Sponsored by the Northwest Public Power Association, edited by Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus.
Explore Some of Public Power’s Biggest Challenges in January
Don’t miss NWPPA’s January conference series: Wildfires: What Utilities Need to Know, the Data Center and Load Growth Summit, and the Power Supply Conference. These deep-dive events help utility professionals better understand emerging challenges, share strategies, and prepare for the future. A special discount is available when you attend two or all three events. To receive the discount, please email registration@nwppa.org to register rather than signing up on NWPPA’s website.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Washington State Regulators Step Closer to
Backing Most of Avista’s Proposed Electricity Rate Boost (Spokesman-Review,
Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/oct/21/state-regulators-step-closer-to-backing-most-of-av/
Trump Administration Reignites Battle Over
Salmon, Dams in Columbia River (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/trump-admin-reignites-battle-over-salmon-dams-in-columbia-river/
Geothermal Lease Sale on Federal Land in Nevada
Nets $4.8 Million (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/geothermal-lease-sale-blm-nevada-nextera/833603/
Oregon: Umatilla Declares Emergency Over Lost
Revenue from Gov. Kotek’s Data Center Permit Pause (States Newsroom)
United Nations Report Highlights Significant
Increase in U.S. Climate Pollution (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Washington State
Regulators Step Closer to Backing Most of Avista’s Proposed Electricity Rate
Boost
2.
Trump Administration
Reignites Battle Over Salmon, Dams in Columbia River
3.
Rock Island Dam
Monitoring Boost Tracks Concrete Growth, Guides Preventive Work
4.
Outrage Grows as Some
Los Angeles Residents Report Water & Power Bills Spiking by Thousands of
Dollars
5.
News Release: Energy
Department Announces New Investments to Strengthen America’s Power Grid &
Lower Electricity Costs
6.
Geothermal Lease Sale
on Federal Land in Nevada Nets $4.8 Million
7.
This Geothermal
Startup Produced a Tiny Bit of Power from the Seafloor
8.
Oregon Weighs Plans
for a 488-MW Wind Farm & Matching Battery System Across 11,500 Acres of
9.
An Oregon Irrigation
Reservoir Could Gain a Second Job as a 1-MW Floating Solar Power Plant Near
Prineville
10.
Anchorage Picks
Contractor for Early Design Work on Potential Waste-to-Energy Plant
11.
Planning for Continued
Solar Growth in Idaho
12.
Summer-Peaking States
Could Save Big with Heat Pumps, Report Says
13.
New Calf Born to
Endangered Southern Resident Orcas in British Columbia
14.
Birds & Utilities:
Coexistence & Conservation Strategies
15.
United Nations Report
Highlights Significant Increase in U.S. Climate Pollution
16.
Portland Proposes
Tracking & Curbing Buildings’ Greenhouse Gases
17.
Wyoming: Private
Property Condemnation for Proposed Alkali Dam on Hold for Water Board Election
18.
What Would Happen to
the Colorado River If Hoover Dam Were Removed?
19.
Bringing More Beavers
to Watersheds Is a Powerful Drought-Fighting Tool, Experts Say
20.
WA State: Pole
Attachments – Clallam Commissioners Delay Decision on Astound’s $478,000
Request
21.
Fed Sees Artificial
Intelligence Boom Adding to Inflation Headache, But Others May Pay for the
Medicine
22.
First-of-a-Kind
Federal Lab in Tri-Cities to Use Artificial Intelligence to Speed Scientific
Discovery
23.
Oregon: Umatilla
Declares Emergency Over Lost Revenue from Gov. Kotek’s Data Center Permit Pause
24.
Spokane County
Commissioners Pass Resolution Extending Data Center Development Pause
25.
Utah Energy Providers
Have ‘Mature’ Cybersecurity Protocols, But There Are Gaps, Audit Says
26.
Seattle Taxpayers
Could Spend More Than a Decade Paying Off Electric Vehicle Chargers
27.
A Kelvin Wave Raised
Sea Levels on the West Coast. More Are Coming
28.
Important Milestone:
The Current El Niño Has Hit Its Peak Early
29.
Flood Watch Issued as
Pacific Storm Reaches Southern California
30.
Thanksgiving Weather
Outlooks Released: What Will It Be Like in the PNW?
31.
Oregon Forces
Bonneville Power Administration Rate Hike on Electric Co-op Members
32.
Poll: Data Center
Companies Should Pay for Power System Upgrades
33.
Guest Essay: Idaho
Helped Start the Nuclear Age. We Should Help Write What Comes Next.
Word of the Day
Guerdon /GURR-dun/ Noun – Reward, recompense.
See
instant karma
Pee
on an electric fence
A painful guerdon
1.
Washington State Regulators Step Closer to Backing
Most of Avista’s Proposed Electricity Rate Boost (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA
– Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/oct/21/state-regulators-step-closer-to-backing-most-of-av/
2.
Trump Administration Reignites Battle Over
Salmon, Dams in Columbia River (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/trump-admin-reignites-battle-over-salmon-dams-in-columbia-river/
3.
Rock Island Dam Monitoring Boost Tracks Concrete
Growth, Guides Preventive Work (Cashmere Valley Record, WA)
4.
Outrage Grows as Some Los Angeles Residents
Report Water & Power Bills Spiking by Thousands of Dollars (KTLA-TV, Los
Angeles, CA)
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/ladwp-power-water-bills-outrage-los-angeles/
5.
News Release: Energy Department Announces New
Investments to Strengthen America’s Power Grid & Lower Electricity Costs
(U.S. Dept. of Energy)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
6.
Geothermal Lease Sale on Federal Land in Nevada Nets
$4.8 Million (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/geothermal-lease-sale-blm-nevada-nextera/833603/
7.
