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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
The Department of
Energy Axes $3.7 Billion in Clean Energy Project Grants (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/climate-energy-projects-funding-canceled-cf3e9b5da749eb76a71c901ded20d711
States Are Rolling
Out Red Carpets for Data Centers. But Some Lawmakers Are Pushing Back
(Associated Press)
Utah: Rocky
Mountain Power Seeks Rehearing After Getting a Portion of 18% Rate Increase
(Deseret News, Salt Lake City, UT)
New Report Shows
Signs of Progress for Washington State Salmon, But Many Are Still on the Brink
of Extinction (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
Hybrid Vehicle
Sales Continue to Rise as Electric & Plug-In Vehicle Shares Remain Flat
(U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65384
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Utah:
Rocky Mountain Power Seeks Rehearing After Getting a Portion of 18% Rate
Increase
2. Miller:
Idaho Needs Nuclear Energy to Power Artificial Intelligence
3. News
Release: NRC Approves NuScale Power’s Uprated Small Modular Reactor Design
4. The
Bonneville Power Administration Seeks Public Input on New Power Lines Project
5. Portland
General Electric Disputes City’s Rejection of Its Forest Park Transmission Line
Project
6. FERC
Order Threatens Competitive Transmission Cost Caps: CAISO
7. State
Lawmakers Move to Boost Protections for Utility Workers
8. The
Department of Energy Axes $3.7 Billion in Clean Energy Project Grants
9. $14
Billion in Clean Energy Projects Have Been Canceled in the U.S. This Year,
Analysis Says
10. Another
Oregon Battery Company Warns of Layoffs, Potential Shutdown
11. Thousands
of Sheep Grazing Under Solar Panels Experienced Unexpected Changes That Could
Reshape Farming
12. New
Report Shows Signs of Progress for Washington State Salmon, But Many Are Still
on the Brink of Extinction
13. ‘It’s
Devastating’: Skagit River Summer-Fall Chinook Population Expected to Hit
15-Year Low
14. After
Trump Administration Axes $500 Million from Washington Dam Project, Patty
Murray Says She Won’t Let It Happen Again
15. Loss
of USGS Program Could Hamper Salmon Research Critical for Puget Sound
16. Cascades
Face a Snow Drought with Serious Water Supply Concerns
17. NRECA
Asks Trump to Streamline Deployment of Key Rural Broadband Program
18. States
Are Rolling Out Red Carpets for Data Centers. But Some Lawmakers Are Pushing
Back
19. California:
Santa Clara Data Centers Hit Max Energy Capacity
20. How
Far Will Artificial Intelligence Go to Defend Its Survival?
21. Hybrid
Vehicle Sales Continue to Rise as Electric & Plug-In Vehicle Shares Remain
Flat
22. How
Trump’s Push to End California Electric Vehicle Mandates May Change Rules of
the Road
23. A
Colossal Cloud of Sahara Dust Is Smothering the Caribbean En Route to the U.S.
24. Communication
Between FEMA & Local Jurisdictions Upended, Officials Say
25. ‘Going
to Increase Prices on Everybody’: U.S. Energy Department Workers Sound Alarm
Over Cuts
26. Summer
2025 Forecast Calls For ‘Overwhelmingly Above Normal’ Heat Starting in June
27. 2025
Hurricane Names Include Andrea, Barry, Chantal. See the Full List.
28. Alaska
Airlines Suspends Red-Carpet Ceremonial Fly-Out of First Copper River King
Salmon
29. Guest
Essay: Why Better Monitoring of U.S. Transformers Is a National Security
Imperative
30.
Guest Essay: David vs. Goliath: Oregon Bill
Offers Lifeline for Journalism — And Democracy
Word of the Day
Fomite /FOE-mite/ Noun – An object (such as a dish, doorknob, or article of clothing) that may be contaminated with bacteria or viruses and serve in their transmission.
The lowly sneeze-guard
Suspected fomite vector
Bane of the buffet
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Utah: Rocky Mountain Power Seeks Rehearing After
Getting a Portion of 18% Rate Increase (Deseret News, Salt Lake City, UT)
2.
Miller: Idaho Needs Nuclear Energy to Power Artificial
Intelligence (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)
https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/article307144691.html
3.
News Release: NRC Approves NuScale Power’s
Uprated Small Modular Reactor Design (U.S. Department of Energy)
https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/nrc-approves-nuscale-powers-uprated-small-modular-reactor-design
4.
The Bonneville Power Administration Seeks Public
Input on New Power Lines Project (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
5.
Portland General Electric Disputes City’s
Rejection of Its Forest Park Transmission Line Project (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
6.
FERC Order Threatens Competitive Transmission
Cost Caps: CAISO (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-competitive-transmission-cost-caps-caiso-lotus/749239/
7.
