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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Portland General Electric Contractor Identified After Fatal
Workplace Accident at Clackamas County Dam (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
New Mexico: Biggest U.S. Wind Project Is Due to Come Online
Next Month (Energy Connect)
How One Oregon City Has Raised a Billion Dollars for Climate
Change (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/20/nx-s1-5734498/portland-funding-climate-change-corporations-retail-tax
21 Gray Whales Have Washed Up on WA Shores This Year (Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/21-gray-whales-washed-wa-013359246.html
Volvo Group Agrees to $197 Million Settlement with
California Over Excess Truck Emissions (U.S. News & World Report)
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Portland General Electric Contractor Identified
After Fatal Workplace Accident at Clackamas County Dam
2.
PacificCorp to End Public Access to Swift Dam
3.
PNGC Power Plans State-of-the-Art Natural Gas
Plant to Meet Growing Demand
4.
Bonneville Power Administration Officials
Cautiously Optimistic Halfway Through Fiscal Year
5.
Can Burying Power Lines Help Prevent More Power
Outages?
6.
What’s That Mesh Wrapped Around Power Poles?
Meet Portland General Electric’s Solution to Help Protect Infrastructure This
Wildfire Season
7.
News Release: INL Leads Testing of
Next-Generation Power Lines for a More Resilient Power Grid
8.
Giant U.S. Power Merger Bets on Artificial
Intelligence Build-Out, But May Hinge on Power Bills
9.
New Mexico: Biggest U.S. Wind Project Is Due to
Come Online Next Month
10.
Avangrid and Puget Sound Energy Sign Contract
for Washington Energy Project
11.
Iberdrola Signs a New Long-Term Power Supply
Agreement in Washington State
12.
Denver Has a Plan to Heat & Cool Buildings
without Fossil Fuels. It Involves … Sewage?
13.
California: Pair Accused of Stripping AC Units
at Nine Riverside County Schools
14.
21 Gray Whales Have Washed Up on WA Shores This
Year
15.
Oregon Approves Extension of Spring Salmon
Season
16.
WA State: Will Controversial Salmon Hatchery Be
Cut from Pierce County Culvert Project?
17.
New Brunswick: Change at Mactaquac Dam Sees
Millions More Fish Make It Upriver to Spawn
18.
Video: Something Is Happening with Orcas at Sea
- The Attacks Are Spreading
19.
WA State: Olympic Peninsula Snowpack Thins ‘Well-Below
Normal’
20.
How "Super" El Niño Could Impact
Colorado River Water Crisis
21.
How One Oregon City Has Raised a Billion Dollars
for Climate Change
22.
California Cap-And-Invest Proposal Would
Threaten State Climate Goals
23.
California: To Sell a Home in This Bay Area
City, It Must Be Climate Friendly
24.
Canada: Carney Is Starting Talks on a Lower
Carbon Price in British Columbia Premier Meeting
25.
FCC Official Warns Against Giving Starlink Too
Much Control Over Rural Broadband
26.
Will New Data Centers Rob You of Access to
Electricity in WA?
27.
These Five Charts Show How ChatGPT Is Flooding
Our Lives
28.
Volvo Group Agrees to $197 Million Settlement
with California Over Excess Truck Emissions
29.
U.S. House Lawmakers Propose $130 Annual
Electric Vehicle Fee to Pay for Road Repairs
30.
Oregon: Eugene Dealership Sees Surge in Electric
Vehicle Purchases
31.
Guest Essay: Cracks Widening in the Lower Snake
River Dams
Word of the Day
Zephyr /ZEFF-fer/ Noun – 1a: a breeze from the west b: a gentle breeze 2: any of various lightweight fabrics and articles of clothing.
Soft breeze on
the ridge
A zephyr slips
through the pines,
Brings forest fragrance
Energy
& Utility Issues
1.
Portland General Electric Contractor Identified
After Fatal Workplace Accident at Clackamas County Dam (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
2.
PacificCorp to End Public Access to Swift Dam (Vancouver
Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/may/19/pacificcorp-to-end-public-access-to-swift-dam/
3.
PNGC Power Plans State-of-the-Art Natural Gas
Plant to Meet Growing Demand (National Rural Electric Cooperative Association)
https://www.electric.coop/pngc-power-plans-state-of-the-art-natural-gas-plant-to-meet-growing-demand
4.
Bonneville Power Administration Officials
Cautiously Optimistic Halfway Through Fiscal Year (Tri-Cities Area Journal Of Business)
5.
Can Burying Power Lines Help Prevent More Power
Outages? (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/19/nx-s1-5734497/can-burying-power-lines-help-prevent-more-power-outages
6.
What’s That Mesh Wrapped Around Power Poles? Meet
Portland General Electric’s Solution to Help Protect Infrastructure This
Wildfire Season (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
7.
