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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Utility’s Idle Transmission Tower Caused 2025
Eaton Fire That Killed 19, Los Angeles Officials Say (Associated Press)
California Produced Over Half Its May
Electricity from Solar, A World Record (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/california-produced-over-half-may-100000873.html
As Oregon Cities Buck Data Centers, A Committee
Is Set to Propose Statewide Regulations (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Portland Has the Worst Air Quality in the World
(KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
Man Charged with Arson in One of Three
Wildfires Torching Washington’s Spokane Area (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/man-arrested-arson-charge-crews-094642181.html
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Utility’s Idle
Transmission Tower Caused 2025 Eaton Fire That Killed 19, Los Angeles Officials
Say
2.
Rising Curtailments in
California Underline U.S. Grid Ordeal
3.
Three Electricity
Grids, One Toasty Summer
4.
The Grid’s Climate
Stress Test
5.
NorthWestern Energy
Lineman Recovering in Salt Lake City Burn Unit After High-Voltage Accident in
Cascade
6.
California Produced
Over Half Its May Electricity from Solar, A World Record
7.
U.S. Weighs
Polysilicon Price Floor, Tariffs to Counter China in Solar & Chips
8.
Renewable Energy Is
Growing in Utah, But Not without Obstacles
9.
Portland General
Electric Offers Tips to Stay Cool & Lower Energy Bills as Excessive Heat
Grips Oregon
10.
DOE Mulls Changes to
Biden-Era Transformer Efficiency Rule, Raising Utility Concerns
11.
Whales Are Dying in
British Columbia Waters. Here’s How Two Groups Are Trying to Save Them
12.
Portland Has the Worst
Air Quality in the World
13.
Water Rights Group
Slams Washington State Ecology Office for Permit Gridlock
14.
Why Is This Trump
Official Dead Set on Saving a Failing California Dam?
15.
Colorado Residents Are
Ratting Out Neighbors Over Water Use During Drought
16.
As Oregon Cities Buck
Data Centers, A Committee Is Set to Propose Statewide Regulations
17.
New Map Traces
Washington State’s Tech ‘Universe’ to a Few Key Hubs, & Shows What’s at
Risk
18.
L.A. City Council
Members Call for New Restrictions on E-Bikes
19.
This Summer Isn’t
Breaking Heat Records — Yet. Wait Until El Niño Kicks In, Scientists Say
20.
Court Rules Against
Trump EPA’s Freeze of $20 Billion in ’Green Bank’ Funds
21.
Man Charged with Arson
in One of Three Wildfires Torching Washington’s Spokane Area
22.
Private Drones
Continue to Hamper Firefighting Efforts in Spokane
23.
Smoke in the West
Means Relief in the East. The Big Threat Comes Later this Week
24.
As Oregon Burns &
Gamblers Bet, Lawmakers Push Back Against Wildfire Betting Markets Drawing
Millions
25.
Columbia River System
Operations and the Future of the Lower Snake River Dams
26.
Associated Press
Wildfire Tracker
Word of the Day
Ameliorate • \uh-MEEL-yuh-rate\ • Verb - To make better or more tolerable
“Is there anything I can do to ameliorate your experience?” Cooed the woolen-shirt salesman to his uncomfortable customer. “Yes,” pleaded the writhing patron, “please sell me an extra-thick undershirt.”
1.
Utility’s Idle Transmission Tower Caused 2025 Eaton
Fire That Killed 19, Los Angeles Officials Say (Associated Press)
2.
Rising Curtailments in California Underline U.S.
Grid Ordeal (Reuters)
3.
Three Electricity Grids, One Toasty Summer (Politico)
4.
The Grid’s Climate Stress Test (Axios)
https://www.axios.com/2026/07/31/us-electric-grid-extreme-weather
5.
NorthWestern Energy Lineman Recovering in Salt
Lake City Burn Unit After High-Voltage Accident in Cascade (KPAX-TV, Missoula,
MT)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
6.
California Produced Over Half Its May
Electricity from Solar, A World Record (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/california-produced-over-half-may-100000873.html
7.
U.S. Weighs Polysilicon Price Floor, Tariffs to
Counter China in Solar & Chips (Reuters – Via Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/us-weighs-polysilicon-price-floor-160922522.html
8.
Renewable Energy Is Growing in Utah, But Not without
Obstacles (Deseret News, Salt Lake City, UT)
https://www.deseret.com/environment/2026/08/03/utah-leaders-discuss-us-energy-dominance/
Conservation &
Efficiency
9.
Portland General Electric Offers Tips to Stay
Cool & Lower Energy Bills as Excessive Heat Grips Oregon (KATU-TV, Portland,
OR)
10.
DOE Mulls Changes to Biden-Era Transformer
Efficiency Rule, Raising Utility Concerns (Utility Dive)
Fish & Wildlife
11.
Whales Are Dying in British Columbia Waters.
Here’s How Two Groups Are Trying to Save Them (Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation)
Environmental Afflatus –
Clean Up on Aisle Three
12.
Portland Has the Worst Air Quality in the World
(KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
Water, Water Anywhere?
13.
Water Rights Group Slams Washington State Ecology
Office for Permit Gridlock (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_37e70e16-117a-4b3f-8a41-08b9411744e7.html
14.
Why Is This Trump Official Dead Set on Saving a
Failing California Dam? (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/politics/brooke-rollins-potter-valley-project-california-dams/
15.
Colorado Residents Are Ratting Out Neighbors
Over Water Use During Drought (Washington Post – Via Yahoo! News)
HAL’s Internet Café
16.
As Oregon Cities Buck Data Centers, A Committee
Is Set to Propose Statewide Regulations (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
17.
New Map Traces Washington State’s Tech ‘Universe’
to a Few Key Hubs, & Shows What’s at Risk (Geekwire)
I Sing the Car Electric
18.
L.A. City Council Members Call for New
Restrictions on E-Bikes (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/l-city-council-members-call-171717043.html
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
19.
This Summer Isn’t Breaking Heat Records — Yet. Wait
Until El Niño Kicks In, Scientists Say (Associated Press)
Politics, Governance,
and Management
20.
Court Rules Against Trump EPA’s Freeze of $20 Billion
in ’Green
Bank’ Funds (Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation)
Other Things to Know
About Today
21. Man
Charged with Arson in One of Three Wildfires Torching Washington’s Spokane Area
(Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/man-arrested-arson-charge-crews-094642181.html
22.
Private Drones Continue to Hamper Firefighting
Efforts in Spokane (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/pacific-northwest-weather/drones-spokane/4263067
23.
Smoke in the West Means Relief in the East. The
Big Threat Comes Later this Week (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2026/08/smoke-in-west-means-relief-in-east-big.html
24.
As Oregon Burns & Gamblers Bet, Lawmakers
Push Back Against Wildfire Betting Markets Drawing Millions (The Oregonian, Portland,
OR)
Mining for Data
25.
Columbia River System Operations and the Future
of the Lower Snake River Dams (Every CRS Report)
https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R49059.html
26.
Associated Press Wildfire Tracker (Associated
Press)
https://apnews.com/wildfire-tracker
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
A 14-Year-Old Real Cowboy Used His Lasso to Save
a Drowning Man
Zac Brown Band Gives Away Free Cruise to Boston
Concertgoers
Piece of SpaceX Rocket Believed to Have Crashed
into the Moon
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/piece-spacex-rocket-crash-moon-195357791.html
97-Year-Old Wing Walker Breaks Her Own World
Record
Song of the Day
Riders in the Sky – Tumbling Tumbleweeds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBJhBQ6HPB8
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