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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Blackout Fears Erupt as 17 U.S. States Are
Placed Under Power Emergency (MSN News)
White House Expands Data Center Electricity
Cost Pledge to Utilities, States (The Hill, Washington, DC)
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5984187-white-house-data-center-electricity-cost/
OpenAI Didn't Realize Its Agent Was Responsible
for Hack for a Week: Report (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/openai-didnt-realize-its-agent-was-responsible-hack-week-report
Heat Dome to Deliver Extreme Temperatures, High
Wildfire Risk to West (Yahoo! News)
A Long-Term Water Supply Forecast Predicts
Shortages, Droughts in Washington's Columbia Basin (Northwest Public
Broadcasting)
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Blackout Fears Erupt
as 17 U.S. States Are Placed Under Power Emergency
2.
News Release: Energy
Secretary Secures Grid Across 17 States Amid Period of Hot Weather
3.
White House Expands
Data Center Electricity Cost Pledge to Utilities, States
4.
APPA Signs White House
Ratepayer Protection Pledge, Corwin Attends Related Event – PNW Signatories
include Public Power Council, Snohomish County PUD, and Northern Wasco County
PUD
5.
Seattle City Light
Customers Hit with Rate Hikes
6.
Oregonians Can Comment
on a Proposed Pacific Power Rate Increase
7.
FERC Eyes
‘Grid-Enhancing Technology’ Incentives: Chairman Swett
8.
Washington State’s
Clean-Energy Bottleneck Leads to Calls for Reform
9.
Scalable Geothermal
Plants Are Coming to Northern Utah
10.
Canada Is Turning
Forgotten Reservoirs & Toxic Mining Ponds into Floating Solar “Power
Plants” That Could Generate Electricity without Using New Land
11.
Hydrostorage Uses
Water — And a Lot of It
12.
For Yukon River
Residents, Salmon Shortages Have Health Consequences
13.
British Columbia:
Evidence Grows for Chinook Spawning in Columbia River
14.
The State of Whale
Watching in Washington: What Goes into It & What Could Put It at Risk
15.
Climate Commission
Proposes Bigger Goals for Storing Planet-Warming Gas in Oregon Lands, Waters
16.
A Long-Term Water
Supply Forecast Predicts Shortages, Droughts in Washington's Columbia Basin
17.
Colorado River
Reservoirs Hit Record Lows as Government Threatens Major Cuts
18.
A Desert Town May Run
Out of Water. Others Could Face the Same Fate.
19.
OpenAI Didn't Realize
Its Agent Was Responsible for Hack for a Week: Report
20.
Where Agriculture
Meets Technology: Inside the Small Washington Town That Became a Data Center
Hub
21.
Seattle Approves
Higher Electricity Rates for New Data Centers
22.
California to Offer a
Novel $3,500 Rebate for First-Time Electric Vehicle Buyers
23.
The Pickle Is In, the
Squint Is Out: Here Are the Newest Approved Emoji
24.
Trump Administration
Admits Grants for Clean Energy Were Canceled Based on Politics
25.
Judge Orders EPA to
Fund Climate Grants, Including $20 Million for Tribe in Nevada
26.
Heat Dome to Deliver
Extreme Temperatures, High Wildfire Risk to West
27.
United States
Wildfires – National Map
28.
Guest Essay: Energy
Reliability Is What We Need to Talk About When It Comes to Power
29.
Guest Essay: No Data
Center Moratorium for Richland. Here’s Why They Can’t
30.
Guest Essay: People
Are Critical Infrastructure, Too. Utilities Must Do More or Lose Talent to
Tech.
Word of the Day – Horrible Haiku Edition
Behemoth /bu-HEE-muth/ Noun – 1: Often capitalized: a mighty animal described in Job 40:15-24 as an example of the power of God 2: something of monstrous size, power, or appearance.
Odd
protest puppet
Behemoth
marshmallow man
Shouts:
“S’mores are Murder.”
Energy & Utility Issues
1.
Blackout Fears Erupt as 17 U.S. States Are
Placed Under Power Emergency (MSN News)
2.
News Release: Energy Secretary Secures
Grid Across 17 States Amid Period of Hot Weather (U.S. Dept. of Energy)
3.
White House Expands Data Center Electricity Cost
Pledge to Utilities, States (The Hill, Washington, DC)
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5984187-white-house-data-center-electricity-cost/
4.
APPA Signs White House Ratepayer Protection
Pledge, Corwin Attends Related Event – PNW Signatories include Public Power
Council, Snohomish County PUD, and Northern Wasco County PUD (American Public
Power Association)
5.
