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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Northwest Power Plan
Calls for Billions of Dollars in Electric Buildout to Meet Soaring Demand (The
Oregonian, Portland, OR – Via MSN News)
Pacific Gas &
Electric Ordered to Pay $22 Million for Devastating 2022 Mosquito Fire
(KRON-TV, San Francisco, CA)
https://www.kron4.com/wildfires/pge-ordered-to-pay-22m-for-devastating-2022-mosquito-fire/
As The WA Attorney
General Pushes to Cut Avista’s Profit, The Spokane Utility Says the Reduction
Could End Up Costing Customers More (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/aug/16/as-the-attorney-general-pushes-to-cut-avistas-prof/
‘Uncharted Territory’:
Second-Largest Reservoir in U.S. Plunges to a Record Low (Cable News Network)
After Historic Crash,
Yukon River’s Iconic King Salmon Run Shows Early Signs of Rebound (Alaska
Beacon)
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1. Northwest Power Plan Calls for Billions of Dollars in
Electric Buildout to Meet Soaring Demand
2. Federal Council Recommends Big Push for More Northwest
Electricity Generation
3. With Pacific Northwest Electricity Demand Surging, Planners
Map Out Major Grid Upgrades
4. Pacific Gas & Electric Ordered to Pay $22 Million for
Devastating 2022 Mosquito Fire
5. As The WA Attorney General Pushes to Cut Avista’s Profit,
The Spokane Utility Says the Reduction Could End Up Costing Customers More
6. California Planned a Nuclear Exit. Now It’s Reconsidering
7. Bonneville Power Administration Releases Its Third Official
Financial Forecast for Fiscal Year 2026
8. Black Hills Energy Wants to Hike Electric Rates 32% in
Northeast Wyoming
9. What Potential Change from Puget Sound Energy to Kitsap PUD
Could Mean for Kitsap Customers
10. Paywall Advisory: Fixing Seattle’s Power Outages Continues
a 1960s Class Divide
11. News Release: U.S. Energy Secretary Announces Cancellation
of Three Proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors
12. Light Up Navajo Project Connects More Than 250 Navajo Homes
to the Electric Grid
13. Home Battery Installations Climb Despite Loss of Federal
Incentives
14. Hydrogen Failed as Car Fuel. Now California’s Big Dollar
Bet on It for Green Energy Is Fading, Too
15. After Historic Crash, Yukon River’s Iconic King Salmon Run
Shows Early Signs of Rebound
16. Battle for Buoy 10: Excellent Sport Salmon Season Reaches a
Crescendo on the Lower Columbia
17. WA State: Orca Sighting at Ballard Locks Is Great News for
Salmon
18. U.S. Department of Energy Whittles Down Hanford Board That
Gives Feds, State Advice on Cleanup
19. WA Gov. Ferguson’s Office Delayed Climate Data Correction
20. Updated El Niño Forecast Warns of ‘Historic Event’
21. ‘Uncharted Territory’: Second-Largest Reservoir in U.S.
Plunges to a Record Low
22. Underground Dams? They May Be a Storage Solution as Idaho’s
Water Flows Away
23. Irrigation Districts Announce Pre-Closing ‘Cutbacks’ on
Water Deliveries in Southeastern WA
24. What the Data Center Boom Means for Washington Local
Governments
25. Why Fossilized Feces from Ancestors of Modern Animals Help
Us Understand Earth’s Early Ecosystems
26. Chatbots Are Doing the Work of Congress with Little
Oversight
27. More Than 180,000 Without Power in Hawaii, 100 Homes
Damaged as Lala Weakens to Tropical Storm
28. Crews Building Transmission Line Use Equipment to Help
Fight Wildfires Near Oregon-Idaho Border
29. Critical Crossroads – Bonneville Power Administration Faces
Defining Day-ahead Markets Decision
30. Who Should Regulate Space?
Word of the Day
Misanthrope /MISS-sun-thrope/ Noun – A person who hates or distrusts humankind.
Abernathy wore his hatred on his sleeve. As the small town’s reviled misanthrope, he was wont to say, “I’m an equal opportunity hater. I even hate myself.”
Prognosticating a Powerful Plan
2.
Federal Council Recommends Big Push for More
Northwest Electricity Generation (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
3.
