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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
President Trump
Halts Efforts to Tear Out Snake River Dams in Eastern WA (Tri-City Herald, WA –
Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-halts-efforts-tear-snake-235541903.html
Eaton Fire Damage
Costs Could Mean Higher Utility Bills Throughout California (Los Angeles Times,
CA – Via MSN News)
WA’s Carbon
Allowance Costs Up; Critics Assail Ecology’s ‘Dishonest’ Take on Gas Prices
(The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_dcd7ccb3-aad5-4fe2-809c-dfa9a11703ba.html
With U.S. Rep. (WA)
Baumgartner in Audience, Trump Signs Bill Blocking Washington’s Electric
Vehicle Mandate; State Sues in Response (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA –
Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jun/12/with-baumgartner-in-audience-trump-signs-bill-bloc/
Alaska: U.S. State
Receives First-Ever Heat Advisory by Weather Service (MSN News)
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Eaton
Fire Damage Costs Could Mean Higher Utility Bills Throughout California
2. Avista
Goes into Fire Safety Mode in Washington, Idaho
3. Appellate
Court Rules for Chelan County PUD in Hydropower Contract Dispute
4. Utah:
As Gov. Cox Advances Nuclear Agreements, He Says the Cost to Develop Technology
Is Nothing So Far
5. President
Trump Fires a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
6. U.S.
Natural Gas Storage Capacity Increased in 2024
7. President
Trump Halts Efforts to Tear Out Snake River Dams in Eastern WA
8. Trump
Administration Pulls U.S. Out of Agreement to Help Restore Salmon in the
Columbia River
9. President
Trump Breaks Historic Columbia River Deal Between U.S. Government, Tribes,
Pacific NW States
10. President
Trump Upends Historic Columbia River Basin Agreement, Bringing Uncertainty to
Salmon Recovery Efforts
11. President
Trump Just Unraveled Years of Work on Tribal Rights, Salmon & Clean Energy.
So, What Happens Next?
12. Podcast:
President Trump Halts a Landmark Agreement Meant to Restore Salmon
13. Fact
Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Stops the Green Agenda in the Columbia River
Basin
14. News
Release: Flawed 2023 Columbia Basin Settlement Agreement Withdrawn, Opening
Door for Sustainable Solutions
15. News
Release: Northwest Public Power Association Supports Ending Flawed Dam
Breaching Agreement
16. News
Release: Electric Co-ops Cheer Trump’s Decision to Preserve Lower Snake River
Dams, Prioritize Electric Reliability
17. News
Release: U.S. Rep. Newhouse (WA) Commends Trump Action on Lower Snake River
Dams
18. News
Release: U.S. Rep. Jayapal Statement on the Dissolution of the Resilient
Columbia Basin Agreement
19. News
Release: U.S. Senator Risch (ID) Applauds Reversal of Flawed Biden-era Anti-Dam
Agreement
20. Nez
Perce Tribe Condemns President Trump’s Withdrawal from Columbia Basin Agreement
21. Oregon:
Portland Is Offering Another 10,000 Free Air Conditioners to Boost Climate
Resilience
22. Spring
Chinook Numbers Are Third-Best in Decade, But Wild Numbers Are Low
23. Montana:
Tribes to Reduce Dam Flows to Keep Flathead Lake Closer to Full Pool
24. After
a Century of Logging, Lands Along California’s Klamath River Returned to Tribe
25. WA’s
Carbon Allowance Costs Up; Critics Assail Ecology’s ‘Dishonest’ Take on Gas
Prices
26. Paywall
Advisory: Oregon Considers Creating Third Statewide Carbon Market
27. With
U.S. Rep. (WA) Baumgartner in Audience, Trump Signs Bill Blocking Washington’s
Electric Vehicle Mandate; State Sues in Response
28. The
Risk of Political Rebranding in the Clean Energy Industry
29. Alaska:
U.S. State Receives First-Ever Heat Advisory by Weather Service
30. More
Than 1 Million Power Banks Recalled After Some Consumers Report Fires
31. Commentary:
Techno-Politics of Dam Building on the Snake & Columbia Rivers
32. Guest
Essay: Washington’s Carbon Dioxide Tax Jumps 16% in Just Three Months to About
46 Cents per Gallon
33.
BEAD and the Rural Public
Word of the Day
Whirling Dervish \HWER-ling DERR-vish\ Noun - A dervish whose actions include ecstatic dancing and whirling. A Dervish is an ascetic Muslim monk; a member of an order noted for devotional exercises involving bodily movements.
The pulsating rhythm of the dance band reverberated throughout the old music hall, sending the teeny boppers into a frenzy. One couple in particular was in the throes of a dance that they called the “Whirling Dervish,” which resulted in an unfortunate collision with another couple dancing the “Mashed Potato.” The resulting dance became the “Whipped Potato.”
“I’ll tell ya’. These kids and their rock & roll music and fast cars…bah!”
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Eaton Fire Damage Costs Could Mean Higher
Utility Bills Throughout California (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via MSN News)
2.
Avista Goes into Fire Safety Mode in Washington,
Idaho (Daily Energy Insider)
https://dailyenergyinsider.com/news/48621-avista-goes-into-fire-safety-mode-in-washington-idaho/
3.
Appellate Court Rules for Chelan County PUD in Hydropower
Contract Dispute (North Central Washington News, East Wenatchee, WA)
4.
Utah: As Gov. Cox Advances Nuclear Agreements,
He Says the Cost to Develop Technology Is Nothing So Far (Utah Dispatch)
https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2025/06/11/cox-advances-nuclear-agreements-cost-is-nothing-so-far/
5.
