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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Wildfire Leaves
Northwest Spokane in a ‘War Zone’ (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Via Yahoo!
News)
Controversial Central
WA Gas Power Plant for Data Centers Canceled Amid Activist Backlash (KUOW
Radio, Seattle, WA)
Rising Tension in
Central WA as Farmland Is Eyed for Energy & Data Center Projects
(Washington State Standard)
Record-Breaking El
Niño Could Gut California's Crab & Salmon Fleets (Los Angeles Times, CA –
Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/record-breaking-el-ni-o-100000576.html
What a Federal Plan to
Reallocate the Colorado River's Water Means for Western States (National Public
Radio)
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1. Controversial Central WA Gas Power Plant for Data Centers
Canceled Amid Activist Backlash
2. Washington's Only Coal Power Plant Switching to Natural Gas
3. Coal’s Share of Electricity Production in Wyoming at
All-Time Low Despite Peak Demand
4. Washington Attorney General Challenges Puget Sound Energy
Rate Hike Amid Rising Utility Bills
5. Portland General Electric Proposes More Rate Increases
6. Pacific Gas & Electric Asking California Regulators to
Raise Gas Rates, Approve $26 Million Shareholder Payment
7. Avista Seeks Idaho Rate Changes That Would Raise Electric
Bills, Lower Natural Gas Costs
8. Edison CEO: California Utilities Face Credit Downgrades
without Wildfire Reforms
9. Residents Blast Planned Power Shutoffs as Heat Wave Pushes
Homes to 90 Degrees
10. Electric Shutoffs Are Higher in Nevada Than Elsewhere in
the West, New Data Shows
11. 2024 U.S. Residential Utility Disconnections Report
12. Cuba Plunges into Darkness as Electric Grid Collapses
13. Record Low Danube River Levels Push Some Countries in
Eastern Europe to the Brink of Energy Emergency
14. Rising Tension in Central WA as Farmland Is Eyed for Energy
& Data Center Projects
15. WA State: A Nez Perce Group Is Giving Its Support to a Wind
Project on the Palouse. Harvest Hills Wind Wants Washington Leaders to Approve
Its Plans
16. Snohomish County Is Building the State's Largest Battery
Plant
17. Poll Suggests Utahns Ready to Pay More for Clean Energy
Sources
18. Record-Breaking El Niño Could Gut California's Crab &
Salmon Fleets
19. Fishing Closures Are Becoming Routine as Record Heat Warms
Rivers in the U.S. West
20. Washington State Shellfish Growers Worry for Future After
Hood Canal Closure
21. An Oregon Hydroelectric Plant Hit ‘Pause’ Until the End of
the Year & Opened a Waterway So Thousands of Salmon & Trout Could
Finally Pass Through
22. Thick Wildfire Smoke Causes Dangerous Air Quality in the
Pacific Northwest
23. With 2030 Deadline to Cut Emissions Approaching, WA Has a
Long Way to Go
24. California’s Carbon-Pricing Program Generated $36.2 Billion
for Climate Initiatives: Report
25. Spokane Proposes $2.75 Monthly Climate Fee atop Two Solid
Waste Rate Hikes
26. What a Federal Plan to Reallocate the Colorado River's
Water Means for Western States
27. British Columbia: Shuswap Ranchers Brace for Major Crop
Losses After Province Halts Irrigation to Protect Endangered River Fish
28. ‘The Juice Isn’t Worth the Squeeze’: National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association’s Jim Matheson on Pole Attachments & BEAD
29. Alaska Librarians Worry Broadband Costs Will Skyrocket
After Federal Review
30. Hackers Targeted Municipal Water Systems in Seven States
This Week, FBI Says
31. Evergreen Rural Water of Washington Warns of Cyber-Attacks
on Water Systems
32. Washington Group Calls for Data Center Moratorium. Here’s
What to Know
33. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Teams with Amazon to
Test Artificial Intelligence for Power Grid
34. Oregon’s Popular Electric Vehicle Rebate Program to Reopen
Next Month
35. Walmart Leapfrogs Electric Vehicle Charging Competitors
with Rapid Buildout
36. British Columbia: Metal Thieves Target BC Hydro Charging
Stations & It’s Not the First Time
37. Pacific Northwest’s Yanked Ocean Observatories Start to
Return to Sea
38. A Discarded SpaceX Rocket Is on a High-Speed Collision
Course with the Moon
39. U.S. FCC Approves Giant Space Mirror to Deliver 'Sunlight
on Demand,' But What Are the Legal Implications?
