Vehicle
Innovation
23.
Electric Vehicle Sales Fell as Hybrid Vehicle
Sales Continued to Rise in 2025
24.
From the Manhattan Project to Fusion: The
History of DOE’s National Labs
25.
Bigger Data Center Tax Breaks? Oregon Senator Is
Dropping the Idea
26.
Washington Lawmakers Consider Tax Break for Two
Data Centers in Spokane County
27.
Storms Return to Northern California: Rain,
Sierra Snow Tuesday — Bigger Storm for Valentine’s Weekend
28.
Editorial: Protect Utility Ratepayers as Data
Centers Ramp Up
29.
Guest Essay: Electrification of Bend Is a Vital
Step
Word of the Day
Antihero \ANT-tee – here-oh\ Noun - A protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities.
Fear of fanboy alert:
Comic book artist Stan Lee has created his share of flawed superheroes and antiheros, such as Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, and the Sub-Mariner.
“Show me a hero, and I’ll write you a tragedy.” F Scott Fitzgerald.
Energy
& Utility Issues
1.
West Needs Significant Transmission Upgrades by
2035, WestTEC Study Shows (American Public Power Association)
2.
Natural Gas Installations More Than Doubled in 2025:
FERC (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/natural-gas-wind-solar-ferc-infrastructure/811707/
3.
Record Natural Gas Stock Withdrawals During Week
Ending January 30, 2026 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67124
4.
Berkshire Utility Urges Oregon Appeals Court to
Limit Wildfire Damages (Reuters – Via MSN)
5.
Next-Gen Nuclear’s Tipping Point: Meta &
Hyperscalers Start Deals with Bill Gates’ Terrapower, Sam Altman-Backed Oklo, &
More (Fortune Magazine – Via Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/next-gen-nuclear-tipping-point-214209183.html
6.
Wanted: Volunteers to Host Nuclear Waste,
Forever (Reuters)
7.
Federal Energy Assistance Programs Survive
Budget Gauntlet (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/federal-energy-assistance-programs-survive-budget-gauntlet/811389/
8.
Professor: California Sees Nation’s Least
Affordable Electricity (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_af446449-7081-43ba-ad88-3bcca477614b.html
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
9.
Puget Sound Energy in WA. Loses Out on Cheap
Electricity. Amazon Is the Winner (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://610kona.com/ixp/1135/p/energy-competition-amazon-pse-washington/
10.
They Paid Thousands for New Solar Panels. Then Their
Oregon Contractor Went Dark (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
11.
U.S. Rooftop Solar Installers Cut Jobs,
Restructure as Homeowner Subsidy Expires (Reuters)
12.
Ranchers Say Don’t Bash Us for Using Our Private
Property Rights for Wind Energy (Cowboy State Daily)
13.
Are Faked Public Comments About to Tank an Ohio Solar
Farm? (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/faked-public-comments-ohio-solar-farm
Fish
& Wildlife
14.
Oregon, Washington & Tribes Head Back to
Court After Trump Pulls Out of Deal to Recover Salmon (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/snake-columbia-rivers-dams-salmon-trump-f50c272ac4a7171d0475358a5857d461
15.
Judge Eyes Interim Dam Changes in Revived Columbia
Basin Salmon Fight (Courthouse News Service)
Water,
Water, Anywhere?
16.
The West’s Snowpack Is in Trouble This Winter (Axios)
17.
NOAA Forecast Provides a Little Hope for Our
Suffering Snowpack (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
Climate Change Sequestration Vault
18.
Chance of El Niño Forming in Pacific Ocean May
Push Global Temperatures to Record Highs in 2027 (The Guardian, UK)
London
Calling –Telecommunications
19.
FCC Fast-Tracks Comcast Pole Dispute, Issuing “First-of-Its-Kind”
Order in 60 Days to Protect BEAD Buildout (Wireless Estimator)
20.
The Challenge of Adding Fiber to Poles (Pots
& Pans)
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2026/02/09/the-challenge-of-adding-fiber-to-poles/
21.
Who Uses the Internet? (Pots & Pans)
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2026/02/05/who-uses-the-internet/
I
Sing the Car Electric
22.
California Reserved $165 Million for Tesla to Electrify
Its Trucking Industry. The Result May Stifle Electric Vehicle Innovation (Los
Angeles Times, CA – Via AOL)
https://www.aol.com/news/california-reserved-165-million-tesla-110000264.html
23.
Electric Vehicle Sales Fell as Hybrid Vehicle
Sales Continued to Rise in 2025 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67144
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
24.
From the Manhattan Project to Fusion: The
History of DOE’s National Labs (Power Magazine)
https://www.powermag.com/from-the-manhattan-project-to-fusion-the-history-of-does-national-labs/
Politics,
Governance, and Management
25.
Bigger Data Center Tax Breaks? Oregon Senator Is
Dropping the Idea (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
26.
Washington Lawmakers Consider Tax Break for Two
Data Centers in Spokane County (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/feb/09/washington-lawmakers-consider-tax-break-for-two-da/
Other
Things to Know About Today
27.
Storms Return to Northern California: Rain, Sierra
Snow Tuesday — Bigger Storm for Valentine’s Weekend (KCRA-TV, Sacramento, CA)
https://www.kcra.com/article/northern-california-storms-rain-snow-valentines-weekend/70281631
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
28.
Editorial: Protect Utility Ratepayers as Data
Centers Ramp Up (Everett Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/editorial-protect-utililty-ratepayers-as-data-centers-ramp-up/
29.
Guest Essay: Electrification of Bend Is a Vital
Step (Bend Bulletin, Oregon)
https://bendbulletin.com/2026/02/09/guest-column-electrification-of-bend-is-a-vital-step/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Seahawks Defeat Patriots in 2026 Super Bowl
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/live-2026-super-bowl-tonight-233000791.html
Best 2026 Super Bowl Commercials: All 54 Ranked According to USA TODAY Ad Meter
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/best-2026-super-bowl-commercials-144024301.html
Olympic Bosses Investigate Why Medals Are Breaking
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/olympic-bosses-investigate-why-medals-113659055.html
This Day in History: The Beatles Perform Live on the Ed
Sullivan Show
https://www.kctv5.com/2026/02/09/this-day-history-beatles-perform-live-ed-sullivan-show/
Song of the Day
The Beatles – I Saw Her Standing There (Ed Sullivan Show)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJK7T2YS_DA
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 experiences may vary. Media attribution includes
information about possible paywall restrictions. Regularly clearing your
browser’s history and cookies may help you access certain paywall sites.
