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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
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Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Wildfires Burn Across
Western U.S. & Canada as Residents Are Evacuated (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/western-wildfires-canada-us-946f5599db59517cb88fd3f0df9f5c46
Washington State
Wanted Clean Energy. But Utilities Plan Fleet of Gas Plants (The Chronicle,
Centralia, WA)
Another Offshore Wind
Developer Exits California in $1.22-Billion Deal with Trump Administration
(Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/another-offshore-wind-developer-exits-202704746.html
As Heat Waves Strain
Power Grids, An Electric Company Stops Residents from Lowering Their AC
(KXTV-TV, Sacramento, CA)
Officials Will Not
Release Cool Water from a Colorado River Reservoir to Protect Threatened Fish
(Associated Press)
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1. Washington State Wanted Clean Energy. But Utilities Plan
Fleet of Gas Plants
2. America's Energy Future? Gates, Buffett & a Wyoming
Town Go Nuclear
3. A Compact, Transportable Nuclear Reactor May Come to Utah
Under New Agreement
4. Public Comment Sought on Proposed Power Transmission Line
Under Columbia River
5. As Utah Approves Settlement with Rocky Mountain Power,
Advocates Worry About Transparency
6. WA State: Chelan PUD Weighs Key Decision on Regional Power
Market
7. Montana: Crow Tribe Coal Swap Clears U.S. Senate Committee
8. Friendly Discussion Follows Lower Snake River Dam Breaching
Presentation
9. Another Offshore Wind Developer Exits California in
$1.22-Billion Deal with Trump Administration
10. Judge Likely to Make Pentagon Resume Wind Project Reviews
11. Wyoming: Seminoe Reservoir Slips to ‘Near-Worst Case’
Scenario Amid Debate Over Controversial Hydroelectric Project
12. Solar Stocks Shine After Trump Extends China Tariffs to
Polysilicon Products
13. As Heat Waves Strain Power Grids, An Electric Company Stops
Residents from Lowering Their AC
14. Officials Will Not Release Cool Water from a Colorado River
Reservoir to Protect Threatened Fish
15. Contiguous U.S. Breaks Its Record for Hottest Month Ever,
NOAA Says
16. World's Oceans Hit Record-High July Temperatures
17. Financial Details Make Eugene Water & Electric Board
Commissioners Consider Smaller Willamette River Treatment Plant
18. Verizon Service Restored After Vandalism to Fiber Line
Caused Widespread Outages Across Southern California
19. FCC Proposes Federal Regulation of Public Power Pole
Attachments
20. WA State: City of Airway Heights Considering Sale of
Reclaimed Water to Private Company Hoping to Build Data Center
21. Artificial Intelligence Models Are Breaking Out of Their
Cages. Their Creators Are Scrambling.
22. A New Cybersecurity Report Says Your Router May Put You at
Major Security Risk. Here's What to Know.
23. Ferry Construction Begins in Florida on WA’s New
Hybrid-Electric Vessels
24. Scoop: Slate Auto Raising $500 Million for Low-Cost
Electric Pickups
25. Wildfires Burn Across Western U.S. & Canada as
Residents Are Evacuated
26. Over 2.3 Million Acres Burned in Oregon's 2026 Wildfire
Season, Topping 2024 Record
27. Man Charged with Arson in Spokane, Washington, Told Police
He Planned Wildfire for Weeks
28. Goats for Fire Prevention? The Idea Might Have Legs
29. Video: The Dams Are Killing the Fish
30. Clear the Lines: Policy and Messaging for the Electric Grid
the Northwest Needs
31. Associated Press Wildfire Tracker
Word of the Day
Beneficence \buh-NEH-fuh-sunts\ Noun - 1: the quality or state of being beneficent (doing or producing good; especially: performing acts of kindness and charity).
