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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
California:
Wildfire Survivors Angered as Utility-Funded Group Claims to Represent Them
(Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_efc5235c-7415-4517-8e4c-e052a3561a16.html
‘A
Five-Alarm Fire’: Western Reservoirs That Supply California Fall to Record Low
Levels (Los Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/five-alarm-fire-western-reservoirs-193703058.html
OpenAI
Model Went Rogue, Hacked Another Company’s System During Testing (Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/openai-test-hacks-other-model-9.7279188
A
Parasite That Thrives in Warm Conditions Adds to Yukon River Salmon Woes
(Alaska Beacon)
As
E-Bikes Surge in Popularity in Oregon, So Do the Safety Issues (Central Oregon
Daily News, Bend, OR)
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
California: Wildfire
Survivors Angered as Utility-Funded Group Claims to Represent Them
2.
Idaho-Wyoming Nuclear
Industry Partnership Set to Receive $31 Million Federal Award
3.
Idaho: Could Nuclear
Energy Power the Magic Valley? Jerome County Wants to Find Out
4.
Consumer Advocacy
Groups Formally Challenge San Diego Gas & Electric’s Proposal to Raise
Rates in 2028
5.
Oregon VCP Campaign
Builds Strong Grassroots Support for Protecting Hydropower
6.
811 Says Broadband
Companies Hold Some Responsibility for Recent Utility Strikes
7.
Toxic Gas Slows
Efforts to Rescue 13 Workers Trapped in India Hydropower Tunnel
8.
FERC Commissioners
Defend Large-Load Interconnection Orders, Back Hydropower Licensing
Streamlining Before Senate Energy Panel
9.
Nevada: Clark County,
Nonprofits Launch Effort to Ease Conversion to Solar
10.
A Parasite That
Thrives in Warm Conditions Adds to Yukon River Salmon Woes
11.
First Floating Wetland
in Seattle Aims to Turn the Tide for Salmon
12.
Idaho’s Brownlee &
Hells Canyon Reservoirs Under Health Advisory
13.
Carbon Dioxide
Emissions from U.S. Power Sector Rose 4% Last Year
14.
‘A Five-Alarm Fire’:
Western Reservoirs That Supply California Fall to Record Low Levels
15.
Expected Colorado
River Pact Seen as Step in Right Direction
16.
Angry Crowd Confronts
Oklahoma Water Regulators Over Dams
17.
Stranded Houseboats
& Grounded Cruise Ships: Europe’s Rivers Are Shrinking amid Heat &
Drought
18.
Following Data Center
Boom, Oregon for First Time Considers Charging Use Fees for Undersea Cables
19.
California Approves
$74 Million for Rural Broadband Expansion
20.
FCC Revises Broadband
Nutrition Label Rules
21.
OpenAI Model Went
Rogue, Hacked Another Company’s System During Testing
22.
As E-Bikes Surge in
Popularity in Oregon, So Do the Safety Issues
23.
Spokane Police Warn
Families After Kids Ride E-Motorcycles
24.
Need Backup Power?
Automakers Want You to Look No Further Than Their Vehicles in Your Driveway
25.
B.C. Hydro Aims to Add
2,500 Public Electric Vehicle Charging Ports by 2035
26.
News Release: U.S.
Sen. Murkowski & Colleagues Lead Efforts to Bolster Made-In-America
Hydropower
27.
New Calif. Law
Supported by NCPA Extends Current Policy to Ensure Public Power Customers
Receive Full Value of Project
28.
Montana Gov. Gianforte
Seeking Applications for Temporary Public Service Commission Appointment
29.
Idaho Has Spent More
Than $20 Million on Wildfire Suppression so Far This Year as Conditions Worsen
30.
Tropical Storm
Moisture Will Bring Precipitation to the Northwest During the Driest Time of
the Year
31.
Second Day of Heat,
Hazy Skies Before Cooler Air Moves In
32.
Portland Heat Reaches
Triple Digits; Wednesday Another Scorcher
33.
Old Farmer’s Almanac
Fall 2026 Forecast: What You Can Expect Where You Live
34.
New GM of Idaho Falls
Power Details How New Peaking Plant Will Benefit Utility, Customers
Word
of the Day
Frisson \free-SON (ends with kind of a nasally-French pronunciation)\ Noun - A brief moment of emotional excitement: shudder, thrill.
My cat leaped onto my lap – in a tense pose of frisson – looking for the bird she thought was hiding in my mouth. The one that was just whistling the guitar solo from “Sultans of Swing.”
1. California:
Wildfire Survivors Angered as Utility-Funded Group Claims to Represent Them (Los
Angeles Times, CA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_efc5235c-7415-4517-8e4c-e052a3561a16.html
2.
Idaho-Wyoming Nuclear Industry Partnership Set to
Receive $31 Million Federal Award (Idaho Capital Sun)
3. Idaho:
Could Nuclear Energy Power the Magic Valley? Jerome County Wants to Find Out (KIVI-TV,
Nampa, ID)
4.
