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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Furrer Named Acting Administrator of the Bonneville Power
Administration (NewsData)
Trump Administration to Pay Two More Companies to Walk Away
from U.S. Offshore Wind Leases (Associated Press)
Lummi Nation Accuses Whidbey Telecom of Digging Up, Ignoring
Remains at Point Roberts (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
Higher Temperatures Spur Alaska’s Invasive Pike to Eat More,
a Bad Sign for Salmon (Alaska Beacon)
Credit Agency Puts WA on Notice Reporting a Negative
Financial Outlook (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/moodys-washington-financial-outlook-negative
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Furrer Named Acting Administrator of the
Bonneville Power Administration
2.
Paywall Advisory: DOE Selects Interim Leader for
the Bonneville Power Administration
3.
TVA Board of Directors Selects Mike Skaggs as
TVA’s Interim President and CEO
4.
Audio - Radio Update: Study Warns of Near-Term
Northwest Power Shortfall, Blackout Risk
5.
Electric Cooperatives Support New Idaho Power
Project
6.
Alaska’s Energy Cliff Isn’t Coming. It’s Already
Here.
7.
Seattle City Light Time of Use Rate Available to
Residential Customers Starting in May
8.
Section 247: Maintaining & Enhancing
Hydroelectricity Incentives Selections
9.
List of Section 247 Projects
10.
Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium RFI Seeks
Interest from Communities that Want to Explore Small Modular Reactors,
Microreactors
11.
A Trump-Branded Nuclear Power Project Thrilled
Investors. Then Came the Crash.
12.
Final LIHEAP Funds Released After Bipartisan
Push from U.S. Senators
13.
Washington State University Research Helps to
Unravel European Power Outage Mystery
14.
Trump Administration to Pay Two More Companies
to Walk Away from U.S. Offshore Wind Leases
15.
California Clears $700 Million Soda Mountain
Solar Project After Decades of Debate
16.
Avangrid to Supply Power from Oregon Trail Solar
Project to Amazon
17.
Douglas County PUD Links Hydropower Generation
with Hydrogen Production Capabilities in Integrated System Rollout
18.
Why Are Blue States Scapegoating Energy
Efficiency?
19.
Higher Temperatures Spur Alaska’s Invasive Pike
to Eat More, a Bad Sign for Salmon
20.
Conservation Groups Sue to Stop Lithium Drilling
Project on Oregon-Nevada Border
21.
More Than 60 Percent of U.S. Is Covered by
Drought as Impacts Worsen
22.
Utilities for King County Residents Could Rise
$96 a Year Under Proposed Sewage Rate Hike
23.
WA’s Latest Emissions Report Shows Small Decline
24.
Lummi Nation Accuses Whidbey Telecom of Digging
Up, Ignoring Remains at Point Roberts
25.
T-Mobile Launches SuperBroadband for Business
Customers
26.
Internet Blackout Causes Huge Damage to Iran
Economy
27.
Data Centers Replace Fruit Orchards in Changing
Central Washington
28.
Data Center Uncertainty Is Making Power Grid
Planning Difficult, Experts Say
29.
Washington Launches $112 Million Program to Help
Businesses Switch to Electric Vehicles
30.
Australia Moves to Tax Meta, Google & TikTok
to Fund Newsrooms
31.
Weather Shifts Ahead as El Niño Looms for
Washington
32.
Credit Agency Puts WA on Notice Reporting a
Negative Financial Outlook
33.
Utility CEO Pay Surges Amid Higher Profits,
Customer Struggles
34.
California Senate Committee Blocks San Francisco
Utility Municipalization Bill
35.
Guest Essay: Washington Is Making
Energy-Efficient HVAC Harder Than It Needs to Be
Word of the Day
Bilious /BILL-yuss/ Adjective – 1: having or causing a sick feeling in the stomach: feeling or causing nausea 2: angry or bad-tempered 3: very unpleasant to look at.
After three hours on the small fishing charter boat, Francois tumbled off the craft with a bilious expression that warned everyone to give him plenty of space. His sea-based chumming, however, ensured a full limit for all those who were on board the unseaworthy vessel.
Energy
& Utility Issues
1.
Furrer Named Acting Administrator of the
Bonneville Power Administration (NewsData)
2.
Paywall Advisory: DOE Selects Interim Leader for
the Bonneville Power Administration (RTO Insider)
https://www.rtoinsider.com/131191-doe-selects-interim-leader-for-bpa/
3.
TVA Board of Directors Selects Mike Skaggs as
TVA’s Interim President and CEO (American Public Power Association)
4.
Audio - Radio Update: Study Warns of Near-Term
Northwest Power Shortfall, Blackout Risk (TV Washington)
https://substack.com/@tvwstories/p-195779906
5.
