The Northwest Public Power Association sponsors The Energy News Digest.
The News Digest on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter) will deliver breaking news throughout the week so you can stay informed.
Subscribe to The Energy News Digest to keep up with the latest updates.
Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
Sign Up for NWPPA’s Substation Boot Camp
Gain hands-on experience and practical knowledge at NWPPA’s Substation Boot Camp: Field Operations, Oct. 6-8 in Seattle, Washington. Designed for lineworkers, substation personnel, and distribution engineers, this immersive training covers switching operations, electrical fundamentals, grounding and bonding, safety leadership, and handheld meter use. Register by Aug. 22 to get the early-bird rate and save $120.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Idaho
Power Seeking Approval from Idaho PUC to Sell Oregon Service Territory (Daily
Energy Insider)
Eastern
WA Utility Can Take Private Land for Data Center Power Lines, Judge Rules
(Tri-City Herald, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/eastern-wa-utility-private-land-235558786.html
Cyberattacks
on Water Facilities Test U.S. Defenses, Reveal Gaps (Christian Science Monitor)
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2026/0818/cyberattacks-iran-water-utilities
Broadband
Bills Have Increased for Nearly Half of Americans. Most Say Service Still
Stinks (PC Magazine)
https://www.pcmag.com/news/isp-cost-quality-survey-2026
The
Bateman Island Causeway Is Gone. Now, There’s a ‘Surprising’ Number of Sockeye
Returning to the Yakima River (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
News
Highlights (See Stories Below)
1.
Idaho Power Seeking
Approval from Idaho PUC to Sell Oregon Service Territory
2.
Eastern WA Utility Can
Take Private Land for Data Center Power Lines, Judge Rules
3.
Northwest Council
Proposes 11 GW of New Generation, 5 GW Storage by 2032
4.
Montana Public Service
Commission Says NorthWestern’s Energy Plan ‘Deficient’
5.
Police: Oregon Coast
Power Line Thieves Could Face Terrorism Charges
6.
WA State: Seattle City
Light Sees Uptick in Phone Scams
7.
Port of Long Beach
Signs Deal to Build Small Offshore Nuclear Reactors
8.
Michigan: Lineman Dies
While on the Job, Investigation Underway
9.
Data Center Gas Plants
to Boost U.S. Power Emissions by 20%
10.
The Western Energy
Market Must Shift as Power Flows Evolve, Say Experts
11.
WA State: Jupiter
Power to Seek State Approval for Snoqualmie Battery Site
12.
Canada Bets Big on
Hydro and Wind Power
13.
California: How Much
Do Your Electricity Bills Go Up When It’s Hot? We Crunched the Numbers
14.
The Bateman Island
Causeway Is Gone. Now, there’s a ‘Surprising’ Number of Sockeye Returning to
the Yakima River
15.
The Salish Sea Is the
Place to Be for Orcas This Summer. What’s Behind This Trend?
16.
Why Beavers Are the
Real Stars of This Oregon City Watershed Restoration Project
17.
The Historic
Willamette Falls Locks Closed 15 Years Ago. This Group Is Trying to Reopen Them
18.
Lake Powell Sinks to
Record Low as Colorado River Crisis Deepens
19.
Colorado River Crisis
Threatens Crops, Not Wyoming’s Dam Plans, Experts Say
20.
WA State: Grant County
Farm Water Fight with Ecology Headed to WA State Supreme Court
21.
California Company
Tests Cloud Seeding in Pendleton, Oregon
22.
Broadband Bills Have
Increased for Nearly Half of Americans. Most Say Service Still Stinks
23.
Millions of Comcast
WiFi Routers Can Now Tell When You’re Moving Around the House
24.
Young Adults in the
U.S. Are Increasingly Wary of Artificial Intelligence, Concerned It Will Take
Jobs
25.
Which Artificial
Intelligence Chatbot Did This School Use to Make Such a Ridiculous Map?
26.
Cyberattacks on Water
Facilities Test U.S. Defenses, Reveal Gaps
27.
The Market for Used
Electric Vehicles ‘Is So Hot’ Right Now
28.
China’s Unitree
Unveils ‘Superman’ Robot as Fervor Builds Ahead of Shanghai Debut
29.
California
Gubernatorial Candidate Pledges Two Hours of Free Power a Day
30.
What Will Winter
Weather Be Like in WA? ‘Very Strong’ El Niño in Forecast
31.
‘A Well-Oiled
Machine’: Wire Theft Rings Are Outpacing WSDOT’s Efforts to Protect I-5
Infrastructure
32.
Opinion: Spokane – Now
a River Stopped Flowing: NW Nature Seems to Be Squealing
Word of the Day
Gesamtkunstwerk • \guh-ZAHMT-koonst-verk\ • Noun - From German. The total work of art, meaning the architect designs everything, from soup to nuts.
The architect, as an artist, began the meeting with bright-eyed exuberance. His vision, his gesamtkunstwerk, was to be the crowning achievement…a shining structure in the dusty, Midwest town that would be a beacon for students everywhere. By the time the design had been festooned with folk art and rustic, rural design suggestions… his vision had dwindled into a thousand-square-mile collection of kitsch. ‘Great,’ he mused. ‘I started with the Guggenheim and wound up with Green Acres.’
