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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Bonneville Power
Administration Financials Improve, May Stave Off Rate Increase (Tri-Cities Area
Journal of Business, WA)
https://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/articles/bpa-financials-improve-may-stave-off-rate-increase
Oregon: Groups
Rally Against Bill That Would Exempt Umatilla County from Statewide Nuclear Ban
(Oregon Capital Chronicle)
‘Rapid Snowmelt’
Increases Fire Danger Across the West (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
Idaho Power Faces
Pushback Over Proposed Solar Energy Compensation Rate Slash (KTVB-TV, Boise,
ID)
U.S. Senate to Vote
to Overturn California Gas Car Ban, Overriding Parliamentarian (The Center
Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_ecd10e2c-a08f-416b-96e4-ae3b3363e22a.html
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Bonneville
Power Administration Financials Improve, May Stave Off Rate Increase
2. Oregon:
Groups Rally Against Bill That Would Exempt Umatilla County from Statewide
Nuclear Ban
3. Fears
Over Columbia Basin Dams, Hydroelectricity Grow as Agencies Lose Hundreds of
Employees
4. California:
Edison Executives Made False Statements on Wildfire Risks, Lawsuit Claims
5. Tennessee
Valley Authority: First U.S. Utility Seeks Permit for a Small Nuclear Reactor
6. B.C.
Hydro Put to the Test Over Rising Energy Needs, Drought & Trade Uncertainty
7. Nevada:
NV Energy CEO Leaving Amid Utility Overcharging Episode
8. Pennsylvania:
Electric Transmission Upgrades at Crucial Turning Point
9. Idaho
Power Faces Pushback Over Proposed Solar Energy Compensation Rate Slash
10. Pacific
Northwest Leaders Set Renewable Energy Goals, But Neglected a Key Element
Required to Achieve Them
11. Oregon’s
Wind Sector Sees Regulatory Changes—Are Developers Ready?
12. Report:
World’s Supply of Critical Minerals for Clean Energy Is Concentrated in Fewer
Countries
13. Columbia
River Salmon Restoration Hit Hard by $1.5B Cut to Army Corps of Engineers
14. ‘Rapid
Snowmelt’ Increases Fire Danger Across the West
15. Amid
Dry, Warm Spring, Idaho May Need to Tap into Water Reservoirs
16. Lake
Mead in for a Painful Summer After Dry Winter
17. A
Fraction of Proposed Data Centers Will Get Built. Utilities Are Wising Up.
18. Elon
Musk Says Artificial Intelligence Could Run into Power Capacity Issues by
Middle of Next Year
19. Digital
Gold Rush Could Drive Demand for Wyoming’s Growing ‘Low-Carbon’ Natural Gas
Industry
20. U.S.
Senate to Vote to Overturn California Gas Car Ban, Overriding Parliamentarian
21. Japan's
Honda to Scale Back on Electric Vehicles, Focus on Hybrids
22. Shoreline’s
Answer to Offset Carbon Emissions? Free E-Bikes
23. Where
Does Your Weather Forecast Come From?
24. How
Space Weather Impacts Us: A Look at Some of the Worst Solar Storms in History
25. FEMA
Needs Fixes but Is ‘Essential’ to Co-ops, NRECA Says
26. More
Severe Weather Pummels the Central U.S. as Thousands Recover from Deadly
Tornadoes
27.
Commentary: Artificial Intelligence Power Demand
Is Generating Hallucinations
Word of the Day
Amalgamate \uh-MAL-guh-mayt\ Verb - To unite in or as if in a mixture of elements; especially: to merge into a single body.
“This is awful,” Mandrake mumbled to himself. Halfway through his experimental amalgamated accordion/ukulele/banjo rendition of “Stairway to Heaven,” he realized it was an unmitigated cacophonic disaster. The neighborhood kennel club’s residents, meanwhile, would never be the same.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Bonneville Power Administration Financials
Improve, May Stave Off Rate Increase (Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, WA)
https://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/articles/bpa-financials-improve-may-stave-off-rate-increase
2.
Oregon: Groups Rally Against Bill That Would
Exempt Umatilla County from Statewide Nuclear Ban (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
3.
Fears Over Columbia Basin Dams, Hydroelectricity
Grow as Agencies Lose Hundreds of Employees (Washington State Standard)
4.
California: Edison Executives Made False
Statements on Wildfire Risks, Lawsuit Claims (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/edison-executives-made-false-statements-100000233.html
5.
Tennessee Valley Authority: First U.S. Utility
Seeks Permit for a Small Nuclear Reactor (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/first-us-utility-seeks-permit-for-a-small-nuclear-reactor/
6.
