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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Developers Behind $1.5
Billion Plan to Put Power Line Under Columbia River Make Case to Regulators,
Minimal Public at Washougal Hearing (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
NERC Winter Reliability Assessment Finds
Much of North America Again at an Elevated Risk (American Public Power
Association)
EPA Moves to Limit Scope of Clean Water Law
to Reduce Amount of Wetlands It Covers (Associated Press)
Congressional Lawmakers Urge Swift Release
of LIHEAP Funds to meet Winter Needs (Daily Energy Insider)
Beached Humpback Whale Euthanized in Oregon After Fishing Line Entanglement (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/beached-humpback-whale-euthanized
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Developers Behind $1.5 Billion Plan to Put Power
Line Under Columbia River Make Case to Regulators, Minimal Public at Washougal
Hearing
2.
NERC Winter Reliability Assessment Finds Much of
North America Again at an Elevated Risk
3.
Southwest Power Pool Forecasts Near Normal
Temperatures, High Likelihood of Meeting Regional Demand for Electricity in
Winter
4.
California: LA County Officials Want Electric
Cables, Other Infrastructure Underground, But It’s Not That Easy
5.
Montana: NorthWestern Energy Built Laurel Plant
Without Evaluating More Affordable Options, PSC Analysts Say
6.
WA State: Grant PUD GM Says Electricity Is
Indispensable
7.
Power Outages Getting Longer as Extreme Weather
Takes Larger Toll, Report Says
8.
Two High-Ranking Officials Ousted from Idaho PUC
Say Agency Is ‘Not Independent’
9.
Nuclear ‘Energy Ecosystem’ and, Eventually,
Utah’s First Reactor Will Live in Brigham City
10.
Trump Admin Provides $1 Billion Federal Loan to
Restart Three Mile Island Nuclear Reactor
11.
Groups Sue FERC Over Its Approval of Southwest
Power Pool’s Capacity Accreditation Plan
12.
Norway’s Hydro Faces Green Test
13.
This Ohio County Banned Wind & Solar – Now,
Residents Are Pushing Back
14.
Beached Humpback Whale Euthanized in Oregon
After Fishing Line Entanglement
15.
Humpback Whale Entanglements Have Surged on the
West Coast. Here’s Why
16.
Long-Banned Fish Traps Return to the Columbia
River
17.
WA State: Chelan County PUD Fish & Wildlife
to Count Salmon, Trout Redds Next Year
18.
EPA Moves to Limit Scope of Clean Water Law to
Reduce Amount of Wetlands It Covers
19.
California’s Water Year Is Off to a Great Start.
Here’s A Look at the Numbers
20.
WA State: Pasco City Council Votes to End
Fluoridation in City’s Water
21.
California: Fort Bragg To Test the State’s First
Wave-Powered Desalination System
22.
Appeals Court Pauses California Law Requiring
Companies to Report Climate-Related Financial Risk
23.
NTIA Announces Approval of 18 Broadband Equity,
Access, and Deployment Final Proposals
24.
Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Expand Universal
Service Fund Coverage in Indian Country
25.
Montana: Complaint Calls for Investigation of
NorthWestern Energy’s Conduct with Data Centers
26.
A Federal Judge Rules Meta Isn’t a Monopoly,
Keeping Its Social Media Empire Intact
27.
The ‘Trust Tax’: Why Building Credibility
Matters in the Utility Industry
28.
Congressional Lawmakers Urge Swift Release of
LIHEAP Funds to meet Winter Needs
29.
Congress Boosts Funding for RUS Electric Loan
Program
30.
Flu Season Could Be Nasty This Winter
31.
Transmission Lines Will Determine America’s
Power Future
32. Guest
Essay: Electricity Is Too Expensive – Here Are Three Ways to Fix That
Word of the Day
Interloper \in-ter-LOH-per\ Noun – One that intrudes in a place or sphere of activity.
Fran and Fred’s elopement was going well, until an unexpected interloper showed up: Fran’s mother.
