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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Rogue Communication
Devices Found in Chinese Solar Power Inverters (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ghost-machine-rogue-communication-devices-050547906.html
U.S. Electricity
Prices Continue Steady Increase (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65284
New U.S. Energy
Secretary Gives His Take on Removing Four Eastern WA Dams (Tri-City Herald, WA
– Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-energy-secretary-gives-removing-192809256.html
Millions of
Americans at Risk of Summer Power Shortfall, Regulator Says (Bloomberg News)
British Columbia's
Low Snowpack & Early Melt Signal Drought, Raising Concerns for Hydropower
(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/low-snowpack-raises-electricity-concerns-1.7533194
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. U.S.
Electricity Prices Continue Steady Increase
2. New
U.S. Energy Secretary Gives His Take on Removing Four Eastern WA Dams
3. Millions
of Americans at Risk of Summer Power Shortfall, Regulator Says
4. California’s
Power Grid Looks Steady Heading into Summer, But Risks Remain
5. A
Looming Wildfire Season Means Electric Utilities Are Preparing for Possible
Outages
6. Spokane
County to Consider Avista Plan to Bury Power Lines to Reduce Wildfire Risks in
Three Spokane County Urban Wildlands
7. Oregon:
Crook County Supports More Power, But No Proposed Power Line Routes
8. The
Bonneville Power Administration Shares Grand Coulee Dam Settlement Formula
9. American
Public Power Association Sends Letter in Support of Help Hoover Dam Act
10. Property
Rights Take Center Stage as Montana Grapples with Wind Development
11. Washington’s
Draft Report on Pumped Storage Hydropower Finds Ways to Do Less Harm
12. Idaho:
Trash to Gas – New Ada County Facility Filters Harmful Landfill Gases into
Useful Methane
13. Energy
Efficiency Advocates Decry Trump Plan to Cut Appliance Regulations
14. Classrooms
Across the U.S. Are Heating Up. School Districts Need Cooling Beyond Air
Conditioning
15. Mystery
of 'Exploding Birds' Deepens in California City as Necropsies Suggest Foul Play
16. EPA
Announces Rollback for Some Biden-Era Limits on ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking
Water
17. British
Columbia's Low Snowpack & Early Melt Signal Drought, Raising Concerns for
Hydropower
18. Montana
Snowpack Near Normal for Most Regions
19. Yakima
Basin Water Supply Forecast Shows Irrigation Shortfall
20. Trump
Proposal to End Digital Equity Act Is ‘Serious Setback,’ Says Washington State
Broadband Chief
21. 2024
Remote Work Statistics
22. Rogue
Communication Devices Found in Chinese Solar Power Inverters
23. Washington,
Other States Sue to Regain Electric-Vehicle Funding as Sales Sag
24. Underwater
Volcano Off Oregon Coast Is Getting Ready to Erupt
25. House
Republicans Target Clean Energy Tax Credits & Pollution Rules in Budget
Proposal
26. Seattle
Dem Blocked Tax Break to Help Richland Woo $3.5 Billion in Nuclear
Manufacturing
27.
White House Weighs Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Overhaul
Word of the Day
Flambé \flom-BAY\ Adjective - Dressed or served covered with flaming liquor.
Freddy was sure that his culinary efforts would delight his Hawaiian visitors. Unfortunately, his “Spam Flambé” did nothing but elicit looks of horror from his guests as the flames of the burning brandy wafted a pungent odor throughout the dining room.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1. U.S.
Electricity Prices Continue Steady Increase (U.S. Energy Information
Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65284
https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-energy-secretary-gives-removing-192809256.html
3. Millions
of Americans at Risk of Summer Power Shortfall, Regulator Says (Bloomberg News)
4.
California’s Power Grid Looks Steady Heading into
Summer, But Risks Remain (San Gabriel Valley Tribune, CA)
5.
A Looming Wildfire Season Means Electric
Utilities Are Preparing for Possible Outages (Jefferson Public Radio, Ashland, OR)
6.
