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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Oregon Approves Portland General Electric’s
29.7% Rate Hike for Data Centers Under Landmark Law (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/07/oregon-data-center-general-electric-rate-hikes/
El Niño Is Here, And It’s Already Scrambling
Fisheries Throughout the Pacific (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/economics/el-nino-scrambling-fisheries-throughout-the-pacific/
Texas Orders Cleanup of Thousands of Dumped
Wind Turbine Blades (USA Today – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/texas-orders-cleanup-thousands-dumped-192645256.html
What Are Threats to Idaho’s Snake River? New
Report Combs Data, Offers Ideas (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/threats-idaho-snake-river-report-100000495.html
Should Portland Use Clean Energy Fund to Hire
More Police? Petition Gets One Step Closer to Ballot (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
https://www.koin.com/news/portland/clean-energy-fund-hire-more-police-petition-ballot/
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Oregon Approves
Portland General Electric’s 29.7% Rate Hike for Data Centers Under Landmark Law
2.
U.S. Wholesale Power
Prices to Decline 8% This Summer: EIA
3.
States Are Taking
Action on Energy Affordability as Issue Grows: Report
4.
U.S. Power Use to Beat
Record Highs in 2026 & 2027 as Artificial Intelligence Use Surges, EIA Says
5.
WA State: Pend Oreille
PUD Activating Elevated Fire-Safe Mode Wednesday Amid Potential Fire Danger
6.
Cuba Slowly Gets Power
Back After Third Nationwide Blackout in Six Months
7.
Texas Orders Cleanup
of Thousands of Dumped Wind Turbine Blades
8.
California Covered
Ponds & Reservoirs with Floating Solar Panels. Soon, Waterbirds Started
Moving In
9.
News Release:
Iberdrola Begins Construction of Its Oregon Trail Solar Project in the U.S.
10.
WA State: Spokane
Cooling Mandate Could Cost Landlords Millions
11.
Powering Prunes with
Clean Energy: Sunsweet’s Efficiency Upgrades
12.
El Niño Is Here, And
It’s Already Scrambling Fisheries Throughout the Pacific
13.
Washington's
Fourth-Straight Year of Drought Puts Pressure on Beekeepers
14.
Portland Backs
Portland General Electric Plan to Cut Hundreds of Mature Forest Park Trees in
What Critics Call a Backroom Deal
15.
Should Portland Use
Clean Energy Fund to Hire More Police? Petition Gets One Step Closer to Ballot
16.
Environmental Justice
Group Sues California Over Carbon Market Overhaul
17.
Could Hydropower
Hamper New York City’s Building Decarbonization Law?
18.
What Are Threats to
Idaho’s Snake River? New Report Combs Data, Offers Ideas
19.
Lake Powell, a Vital
Reservoir, Plunges Toward Unprecedented Low Levels as Water Crisis Deepens in
the U.S. West
20.
Klamath River
Restoration in Oregon Wins Top Engineering Award
21.
OpenAI Set to Launch
Most Capable GPT Model After Delayed Rollout
22.
Why Artificial
Intelligence Companies Are Hiring Philosophers to Help Develop Their Models
23.
Why Rivian's Stock
Price Took a Big Hit. And Why it's Not All Bad News
24.
Viral Video Appears to
Show Woman Asleep Behind the Wheel on Busy British Columbia Highway
25.
Cooler Than Normal
Water Off the Northwest Coast
26.
Scientists Say This
Climate Hack Could Stop El Niño Before It Starts
27.
Trump Admin Can't Duck
Blue States' Suit Over Canceled Clean Energy Grants
28.
July Heat &
Drought Conditions Raise Wildfire Threat Across Washington
29.
Chelan Hills Fire
Reaches 50% Containment Despite Red Flag Warning
30.
The Future of State
Broadband Offices
Word of the Day
Invidious \in-VID-ee-us\ Adjective – 1: tending to cause discontent, animosity, or envy; 2: envious; 3a: of an unpleasant or objectionable nature: obnoxious; *b: of a kind to cause harm or resentment.
“You’re wearing a silly hat,” thundered Octavio during the morning session on energy conservation. Ignoring the remark, the hardy presenter droned on about heat pumps and cost savings. “Your mother wears army boots” marked the next salvo in Octavio’s barrage of invidious comments. His barking, irrelevant comments were the only points that kept attendees awake. Unfortunately for the presenter, the only things the attendees remembered were something about boots and hats.
1.
Oregon Approves Portland General Electric’s 29.7%
Rate Hike for Data Centers Under Landmark Law (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/07/oregon-data-center-general-electric-rate-hikes/
2.
U.S. Wholesale Power Prices to Decline 8% This
Summer: EIA (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/us-wholesale-power-prices-decline-summer-eia/824671/
3.
States Are Taking Action on Energy Affordability
as Issue Grows: Report (Utility Dive)
4.
U.S. Power Use to Beat Record Highs in 2026 &
2027 as Artificial Intelligence Use Surges, EIA Says (Reuters)
5.
