The Energy News Digest is sponsored by the Northwest Public Power Association, edited by Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus.
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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
New Study Puts Value of Puget Sound Energy
Electric System in Kitsap County at $1.2B-$1.5B, Excluding Added Takeover Costs
(Daily Energy Insider)
Pacific Power to Charge New Oregon Data Centers
for All Costs Associated with Growing Energy Need (Idaho Capital Sun)
California: Edison Unlikely to Escape Liability
in Eaton Fire Lawsuit (Courthouse News Service)
https://courthousenews.com/edison-unlikely-to-escape-liability-in-eaton-fire-lawsuit/
New York, California Sue to Block Trump
Administration Deals Canceling Offshore Wind Projects (Associated Press)
https://www.kiro7.com/news/national/new-york-california/XLVQQKA6HE6MJLKIV3243XVWSE/
California & Washington to Join Forces on
Carbon Markets, Aiming to Cut Pollution & Raise Billions (Los Angeles
Times, CA – Via MSN News)
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1. New Study Puts Value of Puget Sound Energy Electric System
in Kitsap County at $1.2B-$1.5B, Excluding Added Takeover
2. California: Edison Unlikely to Escape Liability in Eaton
Fire Lawsuit
3. Higher Bonneville Power Administration Costs Could Raise
Electricity Rates in Central Oregon
4. California Households Getting Automatic $75 Electricity
Bill Credits After Brutal Summer Heat
5. WA Dept. of Transportation to Hold Clarkston Open House on
Lower Snake River Dams Transportation Study
6. Montana: PacifiCorp Courts Buyers Interested in Bigfork Dam
7. WA State: Chelan PUD Weighs Annual Right-of-Way Payment of
at Least $1.35 Million to Chelan County
8. New York, California Sue to Block Trump Administration
Deals Canceling Offshore Wind Projects
9. Garbage Service Rates May Increase as Spokane Works to
Comply with WA State Emissions Regulations
10. WA State: Battery Facility Proposed North of Ferndale in
Puget Sound Energy Push for Renewables
11. Montana: Bozeman, Missoula Green Power Plan Advances to PSC
Review
12. This Major California River Has Gotten Too Warm for Its
Salmon
13. First Nations in British Columbia Interior Feel ‘Fear &
Scarcity’ Amidst Drought-Stricken Salmon Run
14. California & Washington to Join Forces on Carbon
Markets, Aiming to Cut Pollution & Raise Billions
15. Nearly One in Three Co-ops Turning Down BEAD Money, NRECA
Says
16. Verizon Plans to Discontinue a Phone Service Customers Rely
On
17. A 120-Foot Cell Tower Could Block an Iconic Leavenworth
View
18. Pacific Power to Charge New Oregon Data Centers for All
Costs Associated with Growing Energy Need
19. Idaho: Data Center Five Times Bigger Than Meta’s Is Planned
for Ada County
20. Cities Get More Say in Data Center Development Under New
California Laws
21. Small Businesses Slow to Take Up WA’s New Electric Truck
Vouchers
22. Sharks, Sea Snakes & Weird Fish: El Niño Brings Unusual
Marine Life to Southern California
23. State of Emergency Declared as California Prepares for
Potentially Historic El Niño Event
24. ‘Time Will Tell How It All Pans Out’: Another Warm Winter
Could Be on the Books for the Inland Northwest
25. First Day of Fall Is Here. What to Know About 2026 Autumnal
Equinox
26. Guest Essay: Full Disclosure – It’s Time for Utility Bill
Reform
Word of the Day
Ebullient \ih-BULL-yunt\ Adjective - 1: boiling, agitated 2: having or showing liveliness and enthusiasm: exuberant.
All the bubbles in the champagne made Betty Boop’s ebullient personality even more so.
1. New
Study Puts Value of Puget Sound Energy Electric System in Kitsap County at $1.2B-$1.5B,
Excluding Added Takeover Costs (Daily Energy Insider)
2. California:
Edison Unlikely to Escape Liability in Eaton Fire Lawsuit (Courthouse News
Service)
https://courthousenews.com/edison-unlikely-to-escape-liability-in-eaton-fire-lawsuit/
3.
Higher Bonneville Power Administration Costs
Could Raise Electricity Rates in Central Oregon (Bend, Bulletin, OR)
4.
