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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
NWPPA’s Manager as Leader Series Heads to Vancouver, Washington
All courses in NWPPA’s Manager as Leader Series will be coming to Vancouver, Washington, as two-part workshops this year. Own Your Role and Build Thriving Relationships will be Aug. 5-6, Interact With Impact and Lead Change will be Oct. 7-8, and Lead Teams and Coach for Success will be Dec. 1-2. These workshops are designed to ignite, inspire, and nurture the leader mindset within you. Register by next Monday, June 22, to get the early-bird rate for the August workshop.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Seattle City Light Eyes
Biggest Bill Increases in Recent Memory (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
Snohomish PUD
‘Confident’ as Court Order Reduces Columbia Basin Hydropower (The Everett Post,
WA)
https://www.everettpost.com/local-news/snohomish-pud-confident-as-court-order-reduces-hydro-power/
Oregon, Washington Win Suit Against Trump Memo Pausing Wind Energy Permits (AOL News)
https://www.aol.com/articles/oregon-washington-win-suit-against-234954000.html
Spokane
Council Delays Data Center Moratorium Until at Least Next Week
(Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/jun/15/spokane-council-delays-data-center-moratorium-unti/
Microsoft
Sued by Shareholders Over Expenses, Cloud Business, Artificial Intelligence
(Reuters)
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Seattle City Light Eyes Biggest Bill Increases
in Recent Memory
2.
Snohomish PUD ‘Confident’ as Court Order Reduces
Columbia Basin Hydropower
3.
Oregon Relies More on Natural Gas to Generate
Electricity as Coal Drops to All-Time Low
4.
British Columbia Eyes New Hydro Megadams to Meet
Soaring Power Demands
5.
Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Dreams Stretch Over
Half a Century
6.
WA State: Helion Secures Key Licenses for Malaga
Fusion Plant
7.
Scammers Renew Grays Harbor PUD Power Shutoff
Threats
8.
Is New England’s New Hydropower Transmission
Line Paying Off?
9.
Oregon, Washington Win Suit Against Trump Memo
Pausing Wind Energy Permits
10.
Trump Administration to Pay $765 Million to
Cancel More Offshore Wind Leases
11.
Heat Pump Shipments Rise Through April, With
More Use for Both Heating & Cooling
12.
Ninth Circuit Sides with Yurok Tribe Over
Klamath Irrigation Project
13.
Fiber Optic Installations Wreak Havoc in
Billings & Nationwide
14.
Microsoft Sued by Shareholders Over Expenses,
Cloud Business, Artificial Intelligence
15.
Spokane Council Delays Data Center Moratorium
Until at Least Next Week
16.
Artificial Intelligence Firms Are Getting
Creative as They Scramble for Energy
17.
Insight: Fast-Tracked Power Plants Fuel
Artificial Intelligence Boom, With Little Public Scrutiny
18.
Eugene Water & Electric Board Puts the
Brakes on Its E-Bike Rebate Program
19.
Grant PUD Considers Rounding Customer Bills to
Nearest Dollar After Penny Discontinued
20.
Look Up at the Night Sky on Wednesday for a
Mini-Planetary Alignment
21.
Oregon Wildfire Emergency Declared as Fire
Danger Rises
22.
Idaho Gov. Little Says State Is Preparing for
Challenging Wildfire Season as Fund Drops to $0
Word
of the Day
Cool breeze,
swirling gusts
Rambunctious
leaves playing tag
Float softly to rest
Energy
& Utility Issues
1.
Seattle City Light Eyes Biggest Bill Increases in
Recent Memory (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
2.