WA State: Pend Oreille PUD Activating Elevated
Fire-Safe Mode Wednesday Amid Potential Fire Danger (KREM-TV, Spokane, WA)
6.
Cuba Slowly Gets Power Back After Third
Nationwide Blackout in Six Months (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/agony-cuba-amid-third-nationwide-185357802.html
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
7.
Texas Orders Cleanup of Thousands of Dumped Wind
Turbine Blades (USA Today – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/texas-orders-cleanup-thousands-dumped-192645256.html
8.
California Covered Ponds & Reservoirs with Floating
Solar Panels. Soon, Waterbirds Started Moving In (Energies Media)
https://energiesmedia.com/floating-solar-impact-waterbirds-spread/
9.
News Release: Iberdrola Begins Construction of Its
Oregon Trail Solar Project in the U.S. (Iberdrola)
Conservation &
Efficiency
10.
WA State: Spokane Cooling Mandate Could Cost
Landlords Millions (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_41faa619-24a8-4c19-9b9b-e4015f12ec37.html
11.
Powering Prunes with Clean Energy: Sunsweet’s
Efficiency Upgrades (California Climate Investments)
https://www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov/2026-profiles/powering-prunes-with-clean-energy
Fish & Wildlife
12.
El Niño Is Here, And It’s Already Scrambling
Fisheries Throughout the Pacific (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/economics/el-nino-scrambling-fisheries-throughout-the-pacific/
13.
Washington's Fourth-Straight Year of Drought
Puts Pressure on Beekeepers (KNDO & KNDU-TV, Yakima/Tri-Cities, WA)
Environmental Afflatus –
Clean Up on Aisle Three
14.
Portland Backs Portland General Electric Plan to
Cut Hundreds of Mature Forest Park Trees in What Critics Call a Backroom Deal
(The Oregonian, Portland, OR – Via MSN News)
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
15.
Should Portland Use Clean Energy Fund to Hire
More Police? Petition Gets One Step Closer to Ballot (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
https://www.koin.com/news/portland/clean-energy-fund-hire-more-police-petition-ballot/
16.
Environmental Justice Group Sues California Over
Carbon Market Overhaul (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
17.
Could Hydropower Hamper New York City’s Building
Decarbonization Law? (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/hydropower/hydropower-nyc-building-decarbonization
Water, Water Anywhere?
18.
What Are Threats to Idaho’s Snake River? New Report
Combs Data, Offers Ideas (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/threats-idaho-snake-river-report-100000495.html
19.
Lake Powell, a Vital Reservoir, Plunges Toward
Unprecedented Low Levels as Water Crisis Deepens in the U.S. West (The Guardian,
UK)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/lake-powell-vital-reservoir-plunges-140003858.html
20.
Klamath River Restoration in Oregon Wins Top
Engineering Award (Pacific Builder & Engineer)
HAL’s Internet Café
21.
OpenAI Set to Launch Most Capable GPT Model
After Delayed Rollout (Reuters)
22.
Why Artificial Intelligence Companies Are Hiring
Philosophers to Help Develop Their Models (National Public Radio)
I Sing the Car Electric
23.
Why Rivian's Stock Price Took a Big Hit. And Why
it's Not All Bad News (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/why-rivians-stock-price-took-144600947.html
24.
Viral Video Appears to Show Woman Asleep Behind the
Wheel on Busy British Columbia Highway (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tesla-driver-asleep-9.7260847
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
25.
Cooler Than Normal Water Off the Northwest Coast
(Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2026/07/cooler-than-normal-water-off-northwest.html
26.
Scientists Say This Climate Hack Could Stop El
Niño Before It Starts (Gizmodo)
https://gizmodo.com/scientists-say-this-climate-hack-could-stop-el-nino-before-it-starts-2000782956
Politics, Governance,
and Management
27.
Trump Admin Can't Duck Blue States' Suit Over
Canceled Clean Energy Grants (Courthouse News Service)
https://courthousenews.com/trump-admin-cant-duck-blue-states-suit-over-canceled-clean-energy-grants/
Other Things to Know
About Today
28.
July Heat & Drought Conditions Raise
Wildfire Threat Across Washington (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/pacific-northwest-weather/wildfire-threat/4254486
29.
Chelan Hills Fire Reaches 50% Containment
Despite Red Flag Warning (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/chelan-hills-fire-containment/
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
30. The
Future of State Broadband Offices (Pots & Pans)
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2026/07/08/the-future-of-state-broadband-offices/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Female American Rower Completes Record-Breaking
Solo Journey from California to Hawaii
Gold Rings Around 2,000 Years Old Found During
Dig at Thailand Archaeological Site
Italian Students Construct World's Largest
Paper Airplane
Dog Chases Bear Away from Playing Boy in Connecticut
Song of the Day
George Jones & Tammy Wynette – Golden Ring
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rSdlbMAzCY
Links & Paywall Advisory
The links in The Energy News Digest point to current news stories. Since media websites are updated often, some links might stop working over time.
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