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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
California Faces
Second-Worst Snowpack in Decades (Courthouse News Service)
https://courthousenews.com/california-faces-second-worst-snowpack-in-decades/
States Are Weighing
Whether to Soften Climate Laws Amid High Energy Prices (Bloomberg News)
Diablo Canyon Nuclear
Power Plant Gets Final Go-Ahead to Run Through 2030 (Los Angeles Times, CA –
Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/diablo-canyon-gets-final-ahead-235902521.html
Public Comment
Extended on Future of Offshore Wind in Oregon, Including None at All (Oregon
Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/03/oregon-offshore-wind-public-comment-extended/
More Oregon Water for
Google’s Data Centers, More Concern Over Secrecy (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1. Diablo
Canyon Nuclear Power Plant Gets Final Go-Ahead to Run Through 2030
2. Rocky
Mountain Power Customers in Idaho Should See Rate Decrease This Year
3. Low-Voltage
Utility Elections Face Surge of Attention as Electricity Bills Rise
4. Proposed
Federal Rule Could Weaken Tribal Input on Hydropower Permits, Navajo Groups Say
5. Southwest
Power Pool, Utilities Successfully Complete Western Expansion
6. California:
Squirrel Damages Pacific Gas & Electric Pole, Causing Widespread Outages,
Fire in Auburn
7. Regulators,
Utilities Urge Contacting 811 as Spring Projects Surge
8. Public
Comment Extended on Future of Offshore Wind in Oregon, Including None at All
9. Solar
Installations Fell 22% in 2025: FERC
10. News
Release: Commerce Invests More Than $60 Million In Clean Energy & Grid
Resilience Projects Across 32 Washington Counties
11. Southeast
Alaska’s Treaty-Determined Chinook Salmon Catch Limit Returns to Normal Levels
12. Whale
Death in Willapa River Follows Troubling Trend of Gray Whale Deaths in
Washington
13. Warming
Winters Lead to More Nitrate Pollution in Drinking Water Near Farms
14. EPA
Moves to Designate Microplastics & Pharmaceuticals as Contaminants in
Drinking Water
15. California
Faces Second-Worst Snowpack in Decades
16. Idaho
Snowpack Hit Historic Lows, Raising Summer Water Concerns
17. Washington
Impacts from Four Years of Low Snowpack
18. States
Are Weighing Whether to Soften Climate Laws Amid High Energy Prices
19. Climate
Hopes Dim in New York Even as Western States Join on Cap-And-Trade
20. Open
for Public Comment: Transformational Integrated Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Reductions Project Draft Gap Measures & Scenarios for Analysis
21. Best
States for Working from Home – 2026
22. More
Oregon Water for Google’s Data Centers, More Concern Over Secrecy
23. WA
State: Several Agricultural, Data Center Issues Began in Quincy
24. NorthWestern
Energy Files Data Center Tariff Proposal
25. WA
State Rebate Program for E-Bike Purchases Returns with More Funding Available,
Longer Awarding Period
26. Oregon:
Want an E-Bike? Portland Has a New Rebate Program for Low-Income Residents
27. AP
Says It Will Offer Buyouts as Part of Pivot Away from Newspaper Journalism
28. Canadian
Retiree Builds Home Hydropower System That Generates 36 kWh of Daily
Electricity from River Flow
29. Judges
Are Increasingly Using Artificial Intelligence to Draft Rulings & Prepare
for Hearings
30. Why
Seattle Gas Could Hit $10 a Gallon
31. UCLA
Rolls Past South Carolina for First NCAA Women’s National Championship
32. What
to Watch for in Monday’s Men’s NCAA Championship Basketball Game
33.
‘We Are Moving Too Fast’: Todd Myers Says Clean
Energy Laws Drove Puget Sound Energy’s 30% Rate Hike
Word of the Day
Puns
are lots of fun
Drollery
in small doses
They make my sides ache
https://joelshorriblehaiku.blogspot.com/2026/04/laughter-best-medicine.html
Energy & Utility Issues
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/diablo-canyon-gets-final-ahead-235902521.html
2.
Rocky Mountain Power Customers in Idaho Should
See Rate Decrease This Year (Daily Energy Insider)
3.
Low-Voltage Utility Elections Face Surge of Attention
as Electricity Bills Rise (Associated Press)
4.
Proposed Federal Rule Could Weaken Tribal Input
on Hydropower Permits, Navajo Groups Say (Tribal Business News)
5.
Southwest Power Pool, Utilities Successfully
Complete Western Expansion (American Public Power Association)
https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/spp-utilities-successfully-complete-western-expansion
6.
California: Squirrel Damages Pacific Gas &
Electric Pole, Causing Widespread Outages, Fire in Auburn (KCRA-TV, Sacramento,
CA)
https://www.kcra.com/article/squirrel-damages-pge-pole-outages-fire-easter-sunday/70937157
7.