Energy
& Utility Issues
1. Developers
Behind $1.5 Billion Plan to Put Power Line Under Columbia River Make Case to Regulators,
Minimal Public at Washougal Hearing (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
2. NERC
Winter Reliability Assessment Finds Much of North America Again at an Elevated
Risk (American Public Power Association)
3. Southwest
Power Pool Forecasts Near Normal Temperatures, High Likelihood of Meeting
Regional Demand for Electricity in Winter (American Public Power Association)
4. California:
LA County Officials Want Electric Cables, Other Infrastructure Underground, But
It’s Not That Easy (KABC-TV, Los Angeles, CA)
5. Montana:
NorthWestern Energy Built Laurel Plant Without Evaluating More Affordable
Options, PSC Analysts Say (The Daily Montanan)
6. WA
State: Grant PUD GM Says Electricity Is Indispensable (Columbia Basin Bulletin,
Moses Lake, WA)
https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2025/nov/18/grant-pud-gm-says-electricity-is-indispensable/
7. Power
Outages Getting Longer as Extreme Weather Takes Larger Toll, Report Says (Utility
Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/power-outages-extreme-weather-jd-power/805658/
8. Two
High-Ranking Officials Ousted from Idaho PUC Say Agency Is ‘Not Independent’ (Idaho
Statesman, Boise, ID – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/2-high-ranking-officials-ousted-110000217.html
9. Nuclear
‘Energy Ecosystem’ and, Eventually, Utah’s First Reactor Will Live in Brigham
City (Utah News Dispatch)
https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2025/11/17/utah-first-nuclear-reactor-could-be-located-in-brigham-city/
10. Trump
Admin Provides $1 Billion Federal Loan to Restart Three Mile Island Nuclear
Reactor (Fox Business – Via MSN News)
11. Groups
Sue FERC Over Its Approval of Southwest Power Pool’s Capacity Accreditation
Plan (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-spp-capacity-accreditation-lawsuit/805765/
12. Norway’s
Hydro Faces Green Test (International Waterpower Magazine)
https://www.waterpowermagazine.com/analysis/norways-hydro-faces-green-test/
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
13. This
Ohio County Banned Wind & Solar. Now, Residents Are Pushing Back. (Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/richland-ohio-wind-solar-ban-vote
Fish
& Wildlife
14. Beached
Humpback Whale Euthanized in Oregon After Fishing Line Entanglement (KCPQ-TV, Seattle,
WA)
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/beached-humpback-whale-euthanized
15. Humpback
Whale Entanglements Have Surged on the West Coast. Here’s Why (The Oregonian, Portland,
OR)
16. Long-Banned
Fish Traps Return to the Columbia River (The Chinook Observer, Long Beach, WA)
https://chinookobserver.com/2025/11/17/long-banned-fish-traps-return-to-the-columbia/
17. WA
State: Chelan County PUD Fish & Wildlife to Count Salmon, Trout Redds Next
Year (Wenatchee World, WA – Paywall Advisory)
Water,
Water, Anywhere?
18. EPA
Moves to Limit Scope of Clean Water Law to Reduce Amount of Wetlands It Covers
(Associated Press)
19. California’s
Water Year Is Off to a Great Start. Here’s A Look at the Numbers (KCRA-TV, Sacramento,
CA)
https://www.kcra.com/article/california-water-year-is-off-to-a-great-start/69477374
20. WA
State: Pasco City Council Votes to End Fluoridation in City’s Water (KNDO &
KNDU-TV, Yakima/Tri-Cities, WA)
21. California:
Fort Bragg To Test the State’s First Wave-Powered Desalination System (The Mendocino
Voices, CA)
https://mendovoice.com/2025/11/fort-bragg-to-test-the-states-first-wave-powered-desalination-system/
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
22. Appeals
Court Pauses California Law Requiring Companies to Report Climate-Related
Financial Risk (Associated Press)
London Calling –Telecommunications
23. NTIA
Announces Approval of 18 Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Final
Proposals (National Telecommunications and Information Administration)
https://www.ntia.gov/press-release/2025/ntia-announces-approval-18-bead-final-proposals
24. Lawmakers
Introduce Bill to Expand Universal Service Fund Coverage in Indian Country
(Broadband Breakfast)
The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
25.
Montana: Complaint Calls for Investigation of
NorthWestern Energy’s Conduct with Data Centers (The Daily Montanan)
Public
Relations, Marketing & Media
26. A
Federal Judge Rules Meta Isn’t a Monopoly, Keeping Its Social Media Empire
Intact (AOL News)
https://www.aol.com/articles/federal-judge-rules-meta-isnt-182000199.html
27.
The ‘Trust Tax’: Why Building Credibility
Matters in the Utility Industry (Powerful Media Group)
Politics,
Governance, and Management
28. Congressional
Lawmakers Urge Swift Release of LIHEAP Funds to meet Winter Needs (Daily Energy
Insider)
29. Congress
Boosts Funding for RUS Electric Loan Program (National Rural Electric
Cooperative Association)
https://www.electric.coop/congress-boosts-funding-for-rus-electric-loan-program
Other
Things to Know About Today
30. Flu
Season Could Be Nasty This Winter (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/19/nx-s1-5607250/flu-season-h3n2-influenza-virus-shot
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
31. Transmission
Lines Will Determine America’s Power Future (Power Magazine)
https://www.powermag.com/transmission-lines-will-determine-americas-power-future/
32. Guest
Essay: Electricity Is Too Expensive – Here Are Three Ways to Fix That (Canary
Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/utilities/how-to-fix-rising-electricity-bills-states
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Gustav Klimt Portrait Painting Sells for Record
$236 Million at New York Auction
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/articles/gustav-klimt-portrait-painting-sells-033933773.html
A New Study Expands on All the Roads That
Led to Rome
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/06/nx-s1-5597968/a-new-study-expands-on-all-the-roads-that-led-to-rome
East & West Coast Butter Is Different, And We’ve All Been Living a Lie
Australian Prisoner Sues for His ‘Human
Right’ to Eat Vegemite
Song of the Day
Hot Butter – Popcorn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK3ZP6frAMc
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& Paywall Advisory
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