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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
‘Unleash American
Blackouts’: Experts Warn Bonneville Job Cuts Bring Immediate & Long-Term
Risks to Pacific Northwest (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/20/bonneville-job-cuts-immediate-risks/
Bonneville Power
Administration Layoffs Could Impact Data Centers, Union Leader Says (KOIN-TV,
Portland, OR – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/bonneville-power-administration-layoffs-could-001849375.html
California
Lawmakers Aim to Lower Electricity Bills, but They’ll Face Tough Choices (KQED
Radio, San Francisco, CA)
Oregon Lawmakers
Introduce Legislation to Rein in Utility Bills (KPTV-TV, Portland, OR)
Wind Gusts Up to 55
Mph: Wind Advisory Issued for Western Washington (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle,
WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/pacific-northwest-weather/wind-advisory-washington/4051805
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. California
Lawmakers Aim to Lower Electricity Bills, but They’ll Face Tough Choices
2. Oregon
Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Rein in Utility Bills
3. California:
Pacific Gas & Electric Launches Projects to Curb Intentional Power Outages
in San Jose
4. California:
Trump Tariffs Could Cost LMUD Ratepayers $2.5 Million
5. Ashland
Becomes the First City in Oregon to Impose a Fee on New Natural Gas Hookups
6. Dams,
Power Lines & Statistics: What the Bonneville Power Administration Is &
Does
7. U.S.
Energy Council Chief Says Power Plants to Produce 15% More Electricity
8. FERC
Complies with Major Portions of Trump Order on Independent Agencies: Christie
9. Montana’s
Electric Co-Op Linemen: ‘Welcome to the Jungle’
10. ‘Unleash
American Blackouts’: Experts Warn Bonneville Job Cuts Bring Immediate &
Long-Term Risks to Pacific Northwest
11. Bonneville
Power Administration Layoffs Could Impact Data Centers, Union Leader Says
12. Word
of Firings at Grand Coulee Dam Remains Uncertain
13. Two
Top BPA Execs to Depart Following Trump Resignation Offer
14. Trump
& Musk Slash 13.5% of Bonneville Power’s Jobs While Protecting the
Tennessee Valley Authority
15. WA
State: 80-Megawatt Yakima County Solar Project Construction to Begin Soon
16. Solar
Developers Worry New Conservation Tax Would Render Renewables Unsustainable in
Utah
17. WA
State: Snohomish County Becomes Haven for Green Energy
18. Rural
Ohioans Oppose Solar Farms, Right? Not So, Developer Finds
19. California:
Pilot Project Returns Spring-Run Chinook Salmon to North Yuba River
20. 2025
Columbia River Spring Chinook Seasons Announced
21. Pacific
Lamprey Struggle to Migrate Past the Bonneville Dam. A New Fish Ladder Will
Help
22. Newest
Orca Brings Girl Power to Endangered Whales
23. Bill
Would Bar Some Private, For-Profit Companies from WA Grants for Broadband
Expansion
24. NRECA
Urges Trump Administration to Support & Fix Rural Broadband Programs
25. Southwest
Washington Officials Say Data Centers Use Too Much Power, Employ Too Few People
to Make Economic Sense
26. Tesla
Recalling More Than 375,000 Vehicles Due to Power Steering Issue
27. WA
State: Electric Vehicle Fire Risks Prompt Urgent Safety Warnings by Pierce
County Officials
28. GSA
Says Workers Who Took ‘Fork’ Won’t Get a Full Payout — Then Reverses Itself
29. ‘I
Have Concerns.’ GOP Rep. Newhouse Weighs in on Job Cuts at Nuclear Site &
More
30. Oregon
Lawmakers Agree Fighting Wildfires Requires More Money. The Hard Question: How
to Pay for It
31. Wind
Gusts Up to 55 Mph: Wind Advisory Issued for Western Washington
32.
Data Centers Are Overwhelming the Grid. Could
They Help It Instead?
Word of the Day
Prehensile \pre-HEN-sill\ Adjective – 1: adapted for seizing or grasping, especially by wrapping around 2: gifted with the mental grasp or moral or aesthetic perception.
Alberto was mesmerized by his New Year’s Eve blind date. On one hand, he was repulsed by her chewing tobacco habit. On the other hand, he found her ability to toss back a mug of beer using her prehensile toes wildly attractive.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
California Lawmakers Aim to Lower Electricity
Bills, but They’ll Face Tough Choices (KQED Radio, San Francisco, CA)
2.
Oregon Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Rein in
Utility Bills (KPTV-TV, Portland, OR)
3.
California: Pacific Gas & Electric Launches
Projects to Curb Intentional Power Outages in San Jose (San Jose Mercury News,
CA – Via MSN)
4.
California: Trump Tariffs Could Cost LMUD Ratepayers
$2.5 Million (Lassen County Times, Susanville, CA)
https://www.lassennews.com/trump-tariffs-could-cost-lmud-ratepayers-2-5-million
5.
Ashland Becomes the First City in Oregon to Impose
a Fee on New Natural Gas Hookups (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/20/ashland-fee-natural-gas-hookups/
6.
Dams, Power Lines & Statistics: What the Bonneville
Power Administration Is & Does (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
7.