News Release: INL Leads Testing of
Next-Generation Power Lines for a More Resilient Power Grid (Idaho National
Laboratory)
8.
Giant U.S. Power Merger Bets on Artificial
Intelligence Build-Out, But May Hinge on Power Bills (Reuters)
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
9.
New Mexico: Biggest U.S. Wind Project Is Due to
Come Online Next Month (Energy Connect)
10.
Avangrid and Puget Sound Energy Sign Contract
for Washington Energy Project (Yahoo! News)
https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/avangrid-puget-sound-energy-sign-170600520.html
11.
Iberdrola Signs a New Long-Term Power Supply
Agreement in Washington State (News Release: Iberdrola)
12.
Denver Has a Plan to Heat & Cool Buildings without
Fossil Fuels. It Involves … Sewage? (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/20/nx-s1-5734477/denver-geothermal-network-sewage
Conservation
& Efficiency
13.
California: Pair Accused of Stripping AC Units at
Nine Riverside County Schools (KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, CA)
https://ktla.com/news/inland-empire/ac-units-targeted-9-riverside-county-schools/
Fish
& Wildlife
14.
21 Gray Whales Have Washed Up on WA Shores This
Year (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/21-gray-whales-washed-wa-013359246.html
15.
Oregon Approves Extension of Spring Salmon
Season (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/2026/05/oregon-approves-extension-of-spring-salmon-season.html
16.
WA State: Will Controversial Salmon Hatchery Be
Cut from Pierce County Culvert Project? (Tacoma News-Tribune, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/community/gateway/g-news/article315758990.html
17.
New Brunswick: Change at Mactaquac Dam Sees
Millions More Fish Make It Upriver to Spawn (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
18.
Video: Something Is Happening with Orcas at Sea
- The Attacks Are Spreading (MSN News)
Water,
Water, Anywhere?
19.
WA State: Olympic Peninsula Snowpack Thins ‘Well-Below
Normal’ (Port Townsend Leader, WA)
https://ptleader.com/articles/local-news/olympic-peninsula-snowpack-thins-well-below-normal/
20.
How "Super" El Niño Could Impact Colorado
River Water Crisis (MSN News)
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
21.
How One Oregon City Has Raised a Billion Dollars
for Climate Change (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/20/nx-s1-5734498/portland-funding-climate-change-corporations-retail-tax
22.
California Cap-And-Invest Proposal Would
Threaten State Climate Goals (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/emissions-reduction/california-cap-and-invest-proposal
23.
California: To Sell a Home in This Bay Area City,
It Must Be Climate Friendly (East Bay Times, Walnut Creek, CA)
24.
Canada: Carney Is Starting Talks on a Lower
Carbon Price in British Columbia Premier Meeting (Global News)
https://globalnews.ca/news/11857187/mark-carney-carbon-pricing-energy-bc/
London
Calling –Telecommunications
25.
FCC Official Warns Against Giving Starlink Too
Much Control Over Rural Broadband (PC Magazine)
https://www.pcmag.com/news/fcc-official-warns-against-giving-starlink-control-over-rural-broadband
HAL’s
Internet Café
26.
Will New Data Centers Rob You of Access to Electricity
in WA? (KONA Radio, Pasco, WA)
https://610kona.com/ixp/1135/p/data-centers-electricity-impact-washington/
27.
These Five Charts Show How ChatGPT Is Flooding
Our Lives (Washington Post – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/5-charts-show-chatgpt-flooded-090000075.html
I
Sing the Car Electric
28.
Volvo Group Agrees to $197 Million Settlement with
California Over Excess Truck Emissions (U.S. News & World Report)
29.
U.S. House Lawmakers Propose $130 Annual Electric
Vehicle Fee to Pay for Road Repairs (CNBC News)
30.
Oregon: Eugene Dealership Sees Surge in Electric
Vehicle Purchases (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
31.
Guest Essay: Cracks Widening in the Lower Snake
River Dams (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/may/20/linwood-laughy-cracks-widening-in-the-lower-snake-/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
‘Smallest Statue in the World’: Irish Councilor Proposes
Monument for Mosquito That Killed Cromwell
A Portland Tiny Home’s Toilet Smells So Bad, Neighbors Say
They’re Forced to Wear Masks
Texas Man Arrested After Intentionally Driving Cybertruck into
Lake to Test ‘Wade Mode,’ Police Say
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/texas-man-arrested-intentionally-driving-222455936.html
World’s Largest Bowl of Guacamole Mixed Up in Mexico
Song of the Day
Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94bdMSCdw20
Links & Paywall Advisory
Links in The Energy News Digest are for current stories. Media organizations frequently update their websites, which can cause broken links.
Although I choose stories that are accessible without paying
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