Sponsored by the Northwest Public Power Association, edited by Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus.
Explore Some of Public Power’s Biggest Challenges in January
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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Pacific Gas &
Electric More Than Doubles Potential Power Shutoffs To 70,000 Customers in
California (MSN News)
Pacific Northwest
Households Could Spend More to Heat Their Homes This Winter, Federal Outlook
Says (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
California Auditor
Gives Damning Assessment of State’s Dams (Courthouse News Service)
https://courthousenews.com/california-auditor-gives-damning-assessment-of-states-dams/
Oregon Governor Orders
Pause on Environmental Permits to Build or Expand Data Centers (States
Newsroom)
Ford’s Discontinued
F-150 Lightning Is Now a Used Electric Vehicle Bargain, with Some Under $42,000
(Yahoo! News)
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1. Pacific Gas & Electric More Than Doubles Potential
Power Shutoffs To 70,000 Customers in California
2. Pacific Northwest Households Could Spend More to Heat Their
Homes This Winter, Federal Outlook Says
3. Energy, Gas Costs Push Inflation Higher. Paychecks Are
Lagging Behind
4. Health & Human Services HHS Releases $3.6 Billion in FY
2027 LIHEAP Funding
5. Feds Issue Emergency Order Over Power Grid Concerns for 13
States
6. Trump Goes After an Offshore Wind Farm That’s Already Up
& Running
7. Transmission: North Plains Connector Could Expand Montana
Power Reach
8. Oregon: Forest Park Advocates Urge City to Deny Portland
General Electric Power Project Permit
9. Libby Dam’s Generator Unit 6 Strengthens Reliability &
Conservation
10. California Power Grid Meets Highest Electricity Demand
Since 2022 During September Heat
11. Idaho Researchers Put Electric Grid’s Most Expensive
Component Through an Earthquake — On Purpose
12. NERC Approves New Requirements for Large Electricity Loads,
Grid Reliability
13. Most & Least Energy-Efficient States in 2026
14. Two Million Invasive Green Crabs Captured Along Washington
State Shorelines
15. How Salmon ‘Rest Stops’ on the Yakima River Could Help Fish
Migrate Through Hot Water
16. California Auditor Gives Damning Assessment of State’s Dams
17. The U.S. Locks That Lift Boats the Highest
18. Oregon Governor Orders Pause on Environmental Permits to
Build or Expand Data Centers
19. Google Says It Needs the Grid. The Grid Can’t Keep Up.
20. These 10 States Have the Most Data Centers in the U.S.
21. Hackers Overheat Fridges at Supermarkets Across France,
Wasting Food & Starting Fires
22. Ford’s Discontinued F-150 Lightning Is Now a Used Electric
Vehicle Bargain, with Some Under $42,000
23. Arlington Approves New Regulations for Electric Scooters
And E-Bikes
24. More Than 80% Wildfires on Idaho State Land Caused by
Humans This Year
25. Podcast: Tillamook PUD General Manager Discusses
Transmission Projects, Top Workplaces Award
Word of the Day – Horrible Haiku Edition
Interlocutor \in-ter-LAH-kyuh-ter\ Noun - One who takes part in dialogue or conversation.
Interlocutor
Make your point, but don’t butt in
Take your turn, bud
1. Pacific
Gas & Electric More Than Doubles Potential Power Shutoffs To 70,000
Customers in California (MSN News)
2. Pacific
Northwest Households Could Spend More to Heat Their Homes This Winter, Federal
Outlook Says (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
3.