President Trump Fires a Member of the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (National Public Radio)
https://www.kyuk.org/2025-06-16/president-trump-fires-a-member-of-the-nuclear-regulatory-commission
6.
U.S. Natural Gas Storage Capacity Increased in 2024
(U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65484
A River Runs Through It
7.
President Trump Halts Efforts to Tear Out Snake
River Dams in Eastern WA (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-halts-efforts-tear-snake-235541903.html
8.
Trump Administration Pulls U.S. Out of Agreement
to Help Restore Salmon in the Columbia River (Associated Press)
9.
President Trump Breaks Historic Columbia River Deal
Between U.S. Government, Tribes, Pacific NW States (Washington State Standard)
10.
President Trump Upends Historic Columbia River
Basin Agreement, Bringing Uncertainty to Salmon Recovery Efforts (KNKX Radio,
Tacoma, WA)
11.
President Trump Just Unraveled Years of Work on Tribal
Rights, Salmon & Clean Energy. So, What Happens Next? (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
12.
Podcast: President Trump Halts a Landmark Agreement
Meant to Restore Salmon (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/trump-halts-a-landmark-agreement-meant-to-restore-salmon
13.
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Stops the
Green Agenda in the Columbia River Basin (The White House)
Columbia Basin Hydropower
Reaxn
14.
News Release: Flawed 2023 Columbia Basin
Settlement Agreement Withdrawn, Opening Door for Sustainable Solutions (Northwest
RiverPartners)
15.
News Release: Northwest Public Power Association
Supports Ending Flawed Dam Breaching Agreement (Northwest Public Power
Association)
https://www.nwppa.org/nwppa-supports-ending-flawed-dam-breaching-agreement/
16.
News Release: Electric Co-ops Cheer Trump’s
Decision to Preserve Lower Snake River Dams, Prioritize Electric Reliability
(National Rural Electric Cooperative Association)
17.
News Release: U.S. Rep. Newhouse (WA) Commends
Trump Action on Lower Snake River Dams (U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse – WA)
18.
News Release: U.S. Rep. Jayapal Statement on the
Dissolution of the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement (U.S. Rep. Pramila
Jayapal, WA)
19.
News Release: U.S. Senator Risch (ID) Applauds
Reversal of Flawed Biden-era Anti-Dam Agreement (U.S. Senator Jim Risch, ID)
https://www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=774170A4-4989-4C89-834D-B4E5122A26B0
20.
Nez Perce Tribe Condemns President Trump’s
Withdrawal from Columbia Basin Agreement (Daily Fly)
Conservation &
Efficiency
21.
Oregon: Portland Is Offering Another 10,000 Free
Air Conditioners to Boost Climate Resilience (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/11/portland-10000-free-air-conditioners-climate-resilience-heat/
Fish & Wildlife
22.
Spring Chinook Numbers Are Third-Best in Decade,
But Wild Numbers Are Low (Capital Press – Paywall Advisory)
Water, Water, Anywhere?
23.
Montana: Tribes to Reduce Dam Flows to Keep Flathead
Lake Closer to Full Pool (Montana Free Press)
24.
After a Century of Logging, Lands Along California’s
Klamath River Returned to Tribe (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/century-logging-lands-along-californias-100000311.html
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
25.
WA’s Carbon Allowance Costs Up; Critics Assail Ecology’s
‘Dishonest’ Take on Gas Prices (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_dcd7ccb3-aad5-4fe2-809c-dfa9a11703ba.html
26.
Paywall Advisory: Oregon Considers Creating
Third Statewide Carbon Market (Politico Pro)
I Sing the Car Electric
27.
With U.S. Rep. (WA) Baumgartner in Audience, Trump
Signs Bill Blocking Washington’s Electric Vehicle Mandate; State Sues in
Response (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jun/12/with-baumgartner-in-audience-trump-signs-bill-bloc/
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
28.
The Risk of Political Rebranding in the Clean
Energy Industry (Power Magazine)
https://www.powermag.com/the-risk-of-political-rebranding-in-the-clean-energy-industry/
Other Things to Know
About Today
29.
Alaska: U.S. State Receives First-Ever Heat
Advisory by Weather Service (MSN News)
30.
More Than 1 Million Power Banks Recalled After
Some Consumers Report Fires (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/anker-power-bank-recall-fires-7561310ead84d82bf5e10d18638cafe1
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
31.
Commentary: Techno-Politics of Dam Building on
the Snake & Columbia Rivers (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA – Paywall Advisory)
32.
Guest Essay: Washington’s Carbon Dioxide Tax
Jumps 16% in Just Three Months to About 46 Cents per Gallon (Clark County
Today, WA)
33.
BEAD and the Rural Public (Pots & Pans)
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2025/06/12/bead-and-the-rural-public/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
1953 Wedding Photo
Discovered in Library Book: ‘Lost & Found Love Story’
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jun/16/1953-wedding-photo-discovered-in-library-book-lost/
10X the Flow: Shoshone
Falls Is Putting on a Show All Month Long
Gold From Legendary
1708 Shipwreck Is Seen in New Images
https://www.yahoo.com/news/gold-legendary-1708-shipwreck-seen-173000220.html
Slow-Speed Police
Chase: South Carolina Cops Pursue Excavator at 3 MPH for Over an Hour
https://www.wjcl.com/article/south-carolina-police-excavator-chase/65046379
Song of the Day
Sara Bareilles -
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Cover)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozd2ja7mAgM
Links & Paywall Advisory
Links in The Energy News Digest are for current stories. Media organizations frequently update their websites, which can result in broken links.
Although I choose
stories that are accessible without paying a subscription, individual
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