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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits the Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
PacifiCorp to Pay $575 Million to Resolve Federal
Government’s Claims Over Wildfires in Oregon, California (Associated Press)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pacificorp-pay-575m-resolve-federal-000607370.html
Silicon Valley Is Building a Shadow Power Grid for Data
Centers Across the U.S. (Washington Post – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/silicon-valley-building-shadow-power-140406982.html
Idaho Power & Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative Announce
Agreement to Transfer Ownership of Idaho Power’s Oregon Service Area (Elkhorn
Media Group, LaGrande, OR)
Columbia River Chinook Fishing Season Predicts Lower
Numbers, But Stronger Returns (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
‘Shelter in Place’ Advisory Expanded for Americans in Mexico
(USA Today – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/widespread-shelter-place-order-place-145441048.html
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
PacifiCorp to Pay $575 Million to Resolve
Federal Government’s Claims Over Wildfires in Oregon, California
2.
Silicon Valley Is Building a Shadow Power Grid
for Data Centers Across the U.S.
3.
Idaho Power & Oregon Trail Electric
Cooperative Announce Agreement to Transfer Ownership of Idaho Power’s Oregon
Service Area
4.
Idaho: Co-op Proposal Touted as Way to Slash
Electricity Costs in McCall
5.
California: San Francisco Seeks Breakaway from
Pacific Gas & Electric to Create Public Utility
6.
Inside WA’s Messy Breakup with Montana Coal
Country
7.
Man Gets Prison Time for Sabotaging Substation
in Oregon
8.
Nevada: Las Vegas Police Investigate Terrorism
Event After Vehicle Rammed into Power Substation
9.
U.S. Military Airlifts Small Reactor as Trump
Pushes to Quickly Deploy Nuclear Power
10.
Nuclear Power: ‘Just a Couple of Guys’: How a
Little-Known Company Could Score Big from a Trump Trade Deal
11.
New U.S. Electric Generating Capacity Expected
to Reach a Record High in 2026
12.
U.S. Electric Co-ops Call for Action on Grid
Reliability
13.
Oregon: Ochoco Irrigation District Awarded $1
Million for Floating Solar Project Near Prineville
14.
Columbia River Chinook Fishing Season Predicts
Lower Numbers, But Stronger Returns
15.
New Southern Resident Orca Calf Spotted in
Strait of Juan De Fuca
16.
Luck & Hard Work Align in Success for
Cowlitz River Smelt Dippers
17.
Cost of Trump’s Coal Push Plays Out in Dollars,
Noise & Health
18.
Inconsistent Lake Pend Oreille Levels Shrink
Region’s Economy, Study Says
19.
WA State: Kennewick Irrigation District Upgrades
Canals, Reservoirs as Drought Threat Looms
20.
Threat of a Colorado River Lawsuit Looms. Here’s
How Utah Is Preparing.
21.
U.S. Energy Chief Says International Energy
Agency Must ‘Drop’ Focus on Climate Change
22.
Who Pays for Power – Trump Adviser Drops
Bombshell on Meta, Microsoft
23.
California: State Lawmaker Calls on Imperial
County Officials to Halt Controversial Data Center Project
24.
National Lab in WA Has Key Role in Trump AI
Mission to Transform Science
25.
The Great American Weather Tragedy: Excellent
Forecasts but Poor Societal Response
26.
‘Shelter in Place’ Advisory Expanded for
Americans in Mexico
27.
Millions Are Stuck at Home Due to Blizzard
Warnings & Travel Shutdowns in Northeastern U.S.
28.
Copper Wire Theft Disrupts Light Rail Service in
South King County for Second Time in Nine Days
29.
Guest Essay: Removing Snake River Dams Could
Have Surprising Benefits
30.
Guest Essay: The Ghosts of Nuclear Past,
Present, & Future: Can You Tell Them Apart?
31.
WA State: Thurston County Wants to Grade Your
Home’s Energy Before Letting You Sell It
Word of the Day
Recurring \rih-KURR-ring\ Verb – 1: To happen, come up, or show up again or repeatedly 2: to return to one's attention or memory 3: to return in thought or discourse.
Willie the wildebeest awoke with a start. The recurring dream that had haunted his dark nights had returned. In his nocturne wanderings, he had been transformed into a humanoid biped, wandering aimlessly in packs of hundreds through concrete jungles…going hither and thither…not knowing the destination, or the reason for his travels. “The horror, the horror,” he muttered.
Energy
& Utility Issues
1.
PacifiCorp to Pay $575 Million to Resolve
Federal Government’s Claims Over Wildfires in Oregon, California (Associated
Press)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pacificorp-pay-575m-resolve-federal-000607370.html
2.
Silicon Valley Is Building a Shadow Power Grid for
Data Centers Across the U.S. (Washington Post – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/silicon-valley-building-shadow-power-140406982.html
3.
Idaho Power & Oregon Trail Electric
Cooperative Announce Agreement to Transfer Ownership of Idaho Power’s Oregon
Service Area (Elkhorn Media Group, LaGrande, OR)
4.
