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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
President Trump
Plans to End Energy Star Home Appliance Program Amid EPA Reorganization
(Reuters)
Trump
Administration Targets LIHEAP As More People Use It to Stay Cool (Politico)
https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-targets-liheap-as-more-people-use-it-to-stay-cool/
States Sue Trump
Administration for Blocking the Development of Wind Energy (Associated Press)
GOP Leader Confirms
Plan to Kill $7,500 Electric Vehicle Tax Credit in Federal Budget (Electrek)
https://electrek.co/2025/05/06/gop-leader-confirms-plan-to-kill-7500-ev-tax-credit-in-budget/
Paywall Advisory: The Northwest Power Grid May Soon Max Out. Here’s What That
Means (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Trump
Administration Targets LIHEAP As More People Use It to Stay Cool
2. Northwest
Grid Nears Breaking Point
3. Could
an 80-Mile Transmission Line Soon Be Buried Under the Columbia River?
4. Chelan
County PUD Negotiates Power, Land Agreement with Nuclear Fusion Company Helion
5. Utilities
Required to Strengthen Fire Mitigation Plans Under WA Law
6. Federal
Investigators Say a Utility Wasn't Marked before A Deadly Natural Gas Explosion
in Missouri
7. Warren
Buffett Is Warning Investors Against Piling into a Traditionally Safe Area of
the Stock Market
8. States
Sue Trump Administration for Blocking the Development of Wind Energy
9. What’s
Next for the Harvest Hills Wind Project on the Palouse
10. California
Energy Panel Coming to Redding for Findings on Controversial Wind Farm Plan
11. Study:
Extended Interconnection Queue Times Plague Wind, Solar
12. New
Process Could Help Recycle Wind Turbine Blades
13. President
Trump Plans to End Energy Star Home Appliance Program Amid EPA Reorganization
14. WA
Puts $1.1B More Towards Salmon Culvert Fix
15. Here’s
What the Trump Admin Proposes Spending on WA’s Toxic Hanford Nuclear Site
16. Park
Service Suspends Air-Quality Monitoring at All National Parks
17. Groups
Call on Trump Administration to Curb Wasteful Use of Colorado River Water
18. GOP
Leader Confirms Plan to Kill $7,500 Electric Vehicle Tax Credit in Federal
Budget
19. Bill
to Have Big Tech Pay for Local News Advances in Oregon Legislature
20. How
Gen Z is Embracing Magazines
21. More
Than 100 National Renewable Energy Lab Employees Laid Off in Colorado,
Elsewhere
22. Congress’
Fight Over Trump’s Agenda Runs Through Alaska
23. WA
Concerned Federal Government Won’t Help Fight Wildfires This Year
24. Paywall
Advisory: The Northwest Power Grid May Soon Max Out. Here’s What That Means
25. Guest
Essay: A Surge of Salmon – And Hope – After Klamath Dams’ Removal
26.
Guest Essay: The High Cost of California's Green
Energy Policies
Word of the Day
Sagacious \suh-GAY-shus\ Adjective - 1: of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment: discerning 2: caused by or indicating acute discernment.
Abercrombie’s sagacious manner held the entire room spellbound. He could speak for hours on the topic of energy trading and the benefits of electricity deregulation, and every audience would be on the edge of their seats. But, like trying to photograph a vampire, after the applause died away, no attendee could remember one substantive comment made by Abercrombie during his presentation.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1. Trump
Administration Targets LIHEAP As More People Use It to Stay Cool (Politico)
https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-targets-liheap-as-more-people-use-it-to-stay-cool/
2.
Northwest Grid Nears Breaking Point (Switchgear
Magazine)
https://switchgear-magazine.com/tm-news/technology/northwest-grid-nears-breaking-point/
3.
Could an 80-Mile Transmission Line Soon Be
Buried Under the Columbia River? (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)
5.
Utilities Required to Strengthen Fire Mitigation
Plans Under WA Law (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
6.
Federal Investigators Say a Utility Wasn't
Marked before A Deadly Natural Gas Explosion in Missouri (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/federal-investigators-utility-wasnt-marked-205327343.html
7.
Warren Buffett Is Warning Investors Against
Piling Into A Traditionally Safe Area Of The Stock Market (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffett-warning-investors-against-230221834.html
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
8.
States Sue Trump Administration for Blocking the
Development of Wind Energy (Associated Press)
9.
What’s Next for the Harvest Hills Wind Project on
the Palouse (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
https://www.nwpb.org/2025/05/01/whats-next-for-the-harvest-hills-wind-project-on-the-palouse/
10.
California Energy Panel Coming to Redding for Findings
on Controversial Wind Farm Plan (Redding Record-Searchlight, CA)
11.
Study: Extended Interconnection Queue Times
Plague Wind, Solar (Forbes Magazine)
12.
New Process Could Help Recycle Wind Turbine
Blades (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
https://www.nwpb.org/2025/05/05/new-process-could-help-recycle-wind-turbine-blades/
Conservation &
Efficiency
Fish & Wildlife
14.
WA Puts $1.1B More Towards Salmon Culvert Fix
(KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
https://www.myclallamcounty.com/2025/05/05/wa-puts-1-1b-more-towards-salmon-culvert-fix/
Environmental Afflatus –
Clean Up on Aisle Three
15.
Here’s What the Trump Admin Proposes Spending on
WA’s Toxic Hanford Nuclear Site (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via MSN)
16.
Park Service Suspends Air-Quality Monitoring at
All National Parks (Washington Post – Via MSN)
Water, Water Anywhere?
17.
Groups call on Trump administration to curb
wasteful use of Colorado River water (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/groups-call-trump-administration-curb-150000450.html
I Sing the Car Electric
18. GOP
Leader Confirms Plan to Kill $7,500 Electric Vehicle Tax Credit in Federal Budget
(Electrek)
https://electrek.co/2025/05/06/gop-leader-confirms-plan-to-kill-7500-ev-tax-credit-in-budget/
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
19.
Bill to Have Big Tech Pay for Local News
Advances in Oregon Legislature (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
20.
How Gen Z is Embracing Magazines (DomTar)
https://www.domtar.com/blog-posts/how-gen-z-is-embracing-magazines/
Politics, Governance,
and Management
21.
More Than 100 National Renewable Energy Lab Employees
Laid Off in Colorado, Elsewhere (CBS News)
22.
Congress’ Fight Over Trump’s Agenda Runs Through
Alaska (MSN News)
Other Things to Know
About Today
23.
WA Concerned Federal Government Won’t Help Fight
Wildfires This Year (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
25.
Guest Essay: A Surge of Salmon – And Hope –
After Klamath Dams’ Removal (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
26.
Guest Essay: The High Cost of California's Green
Energy Policies (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/contributor-high-cost-californias-green-100000936.html
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Kentucky Boy Orders
70,000 Dum-Dums Using Mother’s Phone
Two Belgian Teenagers
Found with 5,000 Ants in Kenya Given $7,700 Fine or 1-Year Prison Sentence
https://apnews.com/article/kenya-ants-belgian-teenagers-50fc1a7141f515cc900f403ec93b06e5
Sotheby’s Postpones
Auction of Jewels Associated with Buddha After Backlash from India’s Government
Powered by Potatoes:
Endurance Athletes Are Chasing Speed with Spuds
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/may/06/powered-by-potatoes-endurance-athletes-are-chasing/
Song of the Day
The Chordettes –
Lollipop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kXKUSAbvuM
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 without paying a subscription, individual
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