U.S. Energy Council Chief Says Power Plants to
Produce 15% More Electricity (Reuters)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-energy-council-chief-says-220558026.html
8.
FERC Complies with Major Portions of Trump Order
on Independent Agencies: Christie (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-trump-eo-executive-order-independent-agencies/740597/
9.
Montana’s Electric Co-Op Linemen: ‘Welcome to
the Jungle’ (KMMS Radio, Boseman, MT)
https://kmmsam.com/ixp/990/p/montanas-electric-co-op-linemen-welcome-to-the-jungle/
As the World Turns
10.
‘Unleash American Blackouts’: Experts Warn Bonneville
Job Cuts Bring Immediate & Long-Term Risks to Pacific Northwest (Oregon
Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/02/20/bonneville-job-cuts-immediate-risks/
11.
Bonneville Power Administration Layoffs Could
Impact Data Centers, Union Leader Says (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR – Via Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/bonneville-power-administration-layoffs-could-001849375.html
12.
Word of Firings at Grand Coulee Dam Remains
Uncertain (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/feb/21/firings-at-coulee-dam-remain-unclear/
13.
Two Top BPA Execs to Depart Following Trump
Resignation Offer (RTO Insider – Subscription Required)
https://www.rtoinsider.com/98842-top-bpa-execs-depart-trump-resignation-offer/
14.
Trump & Musk Slash 13.5% of Bonneville Power’s
Jobs While Protecting the Tennessee Valley Authority (Malcontent News)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
15.
WA State: 80-Megawatt Yakima County Solar
Project Construction to Begin Soon (KIMA-TV, Yakima, WA)
https://kimatv.com/news/local/yakima-county-solar-project-construction-to-begin-soon
16.
Solar Developers Worry New Conservation Tax
Would Render Renewables Unsustainable in Utah (Utah News Dispatch)
17.
WA State: Snohomish County Becomes Haven for
Green Energy (Everett Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomish-county-becomes-haven-for-green-energy/
18.
Rural Ohioans Oppose Solar Farms, Right? Not So,
Developer Finds (Canary Media)
Fish & Wildlife
19.
California: Pilot Project Returns Spring-Run
Chinook Salmon to North Yuba River (YubaNet, Nevada City, CA)
https://yubanet.com/regional/pilot-project-returns-spring-run-chinook-salmon-to-north-yuba-river/
20.
2025 Columbia River Spring Chinook Seasons
Announced (Big Country News, Clarkston, WA)
21.
Pacific Lamprey Struggle to Migrate Past the Bonneville
Dam. A New Fish Ladder Will Help (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
22.
Newest Orca Brings Girl Power to Endangered
Whales (Axios Seattle)
https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2025/02/21/southern-resident-orca-killer-whale-baby
London Calling –Telecommunications
23.
Bill Would Bar Some Private, For-Profit
Companies from WA Grants for Broadband Expansion (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_8af288d6-e99d-11ef-8132-dbe4a2a31165.html
24.
NRECA Urges Trump Administration to Support &
Fix Rural Broadband Programs (National Rural Electric Cooperative Association)
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
25.
Southwest Washington Officials Say Data Centers
Use Too Much Power, Employ Too Few People to Make Economic Sense (Vancouver Columbian,
WA – Paywall Advisory)
I Sing the Car Electric
26.
Tesla Recalling More Than 375,000 Vehicles Due to
Power Steering Issue (Associated Press)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-recalling-more-375-000-130908897.html
27.
WA State: Electric Vehicle Fire Risks Prompt
Urgent Safety Warnings by Pierce County Officials (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
Politics, Governance,
and Management
28.
GSA Says Workers Who Took ‘Fork’ Won’t Get a Full
Payout — Then Reverses Itself (Washington Post, DC – Via MSN)
29.
‘I Have Concerns.’ GOP Rep. Newhouse Weighs in
on Job Cuts at Nuclear Site & More (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via MSN)
30.
Oregon Lawmakers Agree Fighting Wildfires
Requires More Money. The Hard Question: How to Pay for It (The Oregonian, Portland,
OR – Via MSN)
Other Things to Know
About Today
31.
Wind Gusts Up to 55 Mph: Wind Advisory Issued for
Western Washington (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/pacific-northwest-weather/wind-advisory-washington/4051805
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
32.
Data Centers Are Overwhelming the Grid. Could They
Help It Instead? (Canary Media)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Roberta Flack,
Timeless R&B Singer-Songwriter Behind ‘Killing Me Softly with His Song,’
Dies at 88
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/roberta-flack-timeless-r-b-153909765.html
Thieves Used a Stolen
Card to Buy A $523,000 Lottery Ticket. The Victim Wants to Share the Winnings
How a 24-Year-Old
Surfer Rode a Wave the Size of 10-Story Building, Potentially Setting World
Record
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/24-old-surfer-rode-wave-163856229.html
Micro-Artist
Creates Lego Sculpture the Size of a Blood Cell
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/02/20/Guinness-World-Records-tiny-Lego/5391740080162/
Song of the Day
Roberta Flack -
Angel Eyes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plyuliaBDeE
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Links in The Energy News Digest are for current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links.
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