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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
EIA Sees Electricity
Consumption Continuing to Grow Through 2050 at a Rate of 0.9% to 1.6% (American
Public Power Association)
California Utility
Bills Are 20% Higher Due to Wildfires (Bloomberg News – Via the Insurance
Journal)
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2026/04/13/865378.htm
Oregon’s Snowpack Just
Broke a Terrifying Record, & the Consequences Could Be Devastating This
Summer (The Oregonian, OR – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/oregon-snowpack-just-broke-terrifying-220237711.html
Commercial Salmon
Fishing to Open in California for the First Time Since 2022 as Population
Rebounds (Associated Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/business/commercial-salmon-fishing-to-open-in-california-a22202623
Overnight Offshore
Earthquake Swarm Poses No Danger to Pacific Northwest, Expert Says (KING-TV,
Seattle, WA)
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
EIA Sees Electricity Consumption Continuing to
Grow Through 2050 at a Rate of 0.9% to 1.6%
2.
California Utility Bills Are 20% Higher Due to
Wildfires
3.
More Households Face Gas, Electricity Shutoffs
Despite New
4.
Analysis Finds U.S. Electricity Costs Stable,
Household Burden Near Historic Low
5.
Fire Survivors Call for Audits of Edison's
Wildfire Prevention Spending
6.
Terra-Gen to Pay $5.6M To Settle California ISO
Market Manipulation Charges
7.
Amid ‘Nuclear Renaissance,’ Idaho Worries About
Job Demands Coming to the Intermountain West
8.
Power Providers Make Moves That Are Reshaping
Colorado’s Electric Utilities Landscape
9.
New California Law Requires Electrical Utility
Worksites to Have AEDs
10.
Wyoming Electric Utility Dumps Wind & Solar
in Long-Term Planning
11.
WA State: $7.5M Solar Farm Off Highway 395 Is A
First for Franklin County
12.
Sunnyside Renewable Energy Project Aims to Turn
Dairy Waste into Natural Gas
13.
In a First, Renewables Beat Natural Gas on U.S.
Grid Last Month
14.
Hosting Solar Can Be a Lifeline for Farmers. But
Overcoming Local Opposition Is Tough
15.
States Are Struggling to Meet Their Clean Energy
Goals. Data Centers Are to Blame
16.
Commercial Salmon Fishing to Open in California
for the First Time Since 2022 as Population Rebounds
17.
Seattle to Sign Agreement Concerning Skagit
River Dams
18.
‘The Salmon People’: How Alaska’s Only Native
Reservation Saved Its Fishing Culture
19.
Oregon’s Snowpack Just Broke a Terrifying
Record, & the Consequences Could Be Devastating This Summer
20.
Fourth WA Drought Emergency. ‘No Way to
Sugarcoat’ Power, Fish & Fire Risks
21.
‘It’s Incredibly Bad’: No End in Sight to
Colorado River Water Crisis
22.
$38 Million Water Infrastructure for Idaho
23.
Iran War Has Some U.S. Water Utilities Facing a
Fluoride Shortage
24.
Seattle Weighs Five Data Center Proposals Amid
Power Concerns
25.
Trump Approves Oregon Disaster Declaration Over
Severe Winter Storms
26.
Trump Approves Disaster Declaration for WA
Flooding
27.
Two Major Disaster Declarations Approved for
Montana
28.
Overnight Offshore Earthquake Swarm Poses No
Danger to Pacific Northwest, Expert Says
29.
Guest Essay: Salmon Are Not to Blame for
Bonneville Power Administration Failing to Meet Its Responsibilities
Word of the Day
Éminence Grise • \ay-mee-nawns - GREEZ\ • Noun - 1: a confidential agent; especially: one exercising unsuspected or unofficial power 2: a respected authority; specifically: an elder statesman.
See Edgar Bergen
McCarthy’s Éminence Grise
His voice thrown for laughs
https://joelshorriblehaiku.blogspot.com/
Energy
& Utility Issues
1.
EIA Sees Electricity Consumption Continuing to
Grow Through 2050 at a Rate of 0.9% to 1.6% (American Public Power Association)
https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2026/04/13/865378.htm
4.
Analysis Finds U.S. Electricity Costs Stable,
Household Burden Near Historic Low (Daily Energy Insider)
5.
Fire Survivors Call for Audits of Edison's Wildfire
Prevention Spending (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fire-survivors-call-audits-edisons-100000644.html
6.
Terra-Gen to Pay $5.6M To Settle California ISO Market
Manipulation Charges (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/terra-gen-ferc-caiso-market-manipulation/817178/
7.
