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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Not Enough Fish: Washington Cancels Sockeye
Season on Upper Columbia (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/not-enough-fish-washington-cancels-020300380.html
Dispute Over $2.2 Billion to Thousands of
Wildfire Survivors Heads to Oregon Supreme Court (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/30/wildfire-survivors-oregon-pacificorp-lawsuit/
Convergent Energy & Power Withdraws
Controversial Proposal for Battery Energy Storage System in Rochester, WA (The
Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
Travis Kavulla Sworn in as Seventeenth
Bonneville Power Administration Administrator (Bonneville Power Administration)
https://www.bpa.gov/about/newsroom/news-articles/20260629-kavulla-sworn-in-as-17th-bpa-administrator
NOAA Releases July Weather Outlook for the
Pacific Northwest (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR – Via MSN News)
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Dispute Over $2.2 Billion to Thousands of
Wildfire Survivors Heads to Oregon Supreme Court
2.
Utah Just Saw Energy Shutoffs to Prevent
Wildfires — Are More Coming This Season?
3.
Audio: Why Your Puget Sound Energy Power Bill Is
Up. And Going Higher.
4.
NW Natural Announces Another Year-Over-Year
Increase in Renewable Natural Gas
5.
Montana Public Service Commission Reduces Public
Meetings on NorthWestern Energy Plan
6.
Plan for Fusion Power Plant Advances with
Washington State Licenses
7.
Convergent Energy & Power Withdraws
Controversial Proposal for Battery Energy Storage System in Rochester, WA
8.
Big Battery Farm Moratoriums Spread Across
Washington as Fire Fears Hit Clean Energy Plans
9.
U.S. Dept. of Energy Analysis Examines Impact of
Energy Conservation Building Codes
10.
Not Enough Fish: Washington Cancels Sockeye
Season on Upper Columbia
11.
Oregon: Proposal to Keep Beleaguered
100-Year-Old Umpqua Basin Fish Hatchery Open Brings Hope, Frustration
12.
Latest Water Supply Update Paints Murky Future
for Drought Conditions in Washington
13.
Irrigation to the Household Tap – Another Pilot
Project for Othello ASR Facility to Start in July
14.
University of Oregon Sets Aside $15 Million in
Student Building Fees to Replace Natural Gas Boiler
15.
Survey Finds Rural Americans Most Concerned
About Artificial Intelligence Data Centers
16.
Quest to Place the First Transatlantic Cable
Reads Like an Adventure Novel
17.
Travis Kavulla Sworn in as Seventeenth
Bonneville Power Administration Administrator
18.
Western Governors Establish Multi-State Task
Force to Update the Region’s Transmission Lines
19.
APPA Praises U.S. House Passage of Rural and
Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act
20.
140-Foot Power Line Repairs Begin After Deadly
Plane Crash Over Columbia River
21.
Diesel Cleanup Underway After Tugboat Sinks on
Columbia River Near Priest Rapids Dam
22.
This July 4th Could Be Hottest Ever in Parts of
the U.S.
23.
NOAA Releases July Weather Outlook for the
Pacific Northwest
24.
Guest Essay: Expect Higher Electric Bills &
Dirtier Power for Lane County. Here’s Why.
Word of the Day – Horrible Haiku Edition
Poltroon \pawl-TROON\ Noun - A spiritless coward: craven.
Poltroon
or maroon
Don’t
get on Bugs Bunny’s list
There’s no way you’ll win
1.
Dispute Over $2.2 Billion to Thousands of Wildfire
Survivors Heads to Oregon Supreme Court (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/30/wildfire-survivors-oregon-pacificorp-lawsuit/
2.
Utah Just Saw Energy Shutoffs to Prevent Wildfires
— Are More Coming This Season? (Idaho Capital Sun)
3.
Audio: Why Your Puget Sound Energy Power Bill Is
Up. And Going Higher. (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
4.