Energy, Gas Costs Push Inflation Higher. Paychecks
Are Lagging Behind (USA Today – Via Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/articles/inflation-surpassed-worker-paychecks-third-123729607.html
4. Health
& Human Services HHS Releases $3.6 Billion in FY 2027 LIHEAP Funding (American
Public Power Association)
https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/hhs-releases-36-billion-fy-2027-liheap-funding
5. Feds
Issue Emergency Order Over Power Grid Concerns for 13 States (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/doe-issues-emergency-order-over-114104283.html
6. Trump
Goes After an Offshore Wind Farm That’s Already Up & Running (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/offshore-wind/trump-reevaluate-permit-revolution-wind-orsted
7. Transmission:
North Plains Connector Could Expand Montana Power Reach (KPAX-TV, Missoula, MT)
8. Oregon:
Forest Park Advocates Urge City to Deny Portland General Electric Power Project
Permit (KPTV-TV, Portland, OR)
https://www.kptv.com/2026/10/14/forest-park-advocates-urge-city-deny-pge-power-project-permit/
9. Libby
Dam’s Generator Unit 6 Strengthens Reliability & Conservation (U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers)
10. California
Power Grid Meets Highest Electricity Demand Since 2022 During September Heat
(edhat, Santa Barbara, CA)
https://www.edhat.com/california/news/california-clean-energy-grid-peak-demand/
11. Idaho
Researchers Put Electric Grid’s Most Expensive Component Through an Earthquake
— On Purpose (Idaho National Laboratory)
12. NERC
Approves New Requirements for Large Electricity Loads, Grid Reliability (Daily
Energy Insider)
Conservation
& Efficiency
13. Most
& Least Energy-Efficient States in 2026 (WalletHub)
https://wallethub.com/edu/most-and-least-energy-efficient-states/7354
Fish
& Wildlife
14. Two
Million Invasive Green Crabs Captured Along Washington State Shorelines (KUOW
Radio, Seattle, WA)
15. How
Salmon ‘Rest Stops’ on the Yakima River Could Help Fish Migrate Through Hot
Water (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
Water,
Water Anywhere?
16.
California Auditor Gives Damning Assessment of
State’s Dams (Courthouse News Service)
https://courthousenews.com/california-auditor-gives-damning-assessment-of-states-dams/
17. The
U.S. Locks That Lift Boats the Highest (World Atlas)
https://www.worldatlas.com/lakes/the-us-locks-that-lift-boats-the-highest.html
The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
18. Oregon
Governor Orders Pause on Environmental Permits to Build or Expand Data Centers
(States Newsroom)
19. Google
Says It Needs the Grid. The Grid Can’t Keep Up. (Politico)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/14/google-ai-problem-power-grid-01117288
20. These
10 States Have the Most Data Centers in the U.S. (Quartz)
https://qz.com/states-with-most-data-centers#these-10-states-have-the-most-data-centers-in-the-us
21. Hackers
Overheat Fridges at Supermarkets Across France, Wasting Food & Starting
Fires (Gizmodo)
I
Sing the Car Electric
22. Ford’s
Discontinued F-150 Lightning Is Now a Used Electric Vehicle Bargain, with Some
Under $42,000 (Yahoo! News)
23. Arlington
Approves New Regulations for Electric Scooters And E-Bikes (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle,
WA)
Other
Things to Know About Today
24. More
Than 80% Wildfires on Idaho State Land Caused by Humans This Year (Washington
State Standard)
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
25.
Podcast: Tillamook PUD General Manager Discusses
Transmission Projects, Top Workplaces Award (American Public Power Association)
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1452280/episodes/19929469
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Jimothy the Raccoon Dog
Toy Plushie Coming to Costco
https://mynorthwest.com/local/jimothy-costco-plushie/4285746
Winnie the Pooh turns
100
https://www.kcra.com/article/winnie-the-pooh-turns-100/74135431
Hundreds Queue in Hong
Kong to Glimpse Van Gogh Painting Unseen in Public for 60 Years
Egypt’s Fayoum Mummy
Portraits to Travel Abroad for First Time After Restoration
https://apnews.com/article/mummy-portraits-egypt-rome-antiquities-aec9f7d0528c6a9685f4f686efa06e58
Song of the Day
Loggins & Messina
- House at Pooh Corner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbt0Ik_LL2M
Roll the Credits…
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