Beneficence: Albert Schweitzer; look it up – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Schweitzer
1. Washington
State Wanted Clean Energy. But Utilities Plan Fleet of Gas Plants (The
Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
2. America's
Energy Future? Gates, Buffett & a Wyoming Town Go Nuclear (USA Today – Via Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/americas-energy-future-gates-buffett-110103653.html
3. A
Compact, Transportable Nuclear Reactor May Come to Utah Under New Agreement (Utah
News Dispatch)
https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2026/08/06/compact-transportable-nuclear-reactor-new-agreement/
4. Public
Comment Sought on Proposed Power Transmission Line Under Columbia River
(Vancouver Columbian, WA – Paywall Advisory)
5. As
Utah Approves Settlement with Rocky Mountain Power, Advocates Worry About
Transparency (Utah News Dispatch)
6. WA
State: Chelan PUD Weighs Key Decision on Regional Power Market (Lake Chelan
Mirror, WA)
7. Montana:
Crow Tribe Coal Swap Clears U.S. Senate Committee (Montana Free Press)
https://montanafreepress.org/2026/08/06/crow-tribe-coal-swap-clears-senate-committee/
8. Friendly
Discussion Follows Lower Snake River Dam Breaching Presentation (Lewiston
Morning Tribune, ID – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.lmtribune.com/local-news/friendly-discussion-follows-breaching-presentation-84cb7822
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
9. Another
Offshore Wind Developer Exits California in $1.22-Billion Deal with Trump Administration
(Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/another-offshore-wind-developer-exits-202704746.html
10. Judge
Likely to Make Pentagon Resume Wind Project Reviews (Courthouse News Service)
https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-likely-to-make-pentagon-resume-wind-project-reviews/
11. Wyoming:
Seminoe Reservoir Slips to ‘Near-Worst Case’ Scenario Amid Debate Over
Controversial Hydroelectric Project (WyoFile)
12. Solar
Stocks Shine After Trump Extends China Tariffs to Polysilicon Products (CNBC
News)
Conservation
& Efficiency
13. As
Heat Waves Strain Power Grids, An Electric Company Stops Residents from Lowering
Their AC (KXTV-TV, Sacramento, CA)
Fish
& Wildlife
14. Officials
Will Not Release Cool Water from a Colorado River Reservoir to Protect
Threatened Fish (Associated Press)
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
15. Contiguous
U.S. Breaks Its Record for Hottest Month Ever, NOAA Says (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/hottest-month-july-climate-change-4a9d612281485356103631f0f09b61af
16. World's
Oceans Hit Record-High July Temperatures (British Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpvw8vmmgrwo
Water,
Water Anywhere?
17. Financial
Details Make Eugene Water & Electric Board Commissioners Consider Smaller Willamette
River Treatment Plant (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/10/eugene-water-electric-board-willamette-river-treatment-plant/
London
Calling –Telecommunications
18. Verizon
Service Restored After Vandalism to Fiber Line Caused Widespread Outages Across
Southern California (KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, CA)
19. FCC
Proposes Federal Regulation of Public Power Pole Attachments (American Public
Power Association)
HAL’s
Internet Café
20. WA
State: City of Airway Heights Considering Sale of Reclaimed Water to Private
Company Hoping to Build Data Center (KREM-TV, Spokane, WA)
21. Artificial
Intelligence Models Are Breaking Out of Their Cages. Their Creators Are
Scrambling. (Washington Post – Via Yahoo! News)
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/they-said-they-would-build-ai-safely-then-it-went-rogue-130530582.html
The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
22. A
New Cybersecurity Report Says Your Router May Put You at Major Security Risk.
Here's What to Know. (AOL News)
https://www.aol.com/articles/cybersecurity-report-says-router-may-110850000.html
I
Sing the Car Electric
23. Ferry
Construction Begins in Florida on WA’s New Hybrid-Electric Vessels (Washington
State Standard)
24. Scoop:
Slate Auto Raising $500 Million for Low-Cost Electric Pickups (Axios)
https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2026/08/06/slate-auto-series-d-500m-fundraise-ev-pickup
Other
Things to Know About Today
25. Wildfires
Burn Across Western U.S. & Canada as Residents Are Evacuated (Associated
Press)
https://apnews.com/article/western-wildfires-canada-us-946f5599db59517cb88fd3f0df9f5c46
26. Over
2.3 Million Acres Burned in Oregon's 2026 Wildfire Season, Topping 2024 Record
(KATU-TV, Portland, OR)
27. Man
Charged with Arson in Spokane, Washington, Told Police He Planned Wildfire for Weeks
(Associated Press)
28. Goats
for Fire Prevention? The Idea Might Have Legs (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
29.
Video: The Dams Are Killing the Fish (The
Armchair Engineer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzoQWn8Ta5E
30.
Clear the Lines: Policy and Messaging for the
Electric Grid the Northwest Needs (Sightline Institute)
Mining for Data
31.
Associated Press Wildfire Tracker (Associated
Press)
https://apnews.com/wildfire-tracker
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
Who Marooned 30 Cats on
a Boat Near a Tacoma Beach? Answers Are Unclear
https://www.aol.com/articles/marooned-30-cats-boat-near-215619000.html
Four Celestial Events
Will Light Up the Sky on August 12
Man Finds Stolen Picasso
Etching in Milwaukee Property Eight Years After Gallery Theft
162-Year-Old Bottle of
Guinness from Shipwreck Might Be Drinkable
Song of the Day
Gustav Holst – Mars (from
the Planets Suite)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmk5frp6-3Q
Links & Paywall Advisory
The links in The Energy News Digest point to current news stories. Since media websites are updated often, some links might stop working over time.
I try to select stories that you can read without a
subscription. Your experience may be different. The news source will let you
know if there might be a paywall. Clearing your browser history and cookies can
sometimes help you access these sites.