B.C. Hydro Put to the Test Over Rising Energy
Needs, Drought & Trade Uncertainty (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/hydro-electricity-demand-increase-1.7539106
7.
Nevada: NV Energy CEO Leaving Amid Utility
Overcharging Episode (Nevada Current)
https://nevadacurrent.com/briefs/nv-energy-ceo-leaving-amid-utility-overcharging-episode/
8.
Pennsylvania: Electric Transmission Upgrades at
Crucial Turning Point (The Center Sqaure)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_31c1eec7-02c8-4848-a725-eca52f38e43d.html
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
9.
Idaho Power Faces Pushback Over Proposed Solar
Energy Compensation Rate Slash (KTVB-TV, Boise, ID)
10.
Pacific Northwest Leaders Set Renewable Energy
Goals, But Neglected a Key Element Required to Achieve Them (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/05/17/renewable-energy-oregon-washington-wind-solar/
11.
Oregon’s Wind Sector Sees Regulatory Changes—Are
Developers Ready? (Environment & Energy)
12.
Report: World’s Supply of Critical Minerals for Clean
Energy Is Concentrated in Fewer Countries (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/critical-minerals-supply-world-report-3dbee35f17823656b75939305bbd0512
Fish & Wildlife
13.
Columbia River Salmon Restoration Hit Hard by $1.5B
Cut to Army Corps of Engineers (Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
Water, Water, Anywhere?
14.
‘Rapid Snowmelt’ Increases Fire Danger Across the
West (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
15.
Amid Dry, Warm Spring, Idaho May Need to Tap into
Water Reservoirs (Idaho Capital Sun)
https://idahocapitalsun.com/briefs/amid-dry-warm-spring-idaho-may-need-to-tap-into-water-reservoirs/
16.
Lake Mead in for a Painful Summer After Dry
Winter (Idaho Capital Sun)
https://idahocapitalsun.com/2025/05/20/lake-mead-in-for-a-painful-summer-after-dry-winter/
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
17.
A Fraction of Proposed Data Centers Will Get
Built. Utilities Are Wising Up. (Utility Dive)
18.
Elon Musk Says Artificial Intelligence Could Run
into Power Capacity Issues by Middle of Next Year (CNBC)
19.
Digital Gold Rush Could Drive Demand for Wyoming’s
Growing ‘Low-Carbon’ Natural Gas Industry (WyoFile)
I Sing the Car Electric
20.
U.S. Senate to Vote to Overturn California Gas
Car Ban, Overriding Parliamentarian (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_ecd10e2c-a08f-416b-96e4-ae3b3363e22a.html
21.
Japan's Honda to Scale Back on Electric
Vehicles, Focus on Hybrids (Reuters)
22.
Shoreline’s Answer to Offset Carbon Emissions? Free
E-Bikes (Cascade PBS)
https://www.cascadepbs.org/news/2025/05/shorelines-answer-offset-carbon-emissions-free-e-bikes
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
23.
Where Does Your Weather Forecast Come From? (Oregon
Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/05/19/where-does-information-for-a-weather-forecast-come-from/
24.
How Space Weather Impacts Us: A Look at Some of
the Worst Solar Storms in History (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/solar-flares-geomagnetic-storms-1.7539461
Politics, Governance,
and Management
25.
FEMA Needs Fixes but Is ‘Essential’ to Co-ops,
NRECA Says (National Rural Electric Cooperative)
https://www.electric.coop/fema-needs-fixes-but-is-essential-to-co-ops-nreca-says
Other Things to Know
About Today
26.
More Severe Weather Pummels the Central U.S. as
Thousands Recover from Deadly Tornadoes (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
27.
Commentary: Artificial Intelligence Power Demand
Is Generating Hallucinations (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/ai-power-demand-is-generating-hallucinations-2025-05-20/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Indy 500 to Host
First-Ever Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Race
Shipment of Thousands
of Chicks Left in USPS Truck. Overwhelmed Shelter Needs Help Adopting Them
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chicks-usps-truck-delaware-abandoned/
‘It’s the Water’ – Once-Proud
WA Beer Brand Making ‘Kitschy’ Comeback in Canada & Texas
https://www.yahoo.com/news/once-proud-wa-beer-brand-150000485.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
George Wendt, Who
Played Beloved Barfly Norm on ‘Cheers’ And Found Another Home Onstage, Dies at 76
https://apnews.com/article/george-wendt-dies-55681263ea8b5bddaf1c89e8e9ba8cb1
Song of the Day
Young-Holt
Unlimited – Soulful Strut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKYgtwsqnxs
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