With Pacific Northwest Electricity Demand
Surging, Planners Map Out Major Grid Upgrades (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/pnw-electricity-demand-surging-planners-110002963.html
https://www.kron4.com/wildfires/pge-ordered-to-pay-22m-for-devastating-2022-mosquito-fire/
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/aug/16/as-the-attorney-general-pushes-to-cut-avistas-prof/
6. California
Planned a Nuclear Exit. Now It’s Reconsidering (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/california-planned-nuclear-exit-now-100000630.html
7. Bonneville
Power Administration Releases Its Third Official Financial Forecast for Fiscal
Year 2026 (Bonneville Power Administration)
8. Black
Hills Energy Wants to Hike Electric Rates 32% in Northeast Wyoming (WyoFile)
https://wyofile.com/black-hills-energy-wants-to-hike-electric-rates-32-in-northeast-wyoming/
9. What
Potential Change from Puget Sound Energy to Kitsap PUD Could Mean for Kitsap Customers
(Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA – Via MSN News)
10. Paywall
Advisory: Fixing Seattle’s Power Outages Continues a 1960s Class Divide (Seattle
Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
11. News
Release: U.S. Energy Secretary Announces Cancellation of Three Proposed
National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (U.S. Dept. of Energy)
12. Light
Up Navajo Project Connects More Than 250 Navajo Homes to the Electric Grid (American
Public Power Association)
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
13. Home
Battery Installations Climb Despite Loss of Federal Incentives (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/energy-storage/home-battery-installations-climb
14. Hydrogen
Failed as Car Fuel. Now California’s Big Dollar Bet on It for Green Energy Is
Fading, Too (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via AOL News)
https://www.aol.com/articles/hydrogen-failed-car-fuel-now-100500000.html
Fish
& Wildlife
16. Battle
for Buoy 10: Excellent Sport Salmon Season Reaches a Crescendo on the Lower
Columbia (Chinook Observer, Long Beach, WA – Paywall Advisory)
17. WA
State: Orca Sighting at Ballard Locks Is Great News for Salmon (The Chronicle, Centralia,
WA)
https://chronline.com/stories/orca-sighting-at-ballard-locks-is-great-news-for-salmon,406613
Environmental
Afflatus – Clean Up on Aisle Three
18. U.S.
Department of Energy Whittles Down Hanford Board That Gives Feds, State Advice on
Cleanup (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
19. WA
Gov. Ferguson’s Office Delayed Climate Data Correction (Axios)
https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/08/13/governor-media-policy-cap-and-trade-emissions-error
20. Updated
El Niño Forecast Warns of ‘Historic Event’ (USA Today – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/updated-el-ni-o-forecast-130114419.html
Water,
Water Anywhere?
22. Underground
Dams? They May Be a Storage Solution as Idaho’s Water Flows Away (Idaho Statesman,
Boise, ID – Via AOL News)
https://www.aol.com/articles/underground-dams-may-storage-solution-100000000.html
23. Irrigation
Districts Announce Pre-Closing ‘Cutbacks’ on Water Deliveries in Southeastern
WA (KONA Radio, Pasco, WA)
https://610kona.com/ixp/136/p/columbia-basin-water-delivery-cuts/
HAL’s
Internet Café
24. What
the Data Center Boom Means for Washington Local Governments (Municipal Research
$ Services Center)
https://mrsc.org/stay-informed/mrsc-insight/august-2026/data-centers
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
25. Why
Fossilized Feces from Ancestors of Modern Animals Help Us Understand Earth’s Early
Ecosystems (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/fossil-feces-cambrian-ocean-ecosystems-9.7305871
Politics,
Governance, and Management
26. Chatbots
Are Doing the Work of Congress with Little Oversight (The Philadelphia Inquirer,
PA)
Other
Things to Know About Today
27. More
Than 180,000 Without Power in Hawaii, 100 Homes Damaged as Lala Weakens to Tropical
Storm (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/more-100-000-without-power-160901409.html
28. Crews
Building Transmission Line Use Equipment to Help Fight Wildfires Near Oregon-Idaho
Border (DailyFly)
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
29.
Critical Crossroads – Bonneville Power
Administration Faces Defining Day-ahead Markets Decision (The Bulletin, NW
Public Power Association)
https://www.nwppa.org/bulletin/critical-crossroads-bpa-faces-defining-day-ahead-markets-decision/
30.
Who Should Regulate Space? (Pots & Pans)
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2026/08/11/who-should-regulate-space/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Corgis
Run, Bark & Sniff Their Way to Glory at a Growing International Race
Italy Recovers Renoir,
Cezanne & Matisse Works Stolen from Museum
She Lost Her Rings. Her
Husband Scoured 20,000 Pounds of Trash to Find Them.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/she-lost-her-rings-her-090000007.html
Two Loose Goats Visit Oregon
Transit Station, Board Bus
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/08/13/goats-board-bus-Portland-Oregon-TriMet/7881786637047/
Song of the Day
Vangelis - Chariots of
Fire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r78QV5Cwiq0
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