40. U.S. Senators Send Wildfire Risk Reduction Letter to Key
Federal Agencies
41. Wildfire Leaves Northwest Spokane in a ‘War Zone’
42. Strong Winds Cause Major Expansion of Eastern Washington
Wildfires
43. Where Are Wildfires Burning in Washington State? Use These
Maps to Find Blazes
44. Guest Essay: Amending Marine Mammal Protection Act Is
Essential to Protect Salmon from Pinniped Predators
Word of the Day – Horrible Haiku Edition
Lalochezia /lah-low-KEEzee-yah/ Noun – The use of vulgar or foul language to relieve stress or pain.
The hammer comes down
Misses the nail, hits the thumb
Lalochezia
1. Controversial
Central WA Gas Power Plant for Data Centers Canceled Amid Activist Backlash
(KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
2. Washington's
Only Coal Power Plant Switching to Natural Gas (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)
3. Coal’s
Share of Electricity Production in Wyoming at All-Time Low Despite Peak Demand
(WyoFile)
4. Washington
Attorney General Challenges Puget Sound Energy Rate Hike Amid Rising Utility
Bills (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
5. Portland
General Electric Proposes More Rate Increases (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
6. Pacific
Gas & Electric Asking California Regulators to Raise Gas Rates, Approve $26
Million Shareholder Payment (KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA)
7. Avista
Seeks Idaho Rate Changes That Would Raise Electric Bills, Lower Natural Gas
Costs (DailyFly)
8. Edison
CEO: California Utilities Face Credit Downgrades without Wildfire Reforms
(Utility Dive)
9. Residents
Blast Planned Power Shutoffs as Heat Wave Pushes Homes to 90 Degrees (Yahoo!
News)
10. Electric
Shutoffs Are Higher in Nevada Than Elsewhere in the West, New Data Shows
(Nevada Independent)
11. 2024
U.S. Residential Utility Disconnections Report (U.S. Energy Information
Administration – Links to PDF File)
12. Cuba
Plunges into Darkness as Electric Grid Collapses (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/cubas-national-electricity-grid-collapses-sunday-2026-08-03/
13. Record
Low Danube River Levels Push Some Countries in Eastern Europe to the Brink of
Energy Emergency (Courthouse News Service)
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
14. Rising
Tension in Central WA as Farmland Is Eyed for Energy & Data Center Projects
(Washington State Standard)
15. WA
State: A Nez Perce Group Is Giving Its Support to a Wind Project on the
Palouse. Harvest Hills Wind Wants Washington Leaders to Approve Its Plans
(Northwest Public Broadcasting)
16. Snohomish
County Is Building the State's Largest Battery Plant (KNKX Radio, Tacoma, WA)
17. Poll
Suggests Utahns Ready to Pay More for Clean Energy Sources (KSL Radio, Salt
Lake City, UT)
https://www.ksl.com/article/51603769/poll-suggests-utahns-ready-to-pay-more-for-clean-energy-sources
Fish
& Wildlife
18. Record-Breaking
El Niño Could Gut California's Crab & Salmon Fleets (Los Angeles Times, CA
– Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/record-breaking-el-ni-o-100000576.html
19. Fishing
Closures Are Becoming Routine as Record Heat Warms Rivers in the U.S. West
(Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/drought-heat-fishing-closures-climate-d3c8999b0bd39381b00ca3d7ed415c90
20. Washington
State Shellfish Growers Worry for Future After Hood Canal Closure (The
Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
21. An
Oregon Hydroelectric Plant Hit ‘Pause’ Until the End of the Year & Opened a
Waterway So Thousands of Salmon & Trout Could Finally Pass Through (Ecoportal)
https://www.ecoportal.net/en/trout-migration-hydroelectric-plant/30430/
Environmental
Afflatus – Clean Up on Aisle Three
22. Thick
Wildfire Smoke Causes Dangerous Air Quality in the Pacific Northwest
(AccuWeather)
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
23. With
2030 Deadline to Cut Emissions Approaching, WA Has a Long Way to Go (States
Newsroom)
https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/2030-deadline-cut-emissions-approaching-wa-has-long-way-go
24.
