Sponsored by the Northwest Public Power Association, edited by Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus.
Explore Some of Public Power’s Biggest Challenges in January
Don’t miss NWPPA’s January conference series: Wildfires: What Utilities Need to Know, the Data Center and Load Growth Summit, and the Power Supply Conference. These deep-dive events help utility professionals better understand emerging challenges, share strategies, and prepare for the future. A special discount is available when you attend two or all three events. To receive the discount, please email registration@nwppa.org to register rather than signing up on NWPPA’s website.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
U.S. Electric, Gas
Utility Rate Requests Spike to $4.5 Billion in Q3: Powerlines (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/q3-electric-gas-rate-requests-powerlines-analysis/832609/
Hundreds of Montanans
Complained About High Power Bills. PSC Calls It ‘Self-Fueled Mania’ (The
Missoulian, MT – Paywall Advisory)
https://missoulian.com/news/local/business/article_68b52910-5502-4dbb-b5e5-26e0468af3dd.html
Isaias’ Remnants Flood
North Carolina Mountains; 170,000 Still Without Power (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/isaias-leaves-trail-damage-deaths-151057710.html
Hurricane-Force Winds
in Washington? The Columbus Day Storm Showed What’s Possible (KIRO
Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/pacific-northwest-weather/columbus-storm/4284941
The Fish Behind
America’s Fish Sticks Is Fueling a Fight Over Trawling in Alaska (Associated
Press)
https://apnews.com/article/alaska-fish-sticks-trawling-salmon-bc01f5b40583ff75b49b01ada1b10e86
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1. U.S. Electric, Gas Utility Rate Requests Spike to $4.5
Billion in Q3: Powerlines
2. Hundreds of Montanans Complained About High Power Bills.
PSC Calls It ‘Self-Fueled Mania’
3. Oil-Heated Households in Northeast Strained by Rising Fuel
Prices
4. How to Get Help Paying Your Utility Bills as Colder Weather
Approaches
5. Judge Denies Mining Company Bid to Halt Idaho Power Line
Over Gold Deposits in Oregon
6. How Rising Electricity Prices Helped Amazon Book $599
Million Unrealized Gain
7. WA State: Puget Sound Energy Receives $40.2 Million Federal
Grant to ‘Modernize’ Electrical Grid
8. Tri-Cities Picked for Avalanche Energy’s First Fusion
Machine Plant
9. Arizona Utilities Want to Join a New Energy Trading Market,
But One of Its Largest Partners May Not
10. As Electricity Demand Soars, Virginia’s Power Transformer
Industry Is Booming
11. Oregon: Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Damages Newberg House,
Injures Homeowner & Firefighter (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
12. Company Behind Massive Renewable Fuels Refinery on Columbia
River Seems to Be in Financial Trouble
13. Solar Panels That Plug into Your Wall Are About to Be
Everywhere
14. A New Gas Line or Cash to Electrify? California Lets
Households Choose.
15. Canada: Ottawa to Provide $2 Billion in Rebates for
Homeowners Who Install Heat Pumps
16. The Fish Behind America’s Fish Sticks Is Fueling a Fight
Over Trawling in Alaska
17. Invasive Zebra Mussels Have Made Their Way to the Utah
Portion of the Colorado River
18. Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Feeling Impact of Marine
Survival Project Funding Cuts
19. Washington Among Four States with Highest Rate of Whale
Entanglements, Report Shows
20. Navajo Environmentalists Were Offered Money to Drop
Opposition to Energy Project
21. Oregon: Eugene Clean Energy Fund Supporters Promise
Millions for Climate Projects, While Critics Warn of Higher Retail Prices
22. Canada: Reservoir Inflows in Comox Valley Lowest In 64
Years as Warm, Dry Fall Persists
23. Terminating E-Rate Would Cost U.S. Economy Over $4 Billion
Annually, Study Says
24. California State Workers Were Teleworking from Idaho,
Tennessee & Alabama, Report Finds
25. Anthropic Discloses Fake Tip to Police Among New Rogue
Artificial Intelligence Incidents
26. New York Audits Artificial Intelligence Use by utilities,
Cites Risk in ‘Growing Dependency’
27. Despite the Controversy, Data Centers Could Be Attractive
to Struggling Rural Towns
28. Ellensburg Adopt Six-Month Moratorium on Data Center
Proposals
29. Central Oregon Agencies Issue Warning Over E-Bike &
Motorcycle Safety Risks
30. Scammers Used Artificial Intelligence to Impersonate Me, A
KUOW Reporter. Here’s How to Avoid Such Traps
31. Isaias’ Remnants Flood North Carolina Mountains; 170,000
Still Without Power
32. Hurricane-Force Winds in the Pacific Northwest? The
Columbus Day Storm Showed What’s Possible
33. How Stable is the Internet?
Word of the Day
Flotsam \FLAWT-sum\ Noun - 1: floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo; broadly: floating debris2a: a floating population (as of emigrants or castaways) b: miscellaneous or unimportant material c: debris or remains.
Jetsam \JETT-sum\ Noun - The part of a ship, its equipment, or its cargo that is cast overboard to lighten the load in time of distress and that sinks or is washed ashore.
The foaming white surf hissed its way up the gently sloping tropical beach, the golden sand mixing with the emerald blue water…belying the tragic shipwreck that flung the survivors of the HMS “Pandora” upon its shores. Flotsam and jetsam from the ill-fated ship tumbled past the exhausted sailors, who crawled ashore after the vessel’s collision with the protective reefs around the island paradise.
Energy & Utility Issues
1.