Regulators, Utilities Urge Contacting 811 as Spring
Projects Surge (Daily Energy Insider)
Renewable Energy & Self Storage
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/03/oregon-offshore-wind-public-comment-extended/
9.
Solar Installations Fell 22% in 2025: FERC (Utility
Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/solar-installations-fell-2024-2025-ferc-wind-gas/816319/
10.
News Release: Commerce Invests More Than $60
Million In Clean Energy & Grid Resilience Projects Across 32 Washington Counties
(WA Dept. of Commerce)
Fish & Wildlife
11.
Southeast Alaska’s Treaty-Determined Chinook Salmon
Catch Limit Returns to Normal Levels (Alaska Beacon)
12.
Whale Death in Willapa River Follows Troubling
Trend of Gray Whale Deaths in Washington (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
Environmental Afflatus – Clean Up on Aisle Three
13.
Warming Winters Lead to More Nitrate Pollution in
Drinking Water Near Farms (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/warming-winters-lead-more-nitrate-151946165.html
14.
EPA Moves to Designate Microplastics &
Pharmaceuticals as Contaminants in Drinking Water (KCRA-TV, Sacramento, CA)
https://www.kcra.com/article/pokemon-cards-igniting-international-crime-spree/70932982
Water, Water, Anywhere?
15. California
Faces Second-Worst Snowpack in Decades (Courthouse News Service)
https://courthousenews.com/california-faces-second-worst-snowpack-in-decades/
16.
Idaho Snowpack Hit Historic Lows, Raising Summer
Water Concerns (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)
17.
Washington Impacts from Four Years of Low
Snowpack (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/impacts-4-years-low-snowpack/Y5IALITHBVDVBHOL5F7JMDR7QY/
Climate Change Sequestration Vault
18. States
Are Weighing Whether to Soften Climate Laws Amid High Energy Prices (Bloomberg
News)
19.
Climate Hopes Dim in New York Even as Western States
Join on Cap-And-Trade (Stateline)
20.
Open for Public Comment: Transformational
Integrated Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Project Draft Gap Measures &
Scenarios for Analysis (Oregon Dept of Energy – Links to PDF File)
London Calling –Telecommunications
21.
Best States for Working from Home – 2026
(WalletHub)
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-for-working-from-home/72801
The Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
23.
WA State: Several Agricultural, Data Center
Issues Began in Quincy (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA – Paywall Advisory)
HAL’s Internet Café
24.
NorthWestern Energy Files Data Center Tariff
Proposal (The Daily Montanan)
https://dailymontanan.com/2026/04/02/northwestern-energy-files-data-center-tariff-proposal/
I Sing the Car Electric
25. WA
State Rebate Program for E-Bike Purchases Returns with More Funding Available,
Longer Awarding Period (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/apr/06/state-rebate-program-for-e-bike-purchases-returns-/
26.
Oregon: Want an E-Bike? Portland Has a New
Rebate Program for Low-Income Residents (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
https://www.koin.com/news/portland/city-introduces-new-e-bike-rebate-program/
Public Relations, Marketing & Media
27.
AP Says It Will Offer Buyouts as Part of Pivot
Away from Newspaper Journalism (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/news-industry-buyouts-ap-newspapers-dd790effc6a385514b3323560161ea4f
Barrel O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
Politics, Governance, and Management
29.
Judges Are Increasingly Using Artificial
Intelligence to Draft Rulings & Prepare for Hearings (Spokesman-Review, Spokane,
WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/apr/05/judges-are-increasingly-using-ai-to-draft-rulings-/
Other Things to Know About Today
30. Why
Seattle Gas Could Hit $10 a Gallon (Axios, Seattle)
31.
UCLA Rolls Past South Carolina for First NCAA Women’s
National Championship (MSN News)
32.
What to Watch for in Monday’s Men’s NCAA Championship
Basketball Game (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/05/nx-s1-5771779/what-to-watch-for-in-mondays-ncaa-championship-game
Soapbox Serenade – Vox Populi
33.
‘We Are Moving Too Fast’: Todd Myers Says Clean
Energy Laws Drove Puget Sound Energy’s 30% Rate Hike (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle,
WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/kiro-radio/puget-sound-energy-pse-bill/4224610
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Father, Son Make Cross-Country Trek to Visit Every MLB Ballpark
for Cancer Awareness
https://www.kcra.com/article/father-son-cross-country-every-mlb-ballpark-cancer-awareness/70937990
Scientists Discovered an Entire Island Made of Ancient
Humans’ Leftover Food
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/scientists-discovered-entire-island-made-180000644.html
Pokémon Cards Are Igniting an International Crime Spree
https://www.kcra.com/article/pokemon-cards-igniting-international-crime-spree/70932982
A Priceless Ancient Golden Helmet Stolen from a Dutch Museum
Is Recovered
Song of the Day
James Horner – Field of Dreams Overture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltOge9h_Ffk
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
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