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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
Strengthen Communication and Customer Service Skills This Summer
As you’re making summer plans, take a moment to register for two new NWPPA courses and build skills that will serve you for years to come. Elevate Your Impact with Upward Communication Skills (July 15) will help you increase your influence with leadership, while Emotional Intelligence in Action: Mastering De-Escalation Skills (July 16) focuses on bolstering your EQ so you can better manage difficult customer interactions. Both courses are led by popular NWPPA instructor Kayla Curry of Organization Impact.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
California: Pacific
Gas & Electric Considers Power Shutoffs This Week Over Elevated Fire Danger
(KCRA-TV, Sacramento, CA)
https://www.kcra.com/article/pge-psps-elevated-fire-danger/71526214
Energy Department
Says Advanced Nuclear Reactor First to Reach Critical Milestone (Associated
Press)
Avista Agrees to
Framework to Provide Single Business with Power Equal to Half of All Spokane
County Customers (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/jun/03/avista-working-with-developer-to-provide-massive-a/
Court Rules Against
Quinault Fishing Takeover (Aberdeen Daily News, WA)
https://www.thedailyworld.com/2026/06/03/court-rules-against-quinault-fishing-takeover/
Ocean Observatories
Go Dark Off Pacific Northwest Coast (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/ocean-observatories-go-dark-off-pacific-northwest-coast
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. California:
Pacific Gas & Electric Considers Power Shutoffs This Week Over Elevated
Fire Danger
2. Energy
Department Says Advanced Nuclear Reactor First to Reach Critical Milestone
3. Avista
Agrees to Framework to Provide Single Business with Power Equal to Half of All
Spokane County Customers
4. Protesters
Target NV Energy at Electric Utility Conference as Anger Over Affordability
Rises
5. Trump
Administration Announces $850 Million to Modernize U.S. Coal Capacity, Build
Two New Plants
6. LIHEAP
Funding Would Increase by $10 Million to $4.055 Billion Under Appropriations
Bill
7. Growing
Grid Strategy: Undergrounding Power Lines to Withstand Weather
8. North
Carolina: Former Duke Energy Workers Accused of Stealing $600,000 in Power Near
Speedway
9. Grid
Scale Battery Facilities in Washington? Some Say Not in My Backyard
10. A
Proposed Willamette Valley Solar Park Is Back. Neighbors Still Oppose It
11. Pioneering
Grid Battery Nudges California Closer to 24/7 Clean Energy
12. Calpine
Completes 25 MW Geothermal Expansion in California
13. PacifiCorp’s
Long-Term Plans Don’t Include New Renewables — Advocates Are Fighting That,
Again
14. U.S.
Supreme Court Slaps Down Biden Administration Energy Conservation Ruling
15. Court
Rules Against Quinault Fishing Takeover
16. Video:
Passage Home – Tribes Remove Barriers to Salmon Habitat
17. Low
Cascades Snowpack That Triggered Drought Emergency May Worsen with Warmer,
Drier June
18. WA
State: Wahkiakum PUD Commissioners ‘Out of the Fluoride Business’
19. Ocean
Observatories Go Dark Off Pacific Northwest Coast
20. Data
Privacy: Supreme Court Sides with Trump Administration on Federal Regulation of
Telecom Companies
21. Ookla
Finds a Slow Global Shift to Advanced Wi-Fi
22. Data
Center Planned for Downtown Seattle Despite Looming Moratorium
23. Portland
General Electric to Increase Data Center Rates by 29%, Cut Residential Rates by
1.3%
24. Data
Centers Are Driving Demand for Gas from Northwest Utilities, Reports Find
25. Artificial
Intelligence to Double Data Center Power & Water Consumption by 2030, UN
Researchers Say
26. California:
In a First for the Country, Voters in Monterey Park Ban Data Centers
27. California
Tesla Driver Seen Napping Behind Wheel on Interstate 5
28. Artificial
Intelligence, Journalism & the Uncertain Future of the Public Square
29. Federal
Lab Cuts Could Hamper Fire Forecasting Efforts
30. Solar
Flare Prompts Storm Warnings, Chance at Seeing Northern Lights in Oregon This
Week
31. Republicans
Probe China’s Influence in Data Center Opposition
32. From
Unfilled Gas Tanks to Fewer Frills, Retailers See U.S. Consumers Rethink Their
Spending
33. California:
Jury Selection Begins in Palisades Fire Arson Trial
34.
Editorial: Forty-Year-Old Idaho Water Deal Being
Tested as Never Before
Word of the Day
Homophone \HOME-uh-fone\ Noun - A word that is pronounced like another word but is different in meaning, origin, or spelling.
A homophone haiku
I chased your chaste love
Your love is a sweet dessert.
Dear don’t desert me.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
California: Pacific Gas & Electric Considers Power Shutoffs
This Week Over Elevated Fire Danger (KCRA-TV, Sacramento, CA)
https://www.kcra.com/article/pge-psps-elevated-fire-danger/71526214
2.
Energy Department Says Advanced Nuclear Reactor
First to Reach Critical Milestone (Associated Press)
3.
Avista Agrees to Framework to Provide Single Business
with Power Equal to Half of All Spokane County Customers (Spokesman-Review, Spokane,
WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/jun/03/avista-working-with-developer-to-provide-massive-a/
4.
Protesters Target NV Energy at Electric Utility
Conference as Anger Over Affordability Rises (Utility Dive)
5.
Trump Administration Announces $850 Million to Modernize
U.S. Coal Capacity, Build Two New Plants (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-announces-850m-modernize-coal-capacity-build-new-plants/822109/
6.
LIHEAP Funding Would Increase by $10 Million to
$4.055 Billion Under Appropriations Bill (American Public Power Association)
7.