NW Natural Announces Another Year-Over-Year
Increase in Renewable Natural Gas (Yahoo! News)
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/nw-natural-announces-another-over-150000754.html
5.
Montana Public Service Commission Reduces Public
Meetings on NorthWestern Energy Plan (Daily Montanan)
6.
Plan for Fusion Power Plant Advances with
Washington State Licenses (American Public Power Association)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
7.
Convergent Energy & Power Withdraws
Controversial Proposal for Battery Energy Storage System in Rochester, WA (The
Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
8.
Big Battery Farm Moratoriums Spread Across Washington
as Fire Fears Hit Clean Energy Plans (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/big-battery-farm-moratoriums-spread-170900402.html
Energy Conservation
& Efficiency
9.
U.S. Dept. of Energy Analysis Examines Impact of
Energy Conservation Building Codes (Daily Energy Insider)
Fish & Wildlife
10.
Not Enough Fish: Washington Cancels Sockeye
Season on Upper Columbia (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/not-enough-fish-washington-cancels-020300380.html
11.
Oregon: Proposal to Keep Beleaguered
100-Year-Old Umpqua Basin Fish Hatchery Open Brings Hope, Frustration (Oregon
Capital Chronicle)
Water, Water Anywhere?
12.
Latest Water Supply Update Paints Murky Future for
Drought Conditions in Washington (KGMI Radio, Bellingham, WA)
13.
Irrigation to the Household Tap – Another Pilot
Project for Othello ASR Facility to Start in July (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses
Lake, WA)
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
14.
University of Oregon Sets Aside $15 Million in Student
Building Fees to Replace Natural Gas Boiler (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/30/university-oregon-student-building-fees-replace-gas-boiler/
HAL’s Internet Café
15.
Survey Finds Rural Americans Most Concerned
About Artificial Intelligence Data Centers (Pacific NW Ag Network)
https://pnwag.net/rural-americans-ai-datacenters/
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
16.
Quest to Place the First Transatlantic Cable
Reads Like an Adventure Novel (Christian Science Monitor)
Politics, Governance,
and Management
17.
Travis Kavulla Sworn in as Seventeenth Bonneville
Power Administration Administrator (Bonneville Power Administration)
https://www.bpa.gov/about/newsroom/news-articles/20260629-kavulla-sworn-in-as-17th-bpa-administrator
18.
Western Governors Establish Multi-State Task
Force to Update the Region’s Transmission Lines (Washington State Standard)
19.
APPA Praises U.S. House Passage of Rural and
Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act (American Public Power Association)
Other Things to Know
About Today
20.
140-Foot Power Line Repairs Begin After Deadly
Plane Crash Over Columbia River (Tri-City Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/article316330701.html
21.
Diesel Cleanup Underway After Tugboat Sinks on Columbia
River Near Priest Rapids Dam (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
https://kpq.com/diesel-spill-tugboat-sinks-priestrapidsdam/
22.
This July 4th Could Be Hottest Ever in Parts of the
U.S. (Yahoo! News)
23.
NOAA Releases July Weather Outlook for the Pacific
Northwest (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR – Via MSN News)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
24. Guest
Essay: Expect Higher Electric Bills & Dirtier Power for Lane County. Here’s
Why. (Eugene-Springfield Lookout, OR)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Victor Willis, Village People Lead Singer, Dies
at 74
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/music/articles/victor-willis-village-people-lead-105659534.html
Fossil Found in Drawer Turns Out to Be First
Dinosaur Bone from Antarctica
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/fossil-found-drawer-turns-first-115252824.html
Feliks the Eagle Is Back Home in Serbia After a
Kidnap Ordeal in the Middle East
Seattle Dog’s Cream Cheese & Onions Top NYT
List of Best Hot Dogs in America
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/seattle-dogs-cream-cheese-onions-205332414.html
Song of the Day
Steve Miller – Fly Like an Eagle (Playing for
Change)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsxHWOPHcxA
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