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
Assessment Uncovers
Hydropower Opportunities in Existing U.S. Dams (American Public Power
Association)
Could the Columbia Be
the Next Colorado? With Drought & Growing User Demands, Water Shortages
Loom in the Columbia River Basin (Columbia Insight)
https://columbiainsight.org/could-the-columbia-river-be-the-next-colorado/
Portland General
Electric Needs to Double Its Renewable Energy Portfolio to Meet Oregon’s First
Climate Benchmark (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/10/22/portland-oregon-general-electric-utilities-energy-climate/
Microsoft Announces
Employee Buyout Program Amid Artificial Intelligence Surge (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_46d7bb28-43a2-464e-86f4-ed92eb2e16fb.html
More Flooding in Four
Corners Region After Storms Bring Heavy Rain & at Least 1 Tornado (NBC
News)
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1. Assessment Uncovers Hydropower Opportunities in Existing
U.S. Dams
2. Montana: Public Service Commission to Take Up NorthWestern,
Black Hills Merger
3. Juneau-Based Utility, Inside Passage Electric Cooperative,
Selected for Federal Tribal Energy Funding
4. New California Law Aimed at Protecting Utility Workers from
Assault
5. 10 States with the Most and Least Expensive Electric Bills
in October
6. Portland General Electric Needs to Double Its Renewable
Energy Portfolio to Meet Oregon’s First Climate Benchmark
7. U.S. Dept. of Justice Moves to Revoke Offshore Wind
Permits, Potentially Threatening Senate Permitting Bill
8. Balcony Solar Bill Introduced in Congress for the First
Time
9. The New Certification Scheme Helping Solar Farms Become
Havens for Wildlife
10. The Rivers Where Salmon Grow Largest
11. Twenty Years After California’s Landmark Climate Law, The
State Is Not on Track to Meet Its Targets
12. Could the Columbia Be the Next Colorado? With Drought &
Growing User Demands, Water Shortages Loom in the Columbia River Basin
13. Cloud Seeding Proposed to Help Drought-Stricken Farmers in
Tri-Cities Area
14. Comcast Plans Significant Job Cuts, Bloomberg News Reports
15. Microsoft Announces Employee Buyout Program Amid Artificial
Intelligence Surge
16. Idaho Politicians Are Using Artificial Intelligence to
Write for Them
17. Utah: E-Bikes Now Rival Motorcycles for Speed. State &
City Laws Haven’t Caught Up.
18. New Study Traces Van Gogh’s Famed ‘Starry Night’ to an
Actual Night Sky from 1889
19. President Trump Wants to Strip California of Coastal
Protections Unless State Yields to List of Demands
20. More Flooding in Four Corners Region After Storms Bring
Heavy Rain & at Least One Tornado
21. Godzilla-Low Pressure, Heavy Rain, and Drifting Snow Ahead
for the Pacific Northwest
22. Guest Essay: What People & Computers Say About the
Northwest Power Supply
23. Guest Essay: Cook Inlet’s Gas Shortage Has Become
Fairbanks’ Diesel Bill
24. Video: River Highway – Part 1 – Journey Down the
Columbia/Snake River
Word of the Day
Encroach \in-KROHCH\ Verb - 1: to enter by gradual steps or by stealth into the possessions or rights of another 2: to advance beyond the usual or proper limits.
Don’t let a roach encroach on your domicile. Especially if you sleep with your mouth open.
1. Assessment
Uncovers Hydropower Opportunities in Existing U.S. Dams (American Public Power
Association)
2. Montana:
Public Service Commission to Take Up NorthWestern, Black Hills Merger (Daily
Montanan)
3. Juneau-Based
Utility, Inside Passage Electric Cooperative, Selected for Federal Tribal
Energy Funding (Juneau Empire, AK – Paywall Advisory)
4. New
California Law Aimed at Protecting Utility Workers from Assault (Safety & Health
Magazine)
5. 10
States with the Most and Least Expensive Electric Bills in October (Yahoo!
