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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
As Colorado River
& Tributaries Shrink, A Public Power System Frays (States Newsroom)
California: Pacific
Gas & Electric Warns of Possible Bay Area, Central Coast Power Shutoffs
Because of Heat, Wind Conditions (CBS News)
Endangered Species:
Trump Administration Sued by Environmental Groups for Rescinding Definition of
‘Harm’ (Reuters)
Your Next Home Energy
Upgrade Could Be Funded by Oregon Polluters (The Oregonian, Portland, OR)
Thunderstorms &
Rain Coming to the Northwest (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2026/07/thunderstorms-and-rain-coming-to.html
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1. As Colorado River & Tributaries Shrink, A Public Power
System Frays
2. California: Pacific Gas & Electric Warns of Possible
Bay Area, Central Coast Power Shutoffs Because of Heat, Wind Conditions
3. News Release: Seattle City Council Passes Strauss Proposal
to Dramatically Reduce Utility Costs for 31,000 Low-Income Households
4. The Bonneville Power Administration Raises Electric Costs
Across the Board
5. Alaska: Natural Gas Supplies ‘Not Looking Good’ For
Southcentral This Winter, Enstar
6. Relief from Energy Bills Unlikely as Utilities Request
Billions in Rate Hikes
7. NRECA CEO Jim Matheson Urges Quick Action from Congress on
FEMA Reform Bill
8. Your Next Home Energy Upgrade Could Be Funded by Oregon
Polluters
9. How Hot Is Too Hot? Idaho Power Talks Thermostats, Heat
Waves & Saving Money
10. New Manufactured Homes May Get More Efficient Thanks to
Federal Housing Law
11. The U.S. May Be Hitting a Tipping Point for Heat Pumps
12. Endangered Species: Trump Administration Sued by
Environmental Groups for Rescinding Definition of ‘Harm’
13. WA Tribes, Environmental Groups Sue Over Endangered Species
Act Rule Change
14. Gray Whale Deaths Near Record Levels in Washington, Years
After ‘Unusual Mortality Event’ Declared Over
15. WSU Research: Hatchery Noise May Be Hurting Chinook Salmon
Return Rates
16. In U.S. West, Drought Pits Farms Against Towns, Industry in
Scramble for Water
17. Amazon Plans Open House in Burbank for Walla Walla County
Data Center Project
18. Montana Data Centers Should Be Regulated Separately by the
PSC, Coalition Argues
19. Economists Say ‘We Must Act Now’ on Artificial
Intelligence’s Economic Impact, Job Displacement Risks
20. The Data Center Boom Is Pushing into Native American Land
21. Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling Has a Math Problem
22. YouTube Joins Meta in Appealing a Jury Verdict That Faulted
Them for Users’ Social Media Addiction
23. The US Approves Launch of Mirror Satellite That Can Reflect
Sunlight and Illuminate the Earth at Night
24. U.S. House Subcommittee Advances Six Nuclear Bills to
Streamline NRC Licensing; Democrats Tie Support to Agency Independence
25. Thunderstorms & Rain Coming to the Northwest
26. ‘Very Strong’ El Niño Predicted in 2026. What Does It Mean
for WA Weather?
27. What to Know About Cyclosporiasis, The Intestinal Illness
Hitting the U.S.