Amid ‘Nuclear Renaissance,’ Idaho Worries About
Job Demands Coming to the Intermountain West (Utah News Dispatch)
https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2026/04/13/nuclear-renaissance-idaho-worries-about-job-demands/
8.
Power Providers Make Moves That Are Reshaping Colorado’s
Electric Utilities Landscape (Colorado Sun)
https://coloradosun.com/2026/04/10/power-providers-wholesale-market-lpea-tri-state/
9.
New California Law Requires Electrical Utility
Worksites to Have AEDs (Safety & Health Magazine)
Renewable Energy & Self Storage
10.
Wyoming Electric Utility Dumps Wind & Solar in
Long-Term Planning (WyoFile)
https://wyofile.com/wyoming-electric-utility-dumps-wind-and-solar-in-long-term-planning/
11. WA
State: $7.5M Solar Farm Off Highway 395 Is A First for Franklin County (Tri-City
Herald, WA – Via MSN News)
12.
Sunnyside Renewable Energy Project Aims to Turn
Dairy Waste into Natural Gas (KIMA-TV, Yakima, WA)
13.
In a First, Renewables Beat Natural Gas on U.S. Grid
Last Month (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/renewables-beat-natural-gas-us-grid-march-2026
14. Hosting
Solar Can Be a Lifeline for Farmers. But Overcoming Local Opposition Is Tough (Associated
Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/business/hosting-solar-can-be-a-lifeline-for-farmers-but-a22203375
15.
States Are Struggling to Meet Their Clean Energy
Goals. Data Centers Are to Blame (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/ai-data-centers-nevada-clean-energy-47d1b6633ed720962848f4b5b91e7d6b
16. Commercial
Salmon Fishing to Open in California for the First Time Since 2022 as Population
Rebounds (Associated Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/business/commercial-salmon-fishing-to-open-in-california-a22202623
17.
Seattle to Sign Agreement Concerning Skagit
River Dams (KNKX Radio, Tacoma, WA)
https://www.knkx.org/environment/2026-04-10/seattle-to-sign-agreement-concerning-skagit-river-dams
18.
‘The Salmon People’: How Alaska’s Only Native Reservation
Saved Its Fishing Culture (Alaska Beacon)
Water, Water, Anywhere?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/oregon-snowpack-just-broke-terrifying-220237711.html
20.
Fourth WA Drought Emergency. ‘No Way to
Sugarcoat’ Power, Fish & Fire Risks (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/4th-wa-drought-emergency-no-234912771.html
21.
‘It’s Incredibly Bad’: No End in Sight to Colorado
River Water Crisis (WyoFile)
https://wyofile.com/its-incredibly-bad-no-end-in-sight-to-colorado-river-water-crisis/
22.
$38 Million Water Infrastructure for Idaho (KHQ-TV,
Spokane, WA)
23. Iran
War Has Some U.S. Water Utilities Facing a Fluoride Shortage (ABC News)
https://abcnews.com/Health/wireStory/iran-war-us-water-utilities-facing-fluoride-shortage-131996908
HAL’s Internet CafĂ©
24.
Seattle Weighs Five Data Center Proposals Amid
Power Concerns (Axios Seattle)
Politics, Governance, and Management
25.
Trump Approves Oregon Disaster Declaration Over
Severe Winter Storms (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
26.
Trump Approves Disaster Declaration for WA Flooding
(Washington State Standard)
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/briefs/trump-approves-disaster-declaration-for-wa-flooding/
27.
Two Major Disaster Declarations Approved for Montana
(KFBB-TV, Great Falls, MT)
Other Things to Know About Today
Soapbox Serenade – Vox Populi
29.
Guest Essay: Salmon Are Not to Blame for Bonneville
Power Administration Failing to Meet Its Responsibilities (Washington State
Standard)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Nearly 50 Years Later, Cincinnati May
Get a Real 'WKRP'
From ‘BuddhaBot’ to $1.99-Per-Minute Chats with Artificial
Intelligence Jesus, the Faith-Based Tech Boom Is Here
‘H.R. Pufnstuf’, ‘Land of the Lost’ Co-Creator, Sid Krofft, Dies
at 96
https://ktla.com/entertainment/h-r-pufnstuf-land-of-the-lost-co-creator-sid-krofft-dies-at-96/
He Recorded 10,000 Concerts on Tape, Now They’re Streaming for
Free
https://ktla.com/entertainment/he-recorded-10000-concerts-on-tape-now-theyre-streaming-for-free/
Song of the Day
Tom Wells & Hugh
Wilson – WKRP Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7TyXhNDCLE
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