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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Spanish Blackout Caused by Extreme Weather &
a Major Renewables Failure for the First Time (MSN News)
Electricity Demand in Pacific Northwest Could
Double in Next 20 Years, Forecast Finds (Washington State Standard)
Loss of FEMA Program Spells Disaster for
Hundreds of Communities & Their Projects (Associated Press)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/loss-fema-program-spells-disaster-114543764.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
Baby Salmon Head Out to Sea. Then They Do
Something Unexpected, New Research Shows (Olympian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.theolympian.com/news/state/washington/seattle/article305386021.html
High Forecast of Pink Salmon Could Overwhelm
Local Fishermen, Stress Processing Capacity (Cascadia Daily)
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Spanish Blackout Caused by Extreme Weather &
a Major Renewables Failure for the First Time
2.
Electricity Demand in Pacific Northwest Could
Double in Next 20 Years, Forecast Finds
3.
California: Guilty Plea Announced in San Jose
Electric Transformer Bombings
4.
Energy Northwest Plans $951.2 Million Bond Sale
for Refinancing, Columbia Nuclear Plant
5.
Update on Western Area Power Administration’s
Project Work & Workforce Capacity from the Administrator & Chief
Executive Officer
6.
Utilities Are Planning to Bury Power Lines After
the Los Angeles Fires. Should They?
7.
More Power Grid Teamwork in West Could
Supercharge Clean Energy, UCSD Study Finds
8.
Texas A&M Senior Research Engineer Describes
the Kinds of Risks Facing Power Grids
9.
Rural Electric Co-ops: Protect Hydropower
10.
A Key Player in Moving Interior Alaska Off
Fossil Fuels? Multibillion-Dollar Mining Corporations.
11.
Baby Salmon Head Out to Sea. Then They Do
Something Unexpected, New Research Shows
12.
High Forecast of Pink Salmon Could Overwhelm
Local Fishermen, Stress Processing Capacity
13.
Columbia River Anglers Battle Growing Sea Lion
Invasion: ‘The Devastation’
14.
WA State: Annual Salmon Summit Makes Educational
Splash in Kennewick
15.
EPA Canceling Nearly 800 Environmental Justice
Grants
16.
Amazon Launches First Kuiper Internet
Satellites, Taking on Starlink
17.
Google Warns of Data Security Risks If Chrome Is
Sold Off
18.
Washington Legislators Just Passed a New Tax
That Only Impacts Tesla, for Now
19.
How a Chance NFL Game Moment Changed an Author
& Coach’s Career
20.
‘A Heartbreaking Loss’: Dolly Parton’s
Imagination Library Loses Funding in WA
21.
State, U.S. Department of Energy Waive Nuclear
Agreement for Idaho National Lab Study Waste
22.
Loss of FEMA Program Spells Disaster for
Hundreds of Communities & Their Projects
23.
New Washington Energy Chair’s Industry Ties
Raise Ethics Questions
24.
NRECA CEO Jim Matheson Details Electric Co-ops’
Top Legislative Goals
25.
U.S. Storm Leaves About 500K Customers without
Power. Officials Report Three Deaths
26.
Magnitude 4.7 Earthquake Rocks Alaska Amid
Volcano Eruption Fears as Residents Warned of Aftershocks
27.
Underwater Volcano in the Pacific Northwest
Shows Signs of Eruption
28.
Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake Could Be
Even Worse Than Feared
29.
Climate Change Is Making Coffee More Expensive.
Tariffs Likely Will Too
30.
Bonneville Power Administration Urged to Focus
on Salmon, Clean Energy in Market Choice
31. Modernizing
Hydropower to Maximize Its Potential
Word of the Day
Trichotillomania \trick-kuh-till-ah-MANE-ee-uh\ Noun - An abnormal desire to pull out one’s hair.
Definition of futility: A bald man with trichotillomania.
Energy
& Utility Issues
1. Spanish
Blackout Caused by Extreme Weather & a Major Renewables Failure for the First
Time (MSN News)
3.
California: Guilty Plea Announced in San Jose Electric
Transformer Bombings (KNTV-TV, San Jose, CA)
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/guilty-plea-san-jose-electric-transformer-bombings/3856196/
4.
Energy Northwest Plans $951.2 Million Bond Sale
for Refinancing, Columbia Nuclear Plant (Morningstar)
5.
Update on Western Area Power Administration’s
Project Work & Workforce Capacity from the Administrator & Chief
Executive Officer (Western Area Power Administration)
https://energynewsfeed.blogspot.com/2025/04/update-on-wapas-project-work-workforce.html
6.