California’s Carbon-Pricing Program Generated
$36.2 Billion for Climate Initiatives: Report (Utility Dive)
25. Spokane
Proposes $2.75 Monthly Climate Fee atop Two Solid Waste Rate Hikes (The Center
Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_f4b992a9-3794-4e34-a660-c147c1233386.html
Water,
Water Anywhere?
26. What
a Federal Plan to Reallocate the Colorado River's Water Means for Western
States (National Public Radio)
27. British
Columbia: Shuswap Ranchers Brace for Major Crop Losses After Province Halts
Irrigation to Protect Endangered River Fish (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
London
Calling –Telecommunications
28. ‘The
Juice Isn’t Worth the Squeeze’: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s
Jim Matheson on Pole Attachments & BEAD (Telecompetitor)
29. Alaska
Librarians Worry Broadband Costs Will Skyrocket After Federal Review (Alaska
Public Media)
The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
30. Hackers
Targeted Municipal Water Systems in Seven States This Week, FBI Says (NBC News)
31. Evergreen
Rural Water of Washington Warns of Cyber-Attacks on Water Systems (KIRO
Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
HAL’s
Internet Café
32. Washington
Group Calls for Data Center Moratorium. Here’s What to Know (KOIN-TV, Portland,
OR)
33. Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory Teams with Amazon to Test Artificial Intelligence
for Power Grid (KNDO & KNDU-TV, Yakima/Tri-Cities, WA)
I
Sing the Car Electric
34. Oregon’s
Popular Electric Vehicle Rebate Program to Reopen Next Month (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/29/oregon-ev-electric-vehicle-rebate-reopens/
35. Walmart
Leapfrogs Electric Vehicle Charging Competitors with Rapid Buildout (Chicago
Tribune, IL)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/30/walmart-ev-charging/
36. British
Columbia: Metal Thieves Target BC Hydro Charging Stations & It’s Not the
First Time (Global News, Canada)
https://globalnews.ca/news/12002079/metal-thieves-target-bc-hydro-charging-stations/
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
37. Pacific
Northwest’s Yanked Ocean Observatories Start to Return to Sea (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/31/northwest-scientists-ocean-observatories-return-to-sea/
38. A
Discarded SpaceX Rocket Is on a High-Speed Collision Course with the Moon
(Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/spacex-rocket-moon-crash-512c4dd708b4cda1160d30b764f9fdb5
39. U.S.
FCC Approves Giant Space Mirror to Deliver 'Sunlight on Demand,' But What Are
the Legal Implications? (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/reflect-orbital-approval-fcc-9.7287535
Politics,
Governance, and Management
40. U.S.
Senators Send Wildfire Risk Reduction Letter to Key Federal Agencies (American
Public Power Association)
Other
Things to Know About Today
41. Wildfire
Leaves Northwest Spokane in a ‘War Zone’ (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Via
Yahoo! News)
42. Strong
Winds Cause Major Expansion of Eastern Washington Wildfires (Cliff Mass Weather
Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2026/08/strong-winds-cause-major-expansion-of.html
43. Where
Are Wildfires Burning in Washington State? Use These Maps to Find Blazes
(Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
44.
Guest Essay: Amending Marine Mammal Protection
Act Is Essential to Protect Salmon from Pinniped Predators (Bellingham Herald,
WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/amending-mmpa-essential-protect-salmon-120000551.html
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Wienermobile Marks 90
Years with a Limited-Time Treat Available for One Weekend in Los Angeles
https://ktla.com/news/wienermobile-marks-90-years-with-a-limited-time-treat/
‘Nature’s Pretty
Cool’: Local Farm Winds Down Walla Walla Sweet Onion Field as Harvest Ends
Mammoth Remains
Revealed in Bulgaria After Danube Water Levels Hit Record Low
Small Bookstores Are
Popping Up Across the Country. What's Behind the Boom
Song of the Day
Roy Orbison – Crying
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_L_GZLa5ow
Links & Paywall Advisory
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