Electric Cooperatives Support New Idaho Power
Project (Whitefish Pilot, MT)
https://whitefishpilot.com/news/2026/apr/29/electric-cooperatives-support-new-idaho-power-project/
6.
Alaska’s Energy Cliff Isn’t Coming. It’s Already
Here. (Northern Journal)
https://www.northernjournal.com/alaskas-energy-cliff-isnt-coming-its-already-here/
7.
Seattle City Light Time of Use Rate Available to
Residential Customers Starting in May (American Public Power Association)
8.
Section 247: Maintaining & Enhancing
Hydroelectricity Incentives Selections (U.S. Department of Energy)
9.
List of Section 247 Projects (U.S. Department of
Energy)
10.
Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium RFI Seeks
Interest from Communities that Want to Explore Small Modular Reactors,
Microreactors (American Public Power Association)
11.
A Trump-Branded Nuclear Power Project Thrilled
Investors. Then Came the Crash. (Washington Post – Via MSN)
12.
Final LIHEAP Funds Released After Bipartisan
Push from U.S. Senators (Daily Energy Insider)
13.
Washington State University Research Helps to
Unravel European Power Outage Mystery (WSU Insider)
https://news.wsu.edu/news/2026/04/29/wsu-research-helps-to-unravel-power-outage-mystery/
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
15.
California Clears $700 Million Soda Mountain Solar
Project After Decades of Debate (MSN News)
16.
Avangrid to Supply Power from Oregon Trail Solar
Project to Amazon (MSN News)
17.
Douglas County PUD Links Hydropower Generation with
Hydrogen Production Capabilities in Integrated System Rollout (Energies Media)
https://energiesmedia.com/douglas-pud-hydropower-hydrogen/
Conservation
& Efficiency
18.
Why Are Blue States Scapegoating Energy
Efficiency? (Canary Media)
Fish
& Wildlife
Environmental Afflatus – Clean Up on Aisle Three
20.
Conservation Groups Sue to Stop Lithium Drilling
Project on Oregon-Nevada Border (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
Water,
Water, Anywhere?
21.
More Than 60 Percent of U.S. Is Covered by Drought
as Impacts Worsen (Washington Post – Via MSN)
22.
Utilities for King County Residents Could Rise
$96 a Year Under Proposed Sewage Rate Hike (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
23.
WA’s Latest Emissions Report Shows Small Decline
(Washington State Standard)
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/04/29/was-latest-emissions-report-shows-small-decline/
London
Calling –Telecommunications
25.
T-Mobile Launches SuperBroadband for Business
Customers (Yahoo! News)
26.
Internet Blackout Causes Huge Damage to Iran Economy
(National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/27/nx-s1-5792049/internet-blackout-causes-huge-damage-to-iran-economy
HAL’s
Internet Café
27.
Data Centers Replace Fruit Orchards in Changing Central
Washington (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
28.
Data Center Uncertainty Is Making Power Grid
Planning Difficult, Experts Say (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/28/data-center-uncertainty-making-power-grid-planning-difficult/
I
Sing the Car Electric
29.
Washington Launches $112 Million Program to Help
Businesses Switch to Electric Vehicles (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
Public
Relations, Marketing & Media
30.
Australia Moves to Tax Meta, Google & TikTok
to Fund Newsrooms (Associated Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/news/world/australia-moves-to-tax-meta-google-and-tiktok-to-a22229647
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
31.
Weather Shifts Ahead as El Niño Looms for Washington
(KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://thequake1021.com/el-nino-washington-weather-impact/
Politics,
Governance, and Management
32.
Credit Agency Puts WA on Notice Reporting a Negative
Financial Outlook (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/moodys-washington-financial-outlook-negative
33.
Utility CEO Pay Surges Amid Higher Profits,
Customer Struggles (Energy Policy Institute)
https://energyandpolicy.org/utility-ceo-pay-2025/
34.
California Senate Committee Blocks San Francisco
Utility Municipalization Bill (Daily Energy Insider)
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
35.
Guest Essay: Washington Is Making
Energy-Efficient HVAC Harder Than It Needs to Be (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA
– Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/apr/28/jeremy-kliemann-and-melissa-olson-frause-washingto/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Baby Skunks Popping Up Across L.A. County
in Spring
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/baby-skunks-popping-up-across-l-a-county-in-spring/
Construction Workers Were Building a Wind Turbine—and Found
a Hoard of Bronze Age Jewelry
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/construction-workers-were-building-wind-130000562.html
Meteor Lights Up the Night Sky Over Western WA, British
Columbia
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/meteor-western-wa-british-columbia
YouTuber Breaks Rubik's Cube Record While Skydiving
Song of the Day
Boy Meets Girl – Waiting for a Star to Fall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjHsYpN1a9M
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.