Consumer Advocacy Groups Formally Challenge San
Diego Gas & Electric’s Proposal to Raise Rates in 2028 (KPBS Broadcasting,
San Diego, CA)
5. Oregon
VCP Campaign Builds Strong Grassroots Support for Protecting Hydropower
(National Rural Electric Cooperative Association)
6. 811
Says Broadband Companies Hold Some Responsibility for Recent Utility Strikes (WFMJ-TV,
Youngstown, OH)
7. Toxic
Gas Slows Efforts to Rescue 13 Workers Trapped in India Hydropower Tunnel (Courthouse
News Service)
8. FERC
Commissioners Defend Large-Load Interconnection Orders, Back Hydropower
Licensing Streamlining Before Senate Energy Panel (Daily Energy Insider)
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
9.
Nevada: Clark County, Nonprofits Launch Effort to
Ease Conversion to Solar (Nevada Current)
https://nevadacurrent.com/2026/07/21/clark-county-nonprofits-launch-effort-to-ease-switch-to-solar/
Fish
& Wildlife
10.
A Parasite That Thrives in Warm Conditions Adds to
Yukon River Salmon Woes (Alaska Beacon)
11. First
Floating Wetland in Seattle Aims to Turn the Tide for Salmon (KING-TV, Seattle,
WA)
Environmental
Afflatus – Clean Up on Aisle Three
12. Idaho’s
Brownlee & Hells Canyon Reservoirs Under Health Advisory (Idaho Capital Sun)
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
13. Carbon
Dioxide Emissions from U.S. Power Sector Rose 4% Last Year (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/carbon-dioxide-emissions-electric-power-eia/825805/
Water,
Water Anywhere?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/five-alarm-fire-western-reservoirs-193703058.html
15. Expected
Colorado River Pact Seen as Step in Right Direction (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_efc5235c-7415-4517-8e4c-e052a3561a16.html
16. Angry
Crowd Confronts Oklahoma Water Regulators Over Dams (States Newsroom)
https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/angry-crowd-confronts-oklahoma-water-regulators-over-dams
17. Stranded
Houseboats & Grounded Cruise Ships: Europe’s Rivers Are Shrinking amid Heat
& Drought (Yahoo! News)
London
Calling –Telecommunications
18. Following
Data Center Boom, Oregon for First Time Considers Charging Use Fees for Undersea
Cables (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/22/oregon-coast-data-center-boom-undersea-cables-use-fees/
19. California
Approves $74 Million for Rural Broadband Expansion (Inside Towers)
https://insidetowers.com/california-approves-74-million-for-rural-broadband-expansion/
20. FCC
Revises Broadband Nutrition Label Rules (Fierce Network)
https://www.fierce-network.com/broadband/fcc-revises-broadband-nutrition-label-rules
HAL’s
Internet Café
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/openai-test-hacks-other-model-9.7279188
I
Sing the Car Electric
23. Spokane
Police Warn Families After Kids Ride E-Motorcycles (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)
24. Need
Backup Power? Automakers Want You to Look No Further Than Their Vehicles in Your
Driveway (Associated Press)
https://www.seattlepi.com/business/need-backup-power-automakers-want-you-to-look-no-a22355347
25. B.C.
Hydro Aims to Add 2,500 Public Electric Vehicle Charging Ports by 2035 (Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation)
Politics,
Governance, and Management
26. News
Release: U.S. Sen. Murkowski & Colleagues Lead Efforts to Bolster
Made-In-America Hydropower (Sen Lisa Murkowski – AK - News Release)
27. New
Calif. Law Supported by NCPA Extends Current Policy to Ensure Public Power
Customers Receive Full Value of Project (American Public Power Association)
28. Montana
Gov. Gianforte Seeking Applications for Temporary Public Service Commission Appointment
(KTVH-TV, Helena, MT)
Other
Things to Know About Today
29. Idaho
Has Spent More Than $20 Million on Wildfire Suppression so Far This Year as
Conditions Worsen (States Newsroom)
30. Tropical
Storm Moisture Will Bring Precipitation to the Northwest During the Driest Time
of the Year (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)
https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2026/07/tropical-storm-moisture-will-bring.html
31. Second
Day of Heat, Hazy Skies Before Cooler Air Moves In (KOMO News, Seattle, WA)
32. Portland
Heat Reaches Triple Digits; Wednesday Another Scorcher (The Oregonian, Portland,
OR)
33. Old
Farmer’s Almanac Fall 2026 Forecast: What You Can Expect Where You Live (The
Oregonian, Portland, OR)
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
34.
New GM of Idaho Falls Power Details How New
Peaking Plant Will Benefit Utility, Customers (American Public Power
Association)
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1452280/episodes/19509544
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Wreckage of Pan Am Plane Found in Ocean 74
Years After Crash Off Puerto Rico: "Changed Aviation Forever"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pan-am-plane-crash-wreckage-found-clipper-endeavor-puerto-rico/
Woman Gives Birth to Rare Identical Quadruplet
Girls in Australia
https://ktla.com/news/rare-identical-quadruplet-girls-in-australia/
Alberta’s Aquatic Ecosystems Are Being Put at Risk
by Illegal Dumping of Goldfish
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-goldfish-dumping-water-9.7277437
Poulsbo, WA Teen Wins $2,000
Scholarship in Duct Tape Dress Contest
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/poulsbo-duct-tape-prom-dress
Song of the Day
Don McLean – Wonderful Baby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wuvj1K8X3xo
Links & Paywall Advisory
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