Utilities Are Planning to Bury Power Lines After
the Los Angeles Fires. Should They? (Laist)
https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/burying-power-lines-after-the-la-fires
7.
More Power Grid Teamwork in West Could
Supercharge Clean Energy, UCSD Study Finds (San Diego Times, CA)
8.
Texas A&M Senior Research Engineer Describes
the Kinds of Risks Facing Power Grids (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5379916
9.
Rural Electric Co-ops: Protect Hydropower (Renewable
Energy World)
https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/hydro-power/rural-electric-co-ops-protect-hydropower/
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
10.
A Key Player in Moving Interior Alaska Off
Fossil Fuels? Multibillion-Dollar Mining Corporations. (Northern Journal,
Anchorage, AK)
Fish & Wildlife
https://www.theolympian.com/news/state/washington/seattle/article305386021.html
13.
Columbia River Anglers Battle Growing Sea Lion
Invasion: ‘The Devastation’ (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
14.
WA State: Annual Salmon Summit Makes Educational
Splash in Kennewick (KAPP-TV, Yakima, WA)
Environmental Afflatus –
Clean Up on Aisle Three
15.
EPA Canceling Nearly 800 Environmental Justice
Grants (The Hill, Washington, DC)
London Calling
–Telecommunications
16.
Amazon Launches First Kuiper Internet
Satellites, Taking on Starlink (Reuters)
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
17.
Google Warns of Data Security Risks If Chrome Is
Sold Off (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/google-warns-of-data-security-risks-if-chrome-is-sold-off/
I Sing the Car Electric
18.
Washington Legislators Just Passed a New Tax
That Only Impacts Tesla, for Now (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
19.
How a Chance NFL Game Moment Changed an Author &
Coach’s Career (National Public Radio)
20.
‘A Heartbreaking Loss’: Dolly Parton’s
Imagination Library Loses Funding in WA (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/local/imagination-library-dolly/4081587
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
21.
State, U.S. Department of Energy Waive Nuclear
Agreement for Idaho National Lab Study Waste (Boise State Public Radio, ID)
https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/environment/2025-04-30/inl-lab-nuclear-fuel-spent-idaho-falls
Politics, Governance,
and Management
https://www.yahoo.com/news/loss-fema-program-spells-disaster-114543764.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
23.
New Washington Energy Chair’s Industry Ties
Raise Ethics Questions (Cascade PBS)
24.
NRECA CEO Jim Matheson Details Electric Co-ops’
Top Legislative Goals (National Rural Electric Cooperative Association)
https://www.electric.coop/nreca-ceo-jim-matheson-details-electric-co-ops-top-legislative-goals
Other Things to Know
About Today
25.
U.S. Storm Leaves About 500K Customers without
Power. Officials Report Three Deaths (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/severe-weather-pennsylvania-electrocuted-a92cf8d973f8992b6672b1fed75424d2
26.
Magnitude 4.7 Earthquake Rocks Alaska Amid
Volcano Eruption Fears as Residents Warned of Aftershocks (MSN News)
27.
Underwater Volcano in the Pacific Northwest Shows
Signs of Eruption (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
28.
Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake Could Be
Even Worse Than Feared (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/cascadia-subduction-zone-earthquake-could-201203027.html
29.
Climate Change Is Making Coffee More Expensive. Tariffs
Likely Will Too (Associated Press)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
30.
Bonneville Power Administration Urged to Focus on
Salmon, Clean Energy in Market Choice (Public News Service)
31.
Modernizing Hydropower to Maximize Its Potential
(Power Magazine)
https://www.powermag.com/modernizing-hydropower-to-maximize-its-potential/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Broken Car Mirrors - A Woodpecker Has Invaded a Massachusetts
Neighborhood. Residents Are Taking It in Stride
‘Prophetic’ Letter Written by Titanic Survivor
Sells for Nearly $400,000 at Auction
United Kingdom – Sycamore Gap Tree Took More
Than a Century to Grow & Less Than Three Minutes to Fell, Prosecutors Say
https://apnews.com/article/uk-court-sycamore-gap-tree-trial-afd8f5d99b67f4daf434c4ff085654fa
World’s Tallest & Shortest Dogs Have Puppy
Playdate in Idaho
Song of the Day
James Horner – Titanic Main Title (Movie
Soundtrack)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8BrQuCocfs
Links & Paywall Advisory
Links in The Energy News Digest are for current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links.
Although I choose stories that are accessible
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