State Lawmakers Move to Boost Protections for
Utility Workers (American Public Power Association)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
8.
The Department of Energy Axes $3.7 Billion in
Clean Energy Project Grants (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/climate-energy-projects-funding-canceled-cf3e9b5da749eb76a71c901ded20d711
9.
$14 Billion in Clean Energy Projects Have Been
Canceled in the U.S. This Year, Analysis Says (Associated Press)
10.
Another Oregon Battery Company Warns of Layoffs,
Potential Shutdown (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
11.
Thousands of Sheep Grazing Under Solar Panels
Experienced Unexpected Changes That Could Reshape Farming (Front Page
Detectives)
Fish & Wildlife
12.
New Report Shows Signs of Progress for Washington
State Salmon, But Many Are Still on the Brink of Extinction (The Chronicle, Centralia,
WA)
13.
‘It’s Devastating’: Skagit River Summer-Fall Chinook
Population Expected to Hit 15-Year Low (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
14.
After Trump Administration Axes $500 Million from
Washington Dam Project, Patty Murray Says She Won’t Let It Happen Again (Spokesman-Review,
Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jun/01/after-trump-administration-axes-500-million-from-w/
15.
Loss of USGS Program Could Hamper Salmon
Research Critical for Puget Sound (KNKX Radio, Tacoma, WA)
Water, Water, Anywhere?
16.
Cascades Face a Snow Drought with Serious Water
Supply Concerns (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/ixp/1135/p/eastern-washington-drought/
London Calling
–Telecommunications
17.
NRECA Asks Trump to Streamline Deployment of Key
Rural Broadband Program (National Rural Electric Cooperative)
https://www.electric.coop/nreca-asks-trump-to-streamline-deployment-of-key-rural-broadband-program
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
18.
States Are Rolling Out Red Carpets for Data
Centers. But Some Lawmakers Are Pushing Back (Associated Press)
19.
California: Santa Clara Data Centers Hit Max
Energy Capacity (San Jose Spotlight, CA)
https://sanjosespotlight.com/santa-clara-data-centers-hit-max-energy-capacity/
20.
How Far Will Artificial Intelligence Go to
Defend Its Survival? (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/far-ai-defend-own-survival-140000824.html
I Sing the Car Electric
21.
Hybrid Vehicle Sales Continue to Rise as
Electric & Plug-In Vehicle Shares Remain Flat (U.S. Energy Information
Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65384
22.
How Trump’s Push to End California Electric
Vehicle Mandates May Change Rules of the Road (Christian Science Monitor)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2025/0602/trump-california-cars-ev-mandates?icid=rss
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
23.
A Colossal Cloud of Sahara Dust Is Smothering the
Caribbean En Route to the U.S. (Associated Press)
Politics, Governance,
and Management
24.
Communication Between FEMA & Local
Jurisdictions Upended, Officials Say (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
25.
‘Going to Increase Prices on Everybody’: U.S. Energy
Department Workers Sound Alarm Over Cuts (The Guardian, UK)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/31/us-department-of-energy-job-cuts
Other Things to Know
About Today
26.
Summer 2025 Forecast Calls For ‘Overwhelmingly
Above Normal’ Heat Starting in June (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/summer-2025-forecast-calls-overwhelmingly-100047436.html
27.
2025 Hurricane Names Include Andrea, Barry, Chantal.
See the Full List. (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/2025-hurricane-names-andrew-barry-110013213.html
28.
Alaska Airlines Suspends Red-Carpet Ceremonial
Fly-Out of First Copper River King Salmon (Washington State Standard)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
29.
Guest Essay: Why Better Monitoring of U.S. Transformers
Is a National Security Imperative (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/monitoring-transformer-shortage-national-security/749349/
30.
Guest Essay: David vs. Goliath: Oregon Bill
Offers Lifeline for Journalism — And Democracy (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Millions of Honeybees
Abuzz After Truck Overturns in Washington State
https://apnews.com/article/honeybee-spill-washington-f68bd72fba2f258c9e265fadcec3b357
Newark Airport Port
Authority Cops Rescue Child Lost Riding Luggage Conveyor Belt into Bowels of
the Terminal
https://www.yahoo.com/news/newark-airport-port-authority-cops-163800680.html
Stowaway Pigeons
Cause Chaos in Passenger Cabin on Delta Plane
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/05/29/Delta-flight-pigeons-Minnesota-Wisconsin/3181748539986/
Shock Vid Shows
Half-Frozen Paraglider Who Was Sucked 5 Miles into Sky by Vortex & Left
Shivering in -40c Conditions
https://www.the-sun.com/news/14329968/frozen-paraglider-vortex-40c-conditions/
Song of the Day
Harry James – Flight
of the Bumblebee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myUOI7Q2Xpg
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
experiences may vary. Media attribution includes information about possible
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