U.S. Electric, Gas Utility Rate Requests Spike to
$4.5 Billion in Q3: Powerlines (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/q3-electric-gas-rate-requests-powerlines-analysis/832609/
https://missoulian.com/news/local/business/article_68b52910-5502-4dbb-b5e5-26e0468af3dd.html
3. Oil-Heated
Households in Northeast Strained by Rising Fuel Prices (National Public Radio)
4. How
to Get Help Paying Your Utility Bills as Colder Weather Approaches (KIRO
Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kiro7.com/news/how-get-help-paying/6P7XA75E7UYMNIEVDFJFOTYER4/
5. Judge
Denies Mining Company Bid to Halt Idaho Power Line Over Gold Deposits in Oregon
(The Oregonian, Portland, OR – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/judge-denies-mining-company-bid-010641383.html
6. How
Rising Electricity Prices Helped Amazon Book $599 Million Unrealized Gain (The
Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
7. WA
State: Puget Sound Energy Receives $40.2 Million Federal Grant to ‘Modernize’
Electrical Grid (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
8. Tri-Cities
Picked for Avalanche Energy’s First Fusion Machine Plant (KNDO & KNDU-TV, Yakima/Tri-Cities,
WA)
9. Arizona
Utilities Want to Join a New Energy Trading Market, But One of Its Largest
Partners May Not (KJZZ-Radio, Phoenix, AZ)
10. As
Electricity Demand Soars, Virginia’s Power Transformer Industry Is Booming (Cardinal
News)
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
11. Oregon:
Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Damages Newberg House, Injures Homeowner &
Firefighter (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)
12. Company
Behind Massive Renewable Fuels Refinery on Columbia River Seems to Be in Financial
Trouble (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/10/08/nextclean-fuels-financial-trouble/
13. Solar
Panels That Plug into Your Wall Are About to Be Everywhere (National
Geographic)
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/balcony-plug-in-solar-panels-renewable-energy
Conservation
& Efficiency
14. A
New Gas Line or Cash to Electrify? California Lets Households Choose. (Canary
Media)
15. Canada:
Ottawa to Provide $2 Billion in Rebates for Homeowners Who Install Heat Pumps (Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/heat-pumps-replacement-emergency-program-9.7374054
Fish
& Wildlife
16. The
Fish Behind America’s Fish Sticks Is Fueling a Fight Over Trawling in Alaska (Associated
Press)
https://apnews.com/article/alaska-fish-sticks-trawling-salmon-bc01f5b40583ff75b49b01ada1b10e86
17. Invasive
Zebra Mussels Have Made Their Way to the Utah Portion of the Colorado River (Utah
News Dispatch)
18. Port
Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Feeling Impact of Marine Survival Project Funding Cuts
(NW Treaty Tribes)
https://nwtreatytribes.org/tribe-feeling-impact-of-marine-survival-project-funding-cuts/
19. Washington
Among Four States with Highest Rate of Whale Entanglements, Report Shows (States
Newsroom)
Environmental
Afflatus – Clean Up on Aisle Three
20. Navajo
Environmentalists Were Offered Money to Drop Opposition to Energy Project (National
Public Radio)
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
21. Oregon:
Eugene Clean Energy Fund Supporters Promise Millions for Climate Projects,
While Critics Warn of Higher Retail Prices (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/10/08/eugene-clean-energy-fund-ballot-measure/
Water,
Water Anywhere?
22. Canada:
Reservoir Inflows in Comox Valley Lowest In 64 Years as Warm, Dry Fall Persists
(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/comox-valley-water-levels-9.7374652
London
Calling –Telecommunications
23. Terminating
E-Rate Would Cost U.S. Economy Over $4 Billion Annually, Study Says (State
Scoop)
https://statescoop.com/terminating-e-rate-would-cost-us-economy-over-4b-annually-study-says/
24. California
State Workers Were Teleworking from Idaho, Tennessee & Alabama, Report
Finds (Yahoo! News)
HAL’s
Internet Café
25. Anthropic
Discloses Fake Tip to Police Among New Rogue Artificial Intelligence Incidents
(Reuters)
26. New
York Audits Artificial Intelligence Use by utilities, Cites Risk in ‘Growing
Dependency’ (Utility Dive)
The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
27. Despite
the Controversy, Data Centers Could Be Attractive to Struggling Rural Towns (National
Public Radio)
28. Ellensburg
Adopt Six-Month Moratorium on Data Center Proposals (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)
I
Sing the Car Electric
29. Central
Oregon Agencies Issue Warning Over E-Bike & Motorcycle Safety Risks (KTVZ-TV,
Bend, OR)
Public
Relations, Marketing & Media
30. Scammers
Used Artificial Intelligence to Impersonate Me, A KUOW Reporter. Here’s How to Avoid
Such Traps (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
Other
Things to Know About Today
31. Isaias’
Remnants Flood North Carolina Mountains; 170,000 Still Without Power (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/isaias-leaves-trail-damage-deaths-151057710.html
32. Hurricane-Force
Winds in the Pacific Northwest? The Columbus Day Storm Showed What’s Possible (KIRO
Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/pacific-northwest-weather/columbus-storm/4284941
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
33.
How Stable is the Internet? (Pots & Pans)
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/2026/10/12/how-stable-is-the-internet/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Seahawk’s Corgi Cup Winner
Goes Viral for Taunting Her Competition
Michael Jordan Jersey
Sets $14 Million Record for Basketball Memorabilia, Auction House Says
https://apnews.com/article/michael-jordan-jersey-sale-record-9f007553760044ed47fbf2b1f2a7db78
Painting Bought at Estate
Sale for $30 Sells for $1.35 Million at Auction
British Columbia Man
Reunited with Beloved Flute, Five Years After It Floated Away Down a Yukon River
Song of the Day
Jethro Tull – Bourée
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnEx_rNOijs
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