This Geothermal Startup Produced a Tiny Bit of Power
from the Seafloor (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/geothermal/geothermal-startup-power-seafloor-drilling
8.
Oregon Weighs Plans for a 488-MW Wind Farm &
Matching Battery System Across 11,500 Acres of Farmland (Energies Media)
https://energiesmedia.com/oregon-wind-farm-battery-system/
9.
An Oregon Irrigation Reservoir Could Gain a Second
Job as a 1-MW Floating Solar Power Plant Near Prineville (The Pulse)
https://www.ecoportal.net/en/oregon-irrigation-reservoir-gain-solar/43208/
10. Anchorage
Picks Contractor for Early Design Work on Potential Waste-to-Energy Plant (Anchorage
Daily News, AK – Paywall Advisory)
11. Planning
for Continued Solar Growth in Idaho (Pacific NW Ag Network)
https://pnwag.net/solar-growth-in-id/
Conservation &
Efficiency
12. Summer-Peaking
States Could Save Big with Heat Pumps, Report Says (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/heat-pumps-electric-rates-grid-utilization-rmi/833570/
Fish & Wildlife
13. New
Calf Born to Endangered Southern Resident Orcas in British Columbia (Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/new-southern-resident-orca-calf-bc-9.7390117
14. Birds
& Utilities: Coexistence & Conservation Strategies (Transmission &
Distribution World)
https://www.tdworld.com/transmission-reliability/blog/55404888/making-room-for-wildlife
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
15. United
Nations Report Highlights Significant Increase in U.S. Climate Pollution (Oregon
Public Broadcasting)
16. Portland
Proposes Tracking & Curbing Buildings’ Greenhouse Gases (The Oregonian, Portland,
OR)
Water, Water Anywhere?
17. Wyoming:
Private Property Condemnation for Proposed Alkali Dam on Hold for Water Board
Election (WyoFile)
18. What
Would Happen to the Colorado River If Hoover Dam Were Removed? (World Atlas)
19. Bringing
More Beavers to Watersheds Is a Powerful Drought-Fighting Tool, Experts Say (Associated
Press)
London Calling
–Telecommunications
20. WA State: Pole
Attachments – Clallam Commissioners Delay Decision on Astound’s $478,000
Request (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
HAL’s Internet Café
21. Fed
Sees Artificial Intelligence Boom Adding to Inflation Headache, But Others May
Pay for the Medicine (MSN News)
22. First-of-a-Kind
Federal Lab in Tri-Cities to Use Artificial Intelligence to Speed Scientific
Discovery (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via MSN News)
The Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
23. Oregon: Umatilla
Declares Emergency Over Lost Revenue from Gov. Kotek’s Data Center Permit Pause
(States Newsroom)
24. Spokane
County Commissioners Pass Resolution Extending Data Center Development Pause (KHQ-TV,
Spokane, WA)
25. Utah Energy
Providers Have ‘Mature’ Cybersecurity Protocols, But There Are Gaps, Audit Says
(States Newsroom)
I Sing the Car Electric
26. Seattle
Taxpayers Could Spend More Than a Decade Paying Off Electric Vehicle Chargers (The
Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_fc9623e8-d10a-4de6-bf98-84862671667f.html
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
27. A Kelvin Wave
Raised Sea Levels on the West Coast. More Are Coming (KNKX Radio, Tacoma, WA)
https://www.knkx.org/2026-10-19/a-kelvin-wave-raised-sea-levels-on-the-west-coast-more-are-coming
28. Important
Milestone: The Current El Niño Has Hit Its Peak Early (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2026/10/important-milestone-el-nino-has-hit-its.html
Other Things to Know
About Today
29. Flood
Watch Issued as Pacific Storm Reaches Southern California (KTLA-TV, Los Angeles,
CA)
https://ktla.com/news/california/flood-watch-issued-as-pacific-storm-reaches-southern-california/
30. Thanksgiving
Weather Outlooks Released: What Will It Be Like in the PNW? (KOIN-TV, Portland,
OR)
https://www.koin.com/weather/thanksgiving-weather-outlooks-pnw-oregon-washington/
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
31. Oregon
Forces Bonneville Power Administration Rate Hike on Electric Co-op Members
(Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association)
https://www.oreca.org/news-releases/oregon-forces-bpa-rate-hike-on-electric-co-op-members/
32. Poll: Data
Center Companies Should Pay for Power System Upgrades (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_6bdb2fee-7c64-4cf6-9df7-5bdb3aec57b0.html
33. Guest
Essay: Idaho Helped Start the Nuclear Age. We Should Help Write What Comes
Next. (Idaho Capital Sun)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
62-Year-Old Grandma from Idaho Breaks Weightlifting Record
https://www.kcra.com/article/62-year-old-grandma-from-idaho-breaks-weightlifting-record/74194330
The Orionid Meteor Shower Is Coming. Here’s How
& When to Watch
https://www.seattlepi.com/living/the-orionid-meteor-shower-is-coming-here-s-how-a22485616
Humorous Campaign Signs Propel ‘Unqualified’
Man to City Council
Rental Company Lime Says Its E-Bikes Are ‘Not for
Jousting’
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/10/21/lime-rental-ebikes-jousting/1741792603106/
Song of the Day
The Moody Blues – Knights in White Satin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2VH5-rqWzI
Roll the Credits…
The News Digest on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter) will deliver breaking news throughout the week so you can stay informed.
Subscribe to The Energy News Digest to keep up with the latest updates.
Links & Paywall Advisory
The links in The Energy News Digest point to current news stories. Because media websites update often, some links may stop working over time.
I try to select stories you can read without a subscription.
Your experience may differ. The news source will let you know if there might be
a paywall. Clearing your browser history and cookies can sometimes help you
access these sites.