Spokane County to Consider Avista Plan to Bury
Power Lines to Reduce Wildfire Risks in Three Spokane County Urban Wildlands (Spokesman-Review,
Spokane, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/spokane-county-consider-avista-plan-035900437.html
7.
Oregon: Crook County Supports More Power, But No
Proposed Power Line Routes (Central Oregonian, Prineville, OR)
8.
The Bonneville Power Administration Shares Grand
Coulee Dam Settlement Formula (Tribal Tribune, Nespelem, WA)
https://www.tribaltribune.com/news/article_ccb6ca74-76b8-4d33-af0c-4064d71f2963.html
9.
American Public Power Association Sends Letter
in Support of Help Hoover Dam Act (American Public Power Association)
https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/appa-sends-letter-support-help-hoover-dam-act
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
10.
Property Rights Take Center Stage as Montana
Grapples with Wind Development (Inside Climate News)
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/14052025/montana-wind-development-property-rights/
11.
Washington’s Draft Report on Pumped Storage
Hydropower Finds Ways to Do Less Harm (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
12.
Idaho: Trash to Gas – New Ada County Facility
Filters Harmful Landfill Gases into Useful Methane (KIVI-TV, Nampa, ID)
Conservation &
Efficiency
13.
Energy Efficiency Advocates Decry Trump Plan to
Cut Appliance Regulations (National Public Radio)
14.
Classrooms Across the U.S. Are Heating Up. School
Districts Need Cooling Beyond Air Conditioning (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/climate-heat-schools-cooling-solutions-ac3d7684c1a9bfd29e1219d05e304fc0
Fish & Wildlife
https://abcnews.go.com/US/exploding-birds-freak-residents-california-city/story
Environmental Afflatus –
Clean Up on Aisle Three
16.
EPA Announces Rollback for Some Biden-Era Limits
on ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/pfas-forever-chemicals-epa-zeldin-trump-4eaf8c7bdac7c45a295a2305de906012
Water, Water, Anywhere?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/low-snowpack-raises-electricity-concerns-1.7533194
18.
Montana Snowpack Near Normal for Most Regions (Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/montana-snowpack-near-normal-most-225159514.html
19.
Yakima Basin Water Supply Forecast Shows
Irrigation Shortfall (KNDO & KNDU-TV, Yakima/Tri-Cities, WA)
London Calling
–Telecommunications
20.
Trump Proposal to End Digital Equity Act Is
‘Serious Setback,’ Says Washington State Broadband Chief (State Scoop)
https://statescoop.com/trump-digital-equity-act-cancellation-2025/
21.
2024 Remote Work Statistics (Pots & Pans)
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2025/05/09/2024-remote-work-statistics/
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
22.
Rogue Communication Devices Found in Chinese Solar
Power Inverters (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ghost-machine-rogue-communication-devices-050547906.html
I Sing the Car Electric
23.
Washington, Other States Sue to Regain
Electric-Vehicle Funding as Sales Sag (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
24.
Underwater Volcano Off Oregon Coast Is Getting
Ready to Erupt (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/underwater-volcano-off-oregon-coast-183936812.html
Politics, Governance,
and Management
25.
House Republicans Target Clean Energy Tax
Credits & Pollution Rules in Budget Proposal (Associated Press)
26.
Seattle Dem Blocked Tax Break to Help Richland Woo
$3.5 Billion in Nuclear Manufacturing (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/may/13/seattle-dem-blocked-tax-break-to-help-richland-woo/
27.
White House Weighs Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Overhaul (E&E News)
https://www.eenews.net/articles/white-house-weighs-nrc-overhaul/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Major League
Baseball Reinstates Pete Rose & Shoeless Joe Jackson, Making Them Hall of Fame
Eligible
'I Did Not Expect to
Find a Shipwreck!' Says Boy Whose Treasure Is Being Excavated
Mark Twain’s Legacy
Is Not His Tall Tales. It’s His Larger-Than-Life Persona.
https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2025/0509/mark-twain-biography-ron-chernow
Bombshell Discovery
at 'Site of Noah's Ark' Which Researchers Say Could Prove Biblical Story True
Song of the Day
The Irish Rivers –
The Unicorn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6NCVQGrDGY
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