28. U.S. House Passes Bill to Make Daylight Saving Time
Permanent
29. Guest Essay: Why Oregon Needs a Strong Climate Protection
Program
History’s Mysteries
Everything You Ever
Wanted to Know About the Rosetta Stone
On this date – July 15,
1799 – the Rosetta Stone was rediscovered
. https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/everything-you-ever-wanted-know-about-rosetta-stone
1. As
Colorado River & Tributaries Shrink, A Public Power System Frays (States
Newsroom)
2. California:
Pacific Gas & Electric Warns of Possible Bay Area, Central Coast Power
Shutoffs Because of Heat, Wind Conditions (CBS News)
3. News
Release: Seattle City Council Passes Strauss Proposal to Dramatically Reduce
Utility Costs for 31,000 Low-Income Households (Seattle City Council Blog, WA)
4. The
Bonneville Power Administration Raises Electric Costs Across the Board
(Columbia Gorge News, Hood River, OR)
5. Alaska:
Natural Gas Supplies ‘Not Looking Good’ For Southcentral This Winter, Enstar Says
(Alaska Public Media)
6. Relief
from Energy Bills Unlikely as Utilities Request Billions in Rate Hikes (States
Newsroom)
7. NRECA
CEO Jim Matheson Urges Quick Action from Congress on FEMA Reform Bill (National
Rural Electric Cooperative Association)
Conservation
& Efficiency
8. Your
Next Home Energy Upgrade Could Be Funded by Oregon Polluters (The Oregonian, Portland,
OR)
9. How
Hot Is Too Hot? Idaho Power Talks Thermostats, Heat Waves & Saving Money (Boise
State Public Radio, ID)
10. New
Manufactured Homes May Get More Efficient Thanks to Federal Housing Law (Canary
Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/energy-efficiency/new-manufactured-homes-housing-law
11. The
U.S. May Be Hitting a Tipping Point for Heat Pumps (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/energy/the-us-may-be-hitting-a-tipping-point-for-heat-pumps/
Fish
& Wildlife
12. Endangered
Species: Trump Administration Sued by Environmental Groups for Rescinding
Definition of ‘Harm’ (Reuters)
13. WA
Tribes, Environmental Groups Sue Over Endangered Species Act Rule Change (Northwest
Public Broadcasting)
14. Gray
Whale Deaths Near Record Levels in Washington, Years After ‘Unusual Mortality
Event’ Declared Over (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
15. WSU
Research: Hatchery Noise May Be Hurting Chinook Salmon Return Rates (The Daily
Fly)
Water,
Water Anywhere?
16. In
U.S. West, Drought Pits Farms Against Towns, Industry in Scramble for Water (Reuters)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/us-west-drought-pits-farms-100526641.html
HAL’s
Internet Café
17. Amazon
Plans Open House in Burbank for Walla Walla County Data Center Project (Walla
Walla Union-Bulletin, WA – Paywall Advisory)
18. Montana
Data Centers Should Be Regulated Separately by the PSC, Coalition Argues (Daily
Montanan)
19. Economists
Say ‘We Must Act Now’ on Artificial Intelligence’s Economic Impact, Job
Displacement Risks (Associated Press)
20. The
Data Center Boom Is Pushing into Native American Land (Gadget Review)
https://www.gadgetreview.com/the-data-center-boom-is-pushing-into-native-american-land
I
Sing the Car Electric
21. Electric
Vehicle Battery Recycling Has a Math Problem (National Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/13/nx-s1-5847025/ev-battery-recycling-economics
Public
Relations, Marketing & Media
22. YouTube
Joins Meta in Appealing a Jury Verdict That Faulted Them for Users’ Social
Media Addiction (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA)
https://www.seattlepi.com/business/youtube-joins-meta-in-appealing-a-jury-verdict-a22346676
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
23. The
US Approves Launch of Mirror Satellite That Can Reflect Sunlight and Illuminate
the Earth at Night (Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/reflect-orbital-earendil-mirror-satellite-fcc/
Politics,
Governance, and Management
24. U.S.
House Subcommittee Advances Six Nuclear Bills to Streamline NRC Licensing;
Democrats Tie Support to Agency Independence (Daily Energy Insider)
Other
Things to Know About Today
25. Thunderstorms
& Rain Coming to the Northwest (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2026/07/thunderstorms-and-rain-coming-to.html
26. ‘Very
Strong’ El Niño Predicted in 2026. What Does It Mean for WA Weather? (Tacoma
News-Tribune, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/very-strong-el-ni-o-120000278.html
27. What
to Know About Cyclosporiasis, The Intestinal Illness Hitting the U.S. (National
Public Radio)
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/12/nx-s1-5890935/cyclosporiasis-cyclospora-outbreak-diarrhea-states-us
28. U.S.
House Passes Bill to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/house-passes-bill-daylight-saving-212338096.html
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
29.
Guest Essay: Why Oregon Needs a Strong Climate
Protection Program (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/07/15/why-oregon-needs-a-strong-climate-protection-program/
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
NASA’s New Horizons Probe
Just Woke Up from Hibernation 6 Billion Miles Away Beyond Pluto. What’s It
Doing Out There?
It’s a Very Merry July
from Denmark’s World Santa Claus Congress
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/very-merry-july-denmarks-world-145832053.html
He Saw a Pit on Google
Maps. It Turned Out to Be a 390-Million-Year-Old Meteor Crater
Elderly Southern
California Couple Terrorized by Pack of Coyotes Living Under Their Home
https://ktla.com/news/california/coyotes-terrorize-elderly-couple-rancho-cucamonga/
Song of the Day
Dire Straits - So Far
Away
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CDgW-qulpk
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