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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Federal Firings
Could Pinch Services at Army Corps of Engineers & the Bonneville Power
Administration (Lewiston Morning Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.lmtribune.com/local-news/federal-firings-could-pinch-services-at-corps-and-bpa-18867696
U.S. Energy
Secretary Touts Nuclear Power as Tech Sector’s Thirst for Electricity Grows
(MSN News)
EPA Moves to Ditch
Finding That Greenhouse Gases Cause Harm (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/26/epa-greenhouse-gases-00204866
Proposed Renewable
Energy Pumped Hydropower Megaproject on Yakama Nation Sacred Site Inches
Forward (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
Tesla’s Direct Car
Sales Loophole Survives in Washington State — For Now (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/tesla-s-washington-loophole-survives-for-another-year
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. U.S.
Energy Secretary Touts Nuclear Power as Tech Sector’s Thirst for Electricity
Grows
2. British
Columbia: Peace River Dam’s Electric Generation Capacity Grows to 50%
3. Electricity
Prices Are Spiking. That’s A Problem for President Trump.
4. Oregon:
Authorities Tight-Lipped After Damage to Bonneville Power Administration
Transformer
5. Washington
UTC Approves New Rates For Cascade Natural Gas Customers
6. Time
to Go Underground? Puget Sound Energy Considers Power Outage Risk When Moving
Lines Underground
7. WA
State: Concerns Raised by Pend Oreille PUD ‘Smart Meters’
8. Jefferson
County PUD Enlists Grazing Goats
9. British
Columbia: Power Shortfall Threatens Kelowna’s Development Growth
10. Power
Restored, Curfew Lifted After Chile’s Massive Blackout
11. Public
Power Approves Policy Resolutions on Infrastructure, Wildfire Mitigation,
Hydropower, and Drone Use
12. Federal
Firings Could Pinch Services at Army Corps of Engineers & the Bonneville
Power Administration
13. The
Bonneville Power Administration Clawed Back Some Fired Workers, but Blackout
Concerns Remain
14. Bonneville
Power Administration Cuts Roughly 430 Jobs
15. High
Winds Pummel the Pacific Northwest as Power Agency Job Cuts Worry Local Leaders
16. Proposed
Renewable Energy Pumped Hydropower Megaproject on Yakama Nation Sacred Site
Inches Forward
17. Idaho:
Lava Ridge Wind Turbine Project Is Essentially Dead, U.S. Sen. Risch
18. New
Idaho Excise Tax Bill Goes ‘Gangster’ on Wind Farm Projects
19. Eastern
Montana Lawmakers Sponsor Bills Seeking to Restrict Wind Development
20. WA
State: Lithium Battery Factory in Hillyard Damaged in Largest Fire of Its Kind
Ever in Spokane
21. The
Building Industry Association of Washington Refiles Suit Requiring State
Building Code Council to Follow Natural Gas Law
22. Oregon
School Districts Say Lawmakers Screwed Up Light Bulb Bill
23. Trump
Funding Freeze Includes Payments to Keep the Colorado River Flowing
24. EPA
Moves to Ditch Finding That Greenhouse Gases Cause Harm
25. Already
Lagging Broadband Program Faces More Uncertainty Under Trump
26. How
Should Secretary Lutnick Reform the $42 Billion Broadband Program?
27. Tesla’s
Direct Car Sales Loophole Survives in Washington State — For Now
28. Slack
Outage Takes Down Widely Using Messaging App
29. Oregon
Gov. Tina Kotek Discussed Wildfire Funding, Bonneville Power Administration in
Trump Administration Chats Last Week
30. The
Trump Administration Sets the Stage for Large-Scale Federal Worker Layoffs in a
New Memo
31. President
Trump Directs Government to Consider Possible Tariffs on Copper
32. Guest
Essay: President Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council Should Appoint a
‘Hydropower Czar’
33.
Utilities Are Flying Blind on Data Center
Demand. That’s a Big Problem.
Word of the Day
Keelhaul /KEEL-hawl/ Verb - 1: to haul under the keel of a ship as punishment or torture 2: to rebuke severely.
Word Origin (Merriam-Webster) – In the mid-1600s, British monarchs intended to use their powerful navy to expand their empire. Insubordination was not tolerated, and mutinous sailors were disciplined severely to discourage others from similar rebellions. Keelhauling was one of the worst penalties that could befall a renegade mariner. Although they practiced the gruesome punishment, the British did not invent it—the Dutch did. Keelhaul translates the Dutch word kielhalen, "to haul under the keel of a ship." Even after the practice was banned on European naval vessels in the mid-1800s, the word keelhaul remained in English as a term for severe scolding.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
U.S. Energy Secretary Touts Nuclear Power as
Tech Sector’s Thirst for Electricity Grows (MSN News)
2.
British Columbia: Peace River Dam’s Electric
Generation Capacity Grows to 50% (Daily Hive, Vancouver, BC)
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/site-c-hydroelectric-dam-bc-hydro-capacity-milestone
3.
Electricity Prices Are Spiking. That’s A Problem
for President Trump. (E&E News)
https://www.eenews.net/articles/electricity-prices-are-spiking-thats-a-problem-for-trump/
4.
Oregon: Authorities Tight-Lipped After Damage to
Bonneville Power Administration Transformer (Sweet Home News, OR)
https://www.sweethomenews.com/authorities-tight-lipped-after-damage-to-transformer/
5.