Growing Grid Strategy: Undergrounding Power
Lines to Withstand Weather (Power Magazine)
https://www.powermag.com/growing-grid-strategy-undergrounding-power-lines-to-withstand-weather/
8.
North Carolina: Former Duke Energy Workers
Accused of Stealing $600,000 in Power Near Speedway (WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC)
Renewable Energy &
Self Storage
9.
Grid Scale Battery Facilities in Washington? Some
Say Not in My Backyard (KONA Radio, Pasco, WA)
https://610kona.com/ixp/1135/p/snoqualmie-battery-facility-opposition/
10.
A Proposed Willamette Valley Solar Park Is Back.
Neighbors Still Oppose It (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/04/proposed-willamette-valley-solar-park-neighbors/
11.
Pioneering Grid Battery Nudges California Closer
to 24/7 Clean Energy (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/long-duration-energy-storage/pioneering-grid-battery-california
12.
Calpine Completes 25 MW Geothermal Expansion in California
(Investing)
13.
PacifiCorp’s Long-Term Plans Don’t Include New
Renewables — Advocates Are Fighting That, Again (Utah News Dispatch)
https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2026/06/03/pacificorp-plan-no-new-renewables-advocates-push-back/
Conservation &
Efficiency
14.
U.S. Supreme Court Slaps Down Biden Administration
Energy Conservation Ruling (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_f46c8bdf-cbef-41e4-8785-c88ee07c8cc3.html
Fish & Wildlife
15.
Court Rules Against Quinault Fishing Takeover
(Aberdeen Daily News, WA)
https://www.thedailyworld.com/2026/06/03/court-rules-against-quinault-fishing-takeover/
16.
Video: Passage Home – Tribes Remove Barriers to Salmon
Habitat (NW Treaty Tribes)
https://nwtreatytribes.org/passage/
Water, Water, Anywhere?
17.
Low Cascades Snowpack That Triggered Drought
Emergency May Worsen with Warmer, Drier June (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
18.
WA State: Wahkiakum PUD Commissioners ‘Out of
the Fluoride Business’ (Wahkiakum Eagle, Cathlamet, WA)
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
19.
Ocean Observatories Go Dark Off Pacific
Northwest Coast (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/stories/ocean-observatories-go-dark-off-pacific-northwest-coast
London Calling
–Telecommunications
20.
Data Privacy: Supreme Court Sides with Trump Administration
on Federal Regulation of Telecom Companies (Associated Press)
21.
Ookla Finds a Slow Global Shift to Advanced
Wi-Fi (Broadband Breakfast)
https://broadbandbreakfast.com/ookla-finds-a-slow-global-shift-to-advanced-wi-fi/
HAL’s Internet Café
22.
Data Center Planned for Downtown Seattle Despite
Looming Moratorium (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
23.
Portland General Electric to Increase Data
Center Rates by 29%, Cut Residential Rates by 1.3% (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/04/data-centers-utility-rate-pge/
24.
Data Centers Are Driving Demand for Gas from Northwest
Utilities, Reports Find (Washington State Standard)
25.
Artificial Intelligence to Double Data Center
Power & Water Consumption by 2030, UN Researchers Say (Reuters)
26.
California: In a First for the Country, Voters in
Monterey Park Ban Data Centers (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via MSN News)
I Sing the Car Electric
27.
California Tesla Driver Seen Napping Behind
Wheel on Interstate 5 (KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, CA)
https://ktla.com/news/california/california-tesla-driver-seen-napping-behind-wheel-on-interstate-5/
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
28.
Artificial Intelligence, Journalism & the
Uncertain Future of the Public Square (NY Times – Via Nieman Lab)
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
29.
Federal Lab Cuts Could Hamper Fire Forecasting
Efforts (Axios)
https://www.axios.com/local/boulder/2026/06/08/wildfire-research-cuts-growing-fire-risk
30.
Solar Flare Prompts Storm Warnings, Chance at Seeing
Northern Lights in Oregon This Week (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)
Politics, Governance,
and Management
31.
Republicans Probe China’s Influence in Data
Center Opposition (Politico)
Other Things to Know
About Today
32.
From Unfilled Gas Tanks to Fewer Frills,
Retailers See U.S. Consumers Rethink Their Spending (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-consumer-economy-retailers-3fb28b7dfc4ba21689e6c7068a32c70e
33.
California: Jury Selection Begins in Palisades
Fire Arson Trial (KNBC-TV, Los Angeles, CA)
https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/palisades-fire-arson-trial-jury/3901112/
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
34.
Editorial: Forty-Year-Old Idaho Water Deal Being
Tested as Never Before (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID – Via AOL)
https://www.aol.com/news/forty-old-idaho-water-deal-100000009.html
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Stunning Video
Shows Random Audience Member Saving Concert After an Emergency
https://www.aol.com/articles/stunning-video-shows-random-audience-201330000.html?guccounter=1
FIFA Bans Vuvuzelas
from World Cup Stadiums
https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/fifa-bans-vuvuzelas-world-cup-stadiums-2026-06-04/
Australian Cockroach
Kingpin Caught with 100,000 Illegal Insects in Record Bug Bust
East & West
Coast Butter Is Different, And We’ve All Been Living a Lie
https://nz.news.yahoo.com/east-west-coast-butter-different-110017885.html
Song of the Day
Justin Hurwitz – Epilogue
(La La Land Soundtrack)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSg3tBzAVFk
Links & Paywall Advisory
Links in The Energy News Digest are for current stories. Media organizations frequently update their websites, which can cause broken links.
Although I choose
stories that are accessible without paying a subscription, individual
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