California Households Getting Automatic $75 Electricity
Bill Credits After Brutal Summer Heat (KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, CA)
https://ktla.com/news/california/california-climate-credit-electricity-bill-relief/
5.
WA Dept. of Transportation to Hold Clarkston
Open House on Lower Snake River Dams Transportation Study (DailyFly)
6.
Montana: PacifiCorp Courts Buyers Interested in Bigfork
Dam (The Daily Interlake, Kalispell, MT)
https://dailyinterlake.com/news/2026/sep/23/pacificorp-courts-buyers-interested-in-bigfork-dam/
7.
WA State: Chelan PUD Weighs Annual Right-of-Way Payment
of at Least $1.35 Million to Chelan County (Cashmere Valley Record, WA)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
https://www.kiro7.com/news/national/new-york-california/XLVQQKA6HE6MJLKIV3243XVWSE/
9.
Garbage Service Rates May Increase as Spokane Works
to Comply with WA State Emissions Regulations (KREM-TV, Spokane, WA)
10.
WA State: Battery Facility Proposed North of Ferndale
in Puget Sound Energy Push for Renewables (Cascadia Daily)
11.
Montana: Bozeman, Missoula Green Power Plan Advances
to PSC Review (KFBB-TV, Great Falls, MT)
Fish & Wildlife
12.
This Major California River Has Gotten Too Warm for
Its Salmon (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/major-california-river-gotten-too-100000867.html
13.
First Nations in British Columbia Interior Feel ‘Fear
& Scarcity’ Amidst Drought-Stricken Salmon Run (Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/drought-stricken-salmon-bc-interior-9.7353036
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
London Calling
–Telecommunications
15.
Nearly One in Three Co-ops Turning Down BEAD
Money, NRECA Says (Broadband Breakfast)
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/nearly-one-in-three-co-ops-turning-down-bead-money-nreca-says/
16.
Verizon Plans to Discontinue a Phone Service
Customers Rely On (Yahoo! News)
17.
A 120-Foot Cell Tower Could Block an Iconic Leavenworth
View (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
The Wizarding World of
Technology & Cybersecurity
19.
Idaho: Data Center Five Times Bigger Than Meta’s
Is Planned for Ada County (Lewiston Morning Tribune, ID – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/data-center-5-times-bigger-121600098.html
20.
Cities Get More Say in Data Center Development
Under New California Laws (Smartcities Dive)
I Sing the Car Electric
21.
Small Businesses Slow to Take Up WA’s New
Electric Truck Vouchers (Washington State Standard)
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
22.
Sharks, Sea Snakes & Weird Fish: El Niño Brings
Unusual Marine Life To Southern California (Long Beach Post, CA)
https://lbpost.com/news/climate-change/el-nino-turtle-weird-animals-wildlife/
Other Things to Know
About Today
23.
State of Emergency Declared as California
Prepares for Potentially Historic El Niño Event (KQED Radio, San Francisco, CA)
24.
‘Time Will Tell How It All Pans Out’: Another Warm
Winter Could Be on the Books for the Inland Northwest (Spokesman-Review,
Spokane, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/time-tell-pans-another-warm-035900200.html
25.
First Day of Fall Is Here. What to Know About
2026 Autumnal Equinox (Yahoo! News)
https://tech.yahoo.com/science/articles/first-day-fall-know-2026-100802556.html
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
26. Guest
Essay: Full Disclosure – It’s Time for Utility Bill Reform (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/its-time-for-utility-bill-reform/829674/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Amateur
Archaeologist Finds Germany’s Biggest Hoard of Ancient Roman Silver Coins
Rare ‘26-Cent’ US Coin
Sells for Nearly $17,000 at Auction
A Seattle Man’s Secret
to Growing the Largest Pumpkin at the Spokane Interstate Fair Is No Secret At
All
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/sep/22/a-seattle-mans-secret-to-growing-the-largest-pumpk/
Seattle’s ‘Inconvenience
Store’ features pre-tangled USB cords
https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/09/22/Inconvenience-store-seattle-art-exhibit/1271790098025/
Song of the Day
Vince Guaraldi – The
Great Pumpkin Waltz (Peanuts Soundtrack)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uINn4mkqL0M
Roll the Credits…
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