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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Oregon Trail Electric
Co-op & PacifiCorp End Discussions on Wallowa County Transfer (Elkhorn
Media Group, LaGrande, OR)
https://elkhornmediagroup.com/otec-and-pacificorp-end-discussions-on-wallowa-county-transfer/
White House Purges
Thousands of Web Pages About Energy Saving During Heatwave (Mashable)
https://mashable.com/tech/zohran-mamdani-heat-wave-nyc-white-house-78-degrees
Some Oregon Irrigators
Could Get Shut Off as Drought Persists (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/05/oregon-agriculture-farmers-water-drought/
Scout Energy Now Wants
116 ‘Space Needles’ in Horse Heaven Hills Wind Farm (KONA Radio, Pasco, WA)
https://610kona.com/ixp/136/p/scout-energy-curveballs-with-wind-farm/
Threads, Meta’s X
Competitor, Hits 500 Million Monthly Users (Forbes Magazine)
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1. Oregon
Trail Electric Co-op & PacifiCorp End Discussions on Wallowa County
Transfer
2. Washington
Power Bills Keep Climbing as Heat, Wildfires, & Grid Upgrades Drive Up
Costs
3. Rural
Nevada Counties Vulnerable to Hoover Dam Hydro Decline
4. Rocky
Mountain Power’s Utah Rate Conflict May Be Settled with an Additional 4.2% Hike
5. Eugene
Water and Electricity Board Pauses Power Generation at Trail Bridge Powerhouse
to Support Seasonal Fish Migration
6. Sunken
Tugboat Recovered from the Columbia River, Says Grant PUD
7. Scout
Energy Now Wants 116 ‘Space Needles’ in Horse Heaven Hills Wind Farm
8. Battles
Over Energy Projects Are Erupting Across Western Washington
9. As
Trump Buyouts Shake Offshore Wind Industry, States Hope Developers Stay in the
Game
10. White
House Purges Thousands of Web Pages About Energy Saving During Heatwave
11. From
‘Heat Panic’ to ‘Sacrificed at the Altar’: Europe’s Air Conditioning Culture
Wars Heat Up
12. Three
Years After Failure of Partial Natural Gas Ban, Eugene’s Next Steps on Home
Electrification Remain Unclear
13. Trump
Nixes Rebates for Switching from Gas to Electric Appliances
14. Slashed
Columbia River Funding Will Be ‘Devastating’ for Salmon Population, Oregon
Lawmakers Warn
15. Warm
Rivers Raise Concern for Salmon in British Columbia’s Interior
16. Fish
On! Columbia River Leads Early-Season Rec Salmon Catch Rates
17. New
‘Fish Bubbler’ Could Help Migrating Salmon Survive Hot Summer Water
18. Some
Oregon Irrigators Could Get Shut Off as Drought Persists
19. Washington's
Columbia River Basin Faces Water Shortage by the 2040s, Department of Ecology
Draft Forecast Says
20. Amazon
Says It Has Enough Satellites to Launch Leo Broadband Service
21. Oregon
Governor Says State Is a ‘Cheap Date’ for Data Centers
22. Why
More Communities Are Saying No to Data Centers
23. Threads,
Meta’s X Competitor, Hits 500 Million Monthly Users
24. Even
Fans Who Don't Speak Spanish Are Watching the World Cup on Telemundo. Here's
Why
25. A
Ballooning Problem: Weather Warnings Face Rising Risks from Budget Cuts
26. Suspect
Impersonates Seattle City Light Worker, Allegedly Steals Copper Wire from West
Seattle Bridge
27. Washington
Should Make Storage the Next Top Clean Energy Priority
28.
America250 – The Bonneville Power Administration
Joins the National Celebration
Word of the Day
Antaean • \an-TEE-un\ • adjective - 1: mammoth *2: having superhuman strength
Oswald Slugfest guffawed at his puny opponent, unaware of Milton Milquetoast’s antaean strength. Unlike the mythical Antaeas (whose superhuman strength came from his contact with the earth), Miltie’s strength came from contact with his magical, horn-rimmed glasses. Only after the ambulance had hauled away Ozzie’s battered remains did Milton strip his coke-bottle glasses from his pinched face for a well-deserved rest.
1. Oregon
Trail Electric Co-op & PacifiCorp End Discussions on Wallowa County Transfer
(Elkhorn Media Group, LaGrande, OR)
https://elkhornmediagroup.com/otec-and-pacificorp-end-discussions-on-wallowa-county-transfer/
2. Washington
Power Bills Keep Climbing as Heat, Wildfires, & Grid Upgrades Drive Up
Costs (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/washington-power-bills-keep-climbing-132900542.html
3.