Washington UTC Approves New Rates For Cascade
Natural Gas Customers (Daily Energy Insider)
6.
Time to Go Underground? Puget Sound Energy Considers
Power Outage Risk When Moving Lines Underground (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle,
WA)
7.
WA State: Concerns Raised by Pend Oreille PUD ‘Smart
Meters’ (The Miner, Newport, WA)
https://www.pendoreillerivervalley.com/article/2350,concerns-raised-by-pud-smart-meters
8.
Jefferson County PUD Enlists Grazing Goats (Port
Townsend Leader, WA)
https://www.ptleader.com/stories/jefferson-county-pud-enlists-grazing-goats,197678
9.
British Columbia: Power Shortfall Threatens Kelowna’s
Development Growth (Vernon Matters, BC)
https://vernonmatters.ca/2025/02/25/power-shortfall-threatens-kelownas-development-growth-udi/
10.
Power Restored, Curfew Lifted After Chile’s Massive
Blackout (NBC News)
11.
Public Power Approves Policy Resolutions on
Infrastructure, Wildfire Mitigation, Hydropower, and Drone Use (American Public
Power Association)
As the World Turns
12.
Federal Firings Could Pinch Services at Army Corps
of Engineers & the Bonneville Power Administration (Lewiston Morning
Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.lmtribune.com/local-news/federal-firings-could-pinch-services-at-corps-and-bpa-18867696
13.
The Bonneville Power Administration Clawed Back
Some Fired Workers, but Blackout Concerns Remain (The Oregonian, Portland, OR –
Via MSN)
14.
Bonneville Power Administration Cuts Roughly 430
Jobs (KMGI-Radio, Bellingham, WA)
https://mybellinghamnow.com/news/297792-bonneville-power-administration-cuts-roughly-430-jobs/
15.
High Winds Pummel the Pacific Northwest as Power
Agency Job Cuts Worry Local Leaders (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
16.
Proposed Renewable Energy Pumped Hydropower Megaproject
on Yakama Nation Sacred Site Inches Forward (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
17.
Idaho: Lava Ridge Wind Turbine Project Is
Essentially Dead, U.S. Sen. Risch (ID) Tells Twin Falls Crowd (Energy Central
News)
18.
New Idaho Excise Tax Bill Goes ‘Gangster’ on Wind
Farm Projects (Idaho Capital Sun)
19.
Eastern Montana Lawmakers Sponsor Bills Seeking to
Restrict Wind Development (Montana Free Press)
20.
WA State: Lithium Battery Factory in Hillyard Damaged
in Largest Fire of Its Kind Ever in Spokane (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA –
Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/feb/25/battery-factory-in-hillyard-damaged-in-fire/
Conservation &
Efficiency
21.
The Building Industry Association of Washington Refiles
Suit Requiring State Building Code Council to Follow Natural Gas Law (The
Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_2eb678b6-f2e4-11ef-819f-7be1701d9467.html
22.
Oregon School Districts Say Lawmakers Screwed Up
Light Bulb Bill (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Water, Water, Anywhere?
23.
Trump Funding Freeze Includes Payments to Keep the
Colorado River Flowing (National Public Radio)
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
24.
EPA Moves to Ditch Finding That Greenhouse Gases
Cause Harm (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/26/epa-greenhouse-gases-00204866
London Calling –Telecommunications
25.
Already Lagging Broadband Program Faces More
Uncertainty Under Trump (Washington State Standard)
26.
How Should Secretary Lutnick Reform the $42
Billion Broadband Program? (Broadband Breakfast)
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/how-should-secretary-lutnick-reform-the-42-billion-broadband-program/
I Sing the Car Electric
27.
Tesla’s Direct Car Sales Loophole Survives in Washington
State — For Now (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/tesla-s-washington-loophole-survives-for-another-year
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
28.
Slack Outage Takes Down Widely Using Messaging
App (CBS News)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/slack-down-outages-february-2025/
Politics, Governance,
and Management
29.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek Discussed Wildfire
Funding, Bonneville Power Administration in Trump Administration Chats Last
Week (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
30.
The Trump Administration Sets the Stage for Large-Scale
Federal Worker Layoffs in a New Memo (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/trump-elon-musk-federal-workers-layoffs-d295d4bb2cdd5023c27d9cb03754e81b
31.
President Trump Directs Government to Consider
Possible Tariffs on Copper (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-copper-import-tax-china-d000272626e0d20c82272de1f159f623
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
32.
Guest Essay: President Trump’s National Energy
Dominance Council Should Appoint a ‘Hydropower Czar’ (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/trump-national-energy-dominance-council-hydropower/740801/
33.
Utilities Are Flying Blind on Data Center
Demand. That’s a Big Problem. (Canary Media)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Seven Planets Are
Aligning in the Night Sky for a ‘Planetary Parade’
https://www.yahoo.com/news/7-planets-aligning-night-sky-170700696.html
Pixar in a Pickle? Portland
Baseball Team Claims Disney Used Logo without Permission, Considers Legal
Action
Video: Super Pod of
Thousands of Dolphins Spotted Off California Coast
$3.5 Million Gold
Toilet Stolen from UK Show Never Found: Court
https://news.yahoo.com/news/2-8m-gold-toilet-stolen-181246078.html
Song of the Day
David Bowie Feat.
Kristen Wiig - Space Oddity (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Soundtrack)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-FytNTHT1o
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Links in The Energy News Digest are for current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links.
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