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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
WA State:
Tri-Cities at Rising Risk of Blackouts. But $100 Million Badger Canyon Project
Draws Concerns (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via MSN News)
Oregon Legislature
Passes ‘POWER Act,’ Targeting Industrial Energy Users Like Data Centers (Oregon
Public Broadcasting)
Chart: California
Is Wasting More & More Clean Energy (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/california-waste-clean-energy-curtailments
New BEAD Rules Send
States Back to Drawing Board (Light Reading)
https://www.lightreading.com/broadband/new-bead-rules-send-states-back-to-drawing-board
Carbon Dioxide
Levels Just Broke Another Record. Here’s What That Means (Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/mauna-loa-observatory-430-record-1.7555100?cmp=rss
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. WA
State: Tri-Cities at Rising Risk of Blackouts. But $100 Million Badger Canyon
Project Draws Concerns
2. Oregon
Legislature Passes ‘POWER Act,’ Targeting Industrial Energy Users Like Data
Centers
3. Power
Bills in California Have Jumped Nearly 50% in Four Years. Democrats Think They
Have Solutions
4. WA
State: Clark Public Utilities Braces for High Demand for Electricity This
Summer
5. Michigan:
The Trump Admin Ordered a Coal Power Plant to Stay on Past Retirement.
Customers in 15 States Will Foot the Bill
6. Storms,
Artificial Intelligence Demand & Policy Failures Are Upending U.S. Grid
7. Oxbow
Reservoir Level Will Be Lower During Spillway Repair Project
8. Along
Those Lines: Electric Co-ops Confront Growing Threat of Wildfires
9. Chart:
California Is Wasting More & More Clean Energy
10. U.S.
Solar Energy Growth to Slow as Washington Priorities Shift
11. Support
for Renewables Shrinks as Fossil Fuel Interest Grows
12. Leaked
Trump Vision For ‘A Leaner NOAA’ Scraps Key Columbia River Salmon Restoration
Fund
13. Northwest
Tribes: Treaties Mean Trump Can’t Ax Salmon Funding
14. ‘A
Win for Everybody’: Feds OK Tribes’ Landmark Plan to Reintroduce Salmon into
Upper Columbia River
15. Retired
NOAA Scientist Speaks Out on Future of Orca Recovery
16. On
a Wing & a Prairie: Puget Sound Butterfly Avoids Extinction with Human Help
17. New
Study Shows Huge Groundwater Losses Along Colorado River
18. Property
above Condit Dam bought to protect 5 miles along White Salmon River; Permanent
Ownership Under Yakama Nation
19. In
California’s Largest Landback Deal, The Yurok Tribe Reclaims Sacred Land Around
Klamath River
20. Carbon
Dioxide Levels Just Broke Another Record. Here’s What That Means
21. New
BEAD Rules Send States Back to Drawing Board
22. U.S.
Senators Urge Trump Administration to Release BEAD Funding Amid Broadband
Deployment Delays
23. Eastern
WA Researchers Fight Cyber Threats at Aging U.S. Hydropower System
24. PNNL
– More Furloughs, Possible Layoffs at Largest Tri-Cities Employer After Trump
Proposal
25. U.S.
Senate Republicans Revise Ban on State Artificial Intelligence Regulations in
Bid to Preserve Controversial Provision
26. Oregon:
Heat Advisory Takes Effect in Portland as Temps Approach Triple Digits
27. Ecology
Expands Washington State’s Drought Emergency
28. Spokane
Under Level 1 Water Conservation Notice
29. Thieves
Targeting Washington’s Infrastructure Amid Rising Copper Costs
30.
Guest Essay: President Trump’s Plan to Bring
Back Aluminum Might Conflict with the Power Needs of Artificial Intelligence
Word of the Day – Horrible Haiku Edition
Schlammschlacht /SHLAM-shloct/ Noun, German – Mud fight, mud fighting contest.
How the insults flew
A nasty breakup explodes
Schlammschlacht! What a show
https://joelshorriblehaiku.blogspot.com/
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
WA State: Tri-Cities at Rising Risk of
Blackouts. But $100 Million Badger Canyon Project Draws Concerns (Tri-City
Herald, WA – Via MSN News)
2.
Oregon Legislature Passes ‘POWER Act,’ Targeting
Industrial Energy Users Like Data Centers (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
3.
Power Bills in California Have Jumped Nearly 50%
in Four Years. Democrats Think They Have Solutions (Associated Press)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/power-bills-california-jumped-nearly-185727709.html
4.
WA State: Clark Public Utilities Braces for High
Demand for Electricity This Summer (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
5.
Michigan: The Trump Admin Ordered a Coal Power
Plant to Stay on Past Retirement. Customers in 15 States Will Foot the Bill (Associated
Press)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-admin-ordered-coal-power-135943344.html
6.