News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/10-states-most-least-expensive-170027968.html
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
6. Portland
General Electric Needs to Double Its Renewable Energy Portfolio to Meet Oregon’s
First Climate Benchmark (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/10/22/portland-oregon-general-electric-utilities-energy-climate/
7. U.S.
Dept. of Justice Moves to Revoke Offshore Wind Permits, Potentially Threatening
Senate Permitting Bill (Utility Dive)
8. Balcony
Solar Bill Introduced in Congress for the First Time (Canary Media)
9. The
New Certification Scheme Helping Solar Farms Become Havens for Wildlife
(Positive.News)
Fish
& Wildlife
10. The
Rivers Where Salmon Grow Largest (World Atlas)
https://www.worldatlas.com/rivers/the-rivers-where-salmon-grow-largest.html
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
11. Twenty
Years After California’s Landmark Climate Law, The State Is Not on Track to Meet
Its Targets (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/twenty-years-californias-landmark-climate-110000540.html
Water,
Water Anywhere?
12. Could
the Columbia Be the Next Colorado? With Drought & Growing User Demands,
Water Shortages Loom in the Columbia River Basin (Columbia Insight)
https://columbiainsight.org/could-the-columbia-river-be-the-next-colorado/
13. Cloud
Seeding Proposed to Help Drought-Stricken Farmers in Tri-Cities Area (Tri-City
Herald, WA – Via MSN News)
London
Calling –Telecommunications
14. Comcast
Plans Significant Job Cuts, Bloomberg News Reports (Reuters)
HAL’s
Internet Café
15. Microsoft
Announces Employee Buyout Program Amid Artificial Intelligence Surge (The
Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_46d7bb28-43a2-464e-86f4-ed92eb2e16fb.html
16. Idaho
Politicians Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Write for Them (Idaho Capital
Sun)
https://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/10/26/idaho-politicians-are-using-ai-to-write-for-them/
Electric
Avenue – I Sing the Car Electric
17. Utah:
E-Bikes Now Rival Motorcycles for Speed. State & City Laws Haven’t Caught
Up. (Utah News Dispatch)
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
18. New
Study Traces Van Gogh’s Famed ‘Starry Night’ to an Actual Night Sky from 1889 (Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, WA)
https://www.seattlepi.com/entertainment/new-study-traces-van-gogh-s-famed-starry-night-a22489114
Politics,
Governance, and Management
19. President
Trump Wants to Strip California of Coastal Protections Unless State Yields to List
of Demands (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-wants-strip-california-coastal-100000674.html
Other
Things to Know About Today
20. More
Flooding in Four Corners Region After Storms Bring Heavy Rain & at Least 1
Tornado (NBC News)
21. Godzilla-Low
Pressure, Heavy Rain, and Drifting Snow Ahead for the Pacific Northwest (Cliff
Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2026/10/godzilla-low-pressure-heavy-rain-and.html
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
22.
Guest Essay: What People & Computers Say
About the Northwest Power Supply (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
23.
Guest Essay: Cook Inlet’s Gas Shortage Has
Become Fairbanks’ Diesel Bill – A Stronger Regional System Could Help Share the
Burden—And Build a More Affordable Future. (Alaska Beacon)
https://alaskabeacon.com/2026/10/21/cook-inlets-gas-shortage-has-become-fairbanks-diesel-bill/
24.
Video: River Highway – Part 1 – Journey Down the
Columbia/Snake River (Armchair Engineer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xLh3yTkJ3w
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Walter Koenig, Ensign
Chekov on the Original ‘Star Trek’ Series, Dies at 90
https://apnews.com/article/walter-koenig-dies-ad6aed51fc41417a8812bffccec1393c
‘Picasso of Pumpkin
Carvers’ brings artistry to a Halloween tradition
Claude Monet’s ‘Iris’ Becomes
Most Expensive Artwork Sold at Auction in France, Sotheby’s Says
‘Radical Street
Librarian’ Quits Her Job, Then Transforms a Trolley into Mobile Library to
Provide Free Books for Hundreds of Kids
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/radical-street-librarian-quits-her-092900129.html
Song of the Day
Alexander Courage – Star
Trek Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5TyLqq62JA
Roll the Credits…
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