Idaho: Co-op Proposal Touted as Way to Slash
Electricity Costs in McCall (Valley Lookout, McCall, ID)
5.
California: San Francisco Seeks Breakaway from Pacific
Gas & Electric to Create Public Utility (Courthouse News Service)
https://courthousenews.com/san-francisco-seeks-breakaway-from-pge-creation-of-public-utility/
6.
Inside WA’s Messy Breakup with Montana Coal
Country (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA – Paywall Advisory)
7.
Man Gets Prison Time for Sabotaging Substation in
Oregon (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
8.
Nevada: Las Vegas Police Investigate Terrorism
Event After Vehicle Rammed into Power Substation (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/las-vegas-boulder-city-cec28b585a8fe780005fa47bdb156970
9.
U.S. Military Airlifts Small Reactor as Trump Pushes
to Quickly Deploy Nuclear Power (Associated Press)
10.
Nuclear Power: ‘Just a Couple of Guys’: How a Little-Known
Company Could Score Big from a Trump Trade Deal (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/23/energy-company-trump-japan-trade-deal-00791916
11.
New U.S. Electric Generating Capacity Expected to
Reach a Record High in 2026 (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67205
12.
U.S. Electric Co-ops Call for Action on Grid
Reliability (Coop News)
https://www.thenews.coop/us-electric-co-ops-call-for-action-on-grid-reliability/
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
13.
Oregon: Ochoco Irrigation District Awarded $1 Million
for Floating Solar Project Near Prineville (Central Oregon Daily News)
Fish
& Wildlife
14.
Columbia River Chinook Fishing Season Predicts
Lower Numbers, But Stronger Returns (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
15.
New Southern Resident Orca Calf Spotted in Strait
of Juan De Fuca (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
16.
Luck & Hard Work Align in Success for Cowlitz
River Smelt Dippers (Washington State Standard)
Environmental
Afflatus – Clean Up on Aisle Three
17.
Cost of Trump’s Coal Push Plays Out in Dollars,
Noise & Health (Bloomberg News – Via MSN)
Water,
Water, Anywhere?
18.
Inconsistent Lake Pend Oreille Levels Shrink
Region’s Economy, Study Says (Bonner County Daily Bee, ID)
19.
WA State: Kennewick Irrigation District Upgrades
Canals, Reservoirs as Drought Threat Looms (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
20.
Threat of a Colorado River Lawsuit Looms. Here’s
How Utah Is Preparing. (Utah News Dispatch)
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
21.
U.S. Energy Chief Says International Energy
Agency Must ‘Drop’ Focus on Climate Change (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/us-energy-chief-says-iea-163023300.html
HAL’s Internet Café
22.
Who Pays for Power – Trump Adviser Drops
Bombshell on Meta, Microsoft (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-adviser-drops-bombshell-meta-201300241.html
23.
California: State Lawmaker Calls on Imperial
County Officials to Halt Controversial Data Center Project (KPBS Broadcasting, San
Diego, CA)
24.
National Lab in WA Has Key Role in Trump AI Mission
to Transform Science (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/national-lab-wa-key-role-130000404.html
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
25.
The Great American Weather Tragedy: Excellent
Forecasts but Poor Societal Response (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-great-american-weather-tragedy.html
Other
Things to Know About Today
26.
‘Shelter in Place’ Advisory Expanded for
Americans in Mexico (USA Today – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/widespread-shelter-place-order-place-145441048.html
27.
Millions Are Stuck at Home Due to Blizzard
Warnings & Travel Shutdowns in Northeastern U.S. (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/us-east-coast-winter-storm-blizzard-c32d60af1f146359664d6688a2dcdada
28.
Copper Wire Theft Disrupts Light Rail Service in
South King County for Second Time in Nine Days (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
29.
Guest Essay: Removing Snake River Dams Could
Have Surprising Benefits (Tri-City Herald, WA – Via MSN)
30.
Guest Essay: The Ghosts of Nuclear Past,
Present, & Future: Can You Tell Them Apart? (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ghosts-of-nuclear-past-present-future-Joshua-Skov/806941/
31.
WA State: Thurston County Wants to Grade Your
Home’s Energy Before Letting You Sell It (KTTK Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://seattlered.com/seattle-red/jason-rantz-opinion/thurston-county-climate-home/4116757
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
What 42 Massive & Decaying Presidential Heads Say About America
When in Rome: Budapest Pizzeria Offers Time-Travel Twist with
Ancient Rome-Inspired Pie
https://apnews.com/article/hungary-ancient-rome-pizza-896056031e34081a2fa76ae563438116
Six Planets Will Parade Across the Night Sky at the End of February
https://www.seattlepi.com/living/6-planets-will-parade-across-the-night-sky-at-the-a21840029
Mr. Clean ‘Retiring’ After Nearly 70 Years
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/news/mr-clean-retiring-after-nearly-70-years/ar-AA1WLUSc
Song of the Day
Dean Martin – That’s Amore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4866HEQLLW4
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