Storms, Artificial Intelligence Demand & Policy
Failures Are Upending U.S. Grid (E&E News/Politico)
https://www.eenews.net/articles/storms-ai-demand-and-policy-failures-are-upending-us-grid/
7.
Oxbow Reservoir Level Will Be Lower During
Spillway Repair Project (Elkhorn Media Group, Lagrande, OR)
https://elkhornmediagroup.com/oxbow-reservoir-level-will-be-lower-during-spillway-repair-project/
8.
Along Those Lines: Electric Co-ops Confront
Growing Threat of Wildfires (National Rural Electric Cooperative Association)
https://www.electric.coop/along-those-lines-electric-co-ops-confront-growing-threat-of-wildfires
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
9.
Chart: California Is Wasting More & More
Clean Energy (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/california-waste-clean-energy-curtailments
10.
U.S. Solar Energy Growth to Slow as Washington Priorities
Shift (Reuters)
11.
Support for Renewables Shrinks as Fossil Fuel
Interest Grows (Floodlight)
https://floodlightnews.org/support-for-renewables-shrinks-as-fossil-fuel-interest-grows/
Fish & Wildlife
12.
Leaked Trump Vision For ‘A Leaner NOAA’ Scraps
Key Columbia River Salmon Restoration Fund (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA
13.
Northwest Tribes: Treaties Mean Trump Can’t Ax
Salmon Funding (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/northwest-tribes-treaties-mean-trump-can-t-ax-salmon-funding
14.
‘A Win for Everybody’: Feds OK Tribes’ Landmark
Plan to Reintroduce Salmon into Upper Columbia River (Vancouver Columbian, WA –
Paywall Advisory)
15.
Retired NOAA Scientist Speaks Out on Future of
Orca Recovery (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
16.
On a Wing & a Prairie: Puget Sound Butterfly
Avoids Extinction with Human Help (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/on-a-wing-and-a-prairie-Puget-Sound-butterfly-avoids-extinction
Water, Water, Anywhere?
17.
New Study Shows Huge Groundwater Losses Along Colorado
River (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/science/new-study-shows-huge-groundwater-losses-along-colorado-river/
18.
Property above Condit Dam bought to protect 5
miles along White Salmon River; Permanent Ownership Under Yakama Nation
(Columbia Community Connection)
19.
In California’s Largest Landback Deal, The Yurok
Tribe Reclaims Sacred Land Around Klamath River (Grist Online)
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
20.
Carbon Dioxide Levels Just Broke Another Record.
Here’s What That Means (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/mauna-loa-observatory-430-record-1.7555100?cmp=rss
London Calling
–Telecommunications
21.
New BEAD Rules Send States Back to Drawing Board
(Light Reading)
https://www.lightreading.com/broadband/new-bead-rules-send-states-back-to-drawing-board
22.
U.S. Senators Urge Trump Administration to
Release BEAD Funding Amid Broadband Deployment Delays (AGL Information &
Technology)
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
23.
Eastern WA Researchers Fight Cyber Threats at
Aging U.S. Hydropower System (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/eastern-wa-researchers-fight-cyber-120000356.html
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
24.
PNNL – More Furloughs, Possible Layoffs at
Largest Tri-Cities Employer After Trump Proposal (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via
Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/more-furloughs-possible-layoffs-largest-120000436.html
Politics, Governance,
and Management
25.
U.S. Senate Republicans Revise Ban on State Artificial
Intelligence Regulations in Bid to Preserve Controversial Provision (Associated
Press)
https://apnews.com/article/ai-regulation-state-moratorium-congress-78d24dea621f5c1f8bc947e86667b65d
Other Things to Know
About Today
26.
Oregon: Heat Advisory Takes Effect in Portland as
Temps Approach Triple Digits (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
27.
Ecology Expands Washington State’s Drought
Emergency (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_8329434b-7b1b-4abf-be39-c19f3914baa7.html
28.
Spokane Under Level 1 Water Conservation Notice
(KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)
29.
Thieves Targeting Washington’s Infrastructure
Amid Rising Copper Costs (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/ixp/1135/p/copper-theft-washington/
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
30.
Guest Essay: President Trump’s Plan to Bring
Back Aluminum Might Conflict with the Power Needs of Artificial Intelligence (Spokesman-Review,
Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jun/08/spin-control-trumps-plan-to-bring-back-aluminum-mi/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Supply Chain Woes
Create Popcorn Shortage for Movie Theaters Looking for Summer Rebound
She Dove Headfirst
for a Giant Clam — TikTok Loves It
https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/06/05/seattle-geoduck-dig-viral-tiktok-washington
TSA: No, Costco Membership
Card Is Not Real ID Replacement
Uncle Sam Billboard
Off I-5 in Lewis County, WA Bought by Chehalis Tribe
Song of the Day
Hot Butter – Popcorn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EnXLQuAJj4
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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