Snohomish PUD ‘Confident’ as Court Order Reduces
Columbia Basin Hydropower (The Everett Post, WA)
https://www.everettpost.com/local-news/snohomish-pud-confident-as-court-order-reduces-hydro-power/
3. Oregon
Relies More on Natural Gas to Generate Electricity as Coal Drops to All-Time
Low (The Oregonian, Portland, OR – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/oregon-relies-more-natural-gas-123059824.html
4. British
Columbia Eyes New Hydro Megadams to Meet Soaring Power Demands (Vancouver Sun,
BC)
https://vancouversun.com/business/bc-eyes-new-hydro-megadams-soaring-power-demands
5. Alaska
Natural Gas Pipeline Dreams Stretch Over Half a Century (Alaska Beacon)
https://alaskabeacon.com/2026/06/17/alaska-natural-gas-pipeline-dreams-stretch-over-half-a-century/
6. WA
State: Helion Secures Key Licenses for Malaga Fusion Plant (KPQ Radio,
Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/helion-fusion-licenses-malaga/
7. Scammers
Renew Grays Harbor PUD Power Shutoff Threats (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
https://www.chronline.com/stories/scammers-renew-grays-harbor-pud-power-shutoff-threats,404216?
8. Is
New England’s New Hydropower Transmission Line Paying Off? (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/transmission/new-england-hydropower-transmission-line
Renewable Energy & Self Storage
9. Oregon,
Washington Win Suit Against Trump Memo Pausing Wind Energy Permits (AOL News)
https://www.aol.com/articles/oregon-washington-win-suit-against-234954000.html
10.
Trump Administration to Pay $765 Million to Cancel
More Offshore Wind Leases (The Independent, OK – Via MSN News)
Conservation & Efficiency
11. Heat
Pump Shipments Rise Through April, With More Use for Both Heating & Cooling
(Utility Dive)
Water, Water, Anywhere?
12.
Ninth Circuit Sides with Yurok Tribe Over Klamath
Irrigation Project (Courthouse News Service)
https://courthousenews.com/ninth-circuit-sides-with-yurok-tribe-over-klamath-irrigation-project/
London Calling –Telecommunications
13.
Fiber Optic Installations Wreak Havoc in Billings
& Nationwide (KTVQ-TV, Billings, MT)
https://www.ktvq.com/news/fiber-optic-installations-wreak-havoc-in-billings-and-nationwide
The Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
14. Microsoft
Sued by Shareholders Over Expenses, Cloud Business, Artificial Intelligence (Reuters)
HAL’s Internet Café
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/jun/15/spokane-council-delays-data-center-moratorium-unti/
16.
Artificial Intelligence Firms Are Getting
Creative as They Scramble for Energy (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/data-centers/ai-energy-gas-turbines-space-underwater
17.
Insight: Fast-Tracked Power Plants Fuel Artificial
Intelligence Boom, With Little Public Scrutiny (Reuters)
I Sing the Car Electric
18.
Eugene Water & Electric Board Puts the Brakes
on Its E-Bike Rebate Program (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/14/eweb-e-bike-rebate-program/
Public Relations, Marketing & Media
19.
Grant PUD Considers Rounding Customer Bills to
Nearest Dollar After Penny Discontinued (Source ONE News, Ephrata, WA)
Barrel O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
20.
Look Up at the Night Sky on Wednesday for a Mini-Planetary
Alignment (KCRA-TV, Sacramento, CA)
https://www.kcra.com/article/wednesday-mini-planetary-alignment-northern-california/71616675
Other Things to Know About Today
21.
Oregon Wildfire Emergency Declared as Fire
Danger Rises (KNDO & KNDU-TV, Yakima/Tri-Cities, WA)
22.
Idaho Gov. Little Says State Is Preparing for Challenging
Wildfire Season as Fund Drops to $0 (Idaho Capital Sun)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Boston Bars Say Scottish Soccer Fans
Are Drinking Them Dry
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/06/17/FIFA-World-Cup-Boston-beer-Scottish-fans/4951781718261/
Seattle Debuts Its First-Ever Drone Scoreboard for World Cup
Matches
Luke’s ‘Empire’ Lightsaber, ‘Wizard of Oz’ Witch Hat & Lebowski
Rugs Going Up for Auction
German Man Assembles World's Largest Lego Sausage
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/06/16/germany-Guinness-World-Records-Lego-sausage/8101781627006/
Song of the Day
Tom T. Hall – I Like Beer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWLInGb2NhM
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