Rural Nevada Counties Vulnerable to Hoover Dam Hydro
Decline (Missoula Current)
https://missoulacurrent.com/hoover-dam-decline/
4. Rocky
Mountain Power’s Utah Rate Conflict May Be Settled with an Additional 4.2% Hike
(Utah News Dispatch)
https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2026/07/06/rocky-mountain-powers-utah-rate-conflict-may-be-settled/
5. Eugene
Water and Electricity Board Pauses Power Generation at Trail Bridge Powerhouse
to Support Seasonal Fish Migration (American Public Power Association)
6. Sunken
Tugboat Recovered from the Columbia River, Says Grant PUD (GCJ News, Ephrata, WA)
https://www.gcj.news/sunken-tugboat-recovered-from-the-columbia-river-says-pud/
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
7. Scout
Energy Now Wants 116 ‘Space Needles’ in Horse Heaven Hills Wind Farm (KONA
Radio, Pasco, WA)
https://610kona.com/ixp/136/p/scout-energy-curveballs-with-wind-farm/
8. Battles
Over Energy Projects Are Erupting Across Western Washington (The Chronicle, Centralia,
WA)
9. As
Trump Buyouts Shake Offshore Wind Industry, States Hope Developers Stay in the Game
(States Newsroom)
Conservation
& Efficiency
10. White
House Purges Thousands of Web Pages About Energy Saving During Heatwave (Mashable)
https://mashable.com/tech/zohran-mamdani-heat-wave-nyc-white-house-78-degrees
11. From
‘Heat Panic’ to ‘Sacrificed at the Altar’: Europe’s Air Conditioning Culture
Wars Heat Up (The Guardian, UK)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/05/europe-air-conditioning-culture-wars-heat-up
12. Three
Years After Failure of Partial Natural Gas Ban, Eugene’s Next Steps on Home
Electrification Remain Unclear (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/04/eugene-home-electrification-plan-unclear/
13. Trump
Nixes Rebates for Switching from Gas to Electric Appliances (The Hill,
Washington, DC)
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5904706-trump-gas-appliances-electric-rebate/
Fish
& Wildlife
14. Slashed
Columbia River Funding Will Be ‘Devastating’ for Salmon Population, Oregon Lawmakers
Warn (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
15. Warm
Rivers Raise Concern for Salmon in British Columbia’s Interior (Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation)
16. Fish
On! Columbia River Leads Early-Season Rec Salmon Catch Rates (Chinook Observer,
Long Beach, WA - Paywall Advisory)
17. New
‘Fish Bubbler’ Could Help Migrating Salmon Survive Hot Summer Water (Northwest
Public Broadcasting)
Water,
Water Anywhere
18. Some
Oregon Irrigators Could Get Shut Off as Drought Persists (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/05/oregon-agriculture-farmers-water-drought/
19. Washington's
Columbia River Basin Faces Water Shortage by the 2040s, Department of Ecology Draft
Forecast Says (KNDO & KNDU-TV, Yakima/Tri-Cities, WA)
London
Calling –Telecommunications
20. Amazon
Says It Has Enough Satellites to Launch Leo Broadband Service (Broadband
Breakfast)
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/amazon-says-it-has-enough-satellites-to-launch-leo-broadband-service/
HAL’s
Internet Café
21. Oregon
Governor Says State Is a ‘Cheap Date’ for Data Centers (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/02/oregon-governor-data-centers-utility-rate/
22. Why
More Communities Are Saying No to Data Centers (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/why-more-communities-saying-no-144426519.html
Public
Relations, Marketing & Media
23. Threads,
Meta’s X Competitor, Hits 500 Million Monthly Users (Forbes Magazine)
24. Even
Fans Who Don't Speak Spanish Are Watching the World Cup on Telemundo. Here's Why
(National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/02/nx-s1-5876380/telemundo-world-cup-fox
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
25. A
Ballooning Problem: Weather Warnings Face Rising Risks from Budget Cuts (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/06/weather-warnings-budget-cuts-00986178
Other
Things to Know About Today
26. Suspect
Impersonates Seattle City Light Worker, Allegedly Steals Copper Wire from West
Seattle Bridge (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/crime-blotter/seattle-copper-wire-bridge/4253200
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
27.
Washington Should Make Storage the Next Top
Clean Energy Priority (The Olympian, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/washington-storage-next-top-clean-120000569.html
28.
America250 – The Bonneville Power Administration
Joins the National Celebration (Bonneville Power Administration)
https://www.bpa.gov/learn-and-participate/community-education/history/america250
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
In Major Goof, Estate
Sale Company Sold Paintings for as Little as $45. They May Be Worth Millions
Portland Teen Finds
Original Wilt Chamberlain Warm-Up Jacket at Hillsboro Goodwill
Female American Rower
Completes Record-Breaking Solo Journey from California to Hawaii
What's in a Song? The Story
Behind the Music Playing at World Cup Stadiums
Song of the Day
John Denver – Take Me
Home, Country Roads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0dvabcWVo0
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