Seattle City Light Customers Hit with Rate Hikes
(KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
6.
Oregonians Can Comment on a Proposed Pacific
Power Rate Increase (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/25/pacific-power-seeking-rate-increase/
7.
FERC Eyes ‘Grid-Enhancing Technology’
Incentives: Chairman Swett (Utility Dive)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
8.
Washington State’s Clean-Energy Bottleneck Leads
to Calls for Reform (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
9.
Scalable Geothermal Plants Are Coming to
Northern Utah (KSL Radio)
10.
Canada Is Turning Forgotten Reservoirs &
Toxic Mining Ponds into Floating Solar “Power Plants” That Could Generate
Electricity without Using New Land (Energies Media)
https://energiesmedia.com/canada-floating-solar-power-plants-energy/
11.
Hydrostorage Uses Water — And a Lot of It
(Columbia Gorge News, Hood River, OR)
Fish & Wildlife
12.
For Yukon River Residents, Salmon Shortages Have
Health Consequences (Washington State Standard)
13.
British Columbia: Evidence Grows for Chinook Spawning
in Columbia River (My Kootenay Now, BC)
14.
The State of Whale Watching in Washington: What
Goes into It & What Could Put It at Risk (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
15.
Climate Commission Proposes Bigger Goals for
Storing Planet-Warming Gas in Oregon Lands, Waters (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Water, Water Anywhere?
16.
A Long-Term Water Supply Forecast Predicts
Shortages, Droughts in Washington's Columbia Basin (Northwest Public
Broadcasting)
17.
Colorado River Reservoirs Hit Record Lows as
Government Threatens Major Cuts (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/colorado-river-reservoirs-hit-record-013342094.html
18.
A Desert Town May Run Out of Water. Others Could
Face the Same Fate. (Washington Post – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/desert-town-may-run-water-100000943.html
HAL’s Internet Café
19.
OpenAI Didn't Realize Its Agent Was Responsible for
Hack for a Week: Report (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/openai-didnt-realize-its-agent-was-responsible-hack-week-report
20.
Where Agriculture Meets Technology: Inside the Small
Washington Town That Became a Data Center Hub (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/jul/26/where-agriculture-meets-technology-inside-the-smal/
21.
Seattle Approves Higher Electricity Rates for
New Data Centers (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
I Sing the Car Electric
22.
California to Offer a Novel $3,500 Rebate for First-Time
Electric Vehicle Buyers (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/electric-vehicles/california-rebate-ev-buyers
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
23.
The Pickle Is In, the Squint Is Out: Here Are
the Newest Approved Emoji (C|Net News)
https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/new-approved-emoji-pickle-cracked-face/
Politics, Governance,
and Management
24.
Trump Administration Admits Grants for Clean
Energy Were Canceled Based on Politics (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/trump-clean-energy-grants-chris-wright-09d26d615869ce06dd6bb2c047f636cb
25.
Judge Orders EPA to Fund Climate Grants,
Including $20 Million for Tribe in Nevada (Nevada Current)
Other Things to Know About Today
26.
Heat Dome to Deliver Extreme Temperatures, High
Wildfire Risk to West (Yahoo! News)
27.
United States Wildfires – National Map (Current
Wildfires)
https://currentwildfires.com/en/wildfires-united-states/
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
28. Guest
Essay: Energy Reliability Is What We Need to Talk About When It Comes to Power
(Seattle Times, WA – Via Save Our Wild Salmon)
29. Guest
Essay: No Data Center Moratorium for Richland. Here’s Why They Can’t (Tri-City
Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/no-data-center-moratorium-richland-120000118.html
30. Guest
Essay: People Are Critical Infrastructure, Too. Utilities Must Do More or Lose
Talent to Tech. (Utility Dive)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Winnipeg Couple Becomes Unwitting Hosts to 'Musical
Roommates' as Threatened Chimney Swifts Move In
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/chimney-swifts-winnipeg-protected-habitat-9.7274190
Woman Earns Guinness World Record with 106
Shark Tattoos
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/07/24/Guinness-World-Records-shark-tattoos/6641784906928/
Stuffed Donkey Returned to 5-Year-Old After
Social Media Adventure
Pictures: Annual Mud Festival Opens in South
Korea’s Coastal City of Boryeong
Song of the Day
Johnny Cash - I've Been Everywhere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoIfglXAbh0
Links & Paywall Advisory
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