1.
Idaho Power Seeking Approval from Idaho PUC to Sell
Oregon Service Territory (Daily Energy Insider)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/eastern-wa-utility-private-land-235558786.html
3. Northwest
Council Proposes 11 GW of New Generation, 5 GW Storage by 2032 (Utility Dive)
4. Montana
Public Service Commission Says NorthWestern’s Energy Plan ‘Deficient’ (The
Daily Montanan)
5. Police:
Oregon Coast Power Line Thieves Could Face Terrorism Charges (KPTV-TV, Portland,
OR)
https://www.kptv.com/2026/08/18/police-oregon-coast-power-line-thieves-could-face-terrorism-charges/
6. WA
State: Seattle City Light Sees Uptick in Phone Scams (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle,
WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/crime-blotter/seattle-city-light-scam/4267080
7. Port
of Long Beach Signs Deal to Build Small Offshore Nuclear Reactors (CBS News)
8. Michigan:
Lineman Dies While on the Job, Investigation Underway (KTUU-TV, Anchorage, AK)
https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/08/18/lineman-dies-while-job-investigation-underway/
9. Data
Center Gas Plants to Boost U.S. Power Emissions by 20% (Fortune Magazine)
https://fortune.com/2026/08/18/data-center-gas-plants-to-boost-u-s-power-emissions-by-20/
10. The
Western Energy Market Must Shift as Power Flows Evolve, Say Experts (Utility
Dive)
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
11. WA
State: Jupiter Power to Seek State Approval for Snoqualmie Battery Site (Snoqualmie
Valley Record, WA)
12. Canada
Bets Big on Hydro and Wind Power (Inside Climate News)
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17082026/canada-hydro-wind-power-investments/
Conservation
& Efficiency
13. California:
How Much Do Your Electricity Bills Go Up When It’s Hot? We Crunched the Numbers
(The San Francisco Chronicle, CA – Via MSN News)
Fish
& Wildlife
15. The
Salish Sea Is the Place to Be for Orcas This Summer. What’s Behind This Trend?
(KNKX Radio, Tacoma, WA)
16. Why
Beavers Are the Real Stars of This Oregon City Watershed Restoration Project (The
Oregonian, Portland, OR)
Environmental
Afflatus – Clean Up on Aisle Three
17. The
Historic Willamette Falls Locks Closed 15 Years Ago. This Group Is Trying to Reopen
Them (The Oregonian, Portland, OR – Via MSN News)
Water,
Water Anywhere?
18.
Lake Powell Sinks to Record Low as Colorado
River Crisis Deepens (Accuweather)
19. Colorado
River Crisis Threatens Crops, Not Wyoming’s Dam Plans, Experts Say (Wyofile)
https://wyofile.com/colorado-river-crisis-threatens-crops-not-wyomings-dam-plans-experts-say/
20. WA
State: Grant County Farm Water Fight with Ecology Headed to WA State Supreme
Court (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_359105bd-ab1b-4394-99a6-3b940e41a62e.html
21. California
Company Tests Cloud Seeding in Pendleton, Oregon (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
London
Calling –Telecommunications
https://www.pcmag.com/news/isp-cost-quality-survey-2026
23. Millions
of Comcast WiFi Routers Can Now Tell When You’re Moving Around the House (Gizmodo)
HAL’s
Internet Café
25. Which
Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Did This School Use to Make Such a Ridiculous
Map? (Gizmodo)
https://gizmodo.com/which-ai-chatbot-did-this-school-use-to-make-such-a-ridiculous-map-2000800045
The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
26.
Cyberattacks on Water Facilities Test U.S. Defenses,
Reveal Gaps (Christian Science Monitor)
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2026/0818/cyberattacks-iran-water-utilities
I
Sing the Car Electric
27. The
Market for Used Electric Vehicles ‘Is So Hot’ Right Now (Grist Online)
https://grist.org/transportation/the-market-for-used-evs-is-so-hot-right-now/
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
28. China’s
Unitree Unveils ‘Superman’ Robot as Fervor Builds Ahead of Shanghai Debut (Reuters)
Politics,
Governance, and Management
29. California
Gubernatorial Candidate Pledges Two Hours of Free Power a Day (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/politics/california-becerra-pledges-free-power
Other
Things to Know About Today
30. What
Will Winter Weather Be Like in WA? ‘Very Strong’ El Niño in Forecast (Tacoma
News-Tribune, WA – Via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/winter-weather-wa-very-strong-130000118.html
31. ‘A
Well-Oiled Machine’: Wire Theft Rings Are Outpacing WSDOT’s Efforts to Protect I-5
Infrastructure (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://mynorthwest.com/chokepoints/wire-theft-wsdot-i-5/4266685
Soapbox Serenade – Vox Populi
32.
Opinion: Spokane – Now a River Stopped Flowing: NW
Nature Seems to Be Squealing (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
https://www.chronline.com/stories/now-a-river-stopped-flowing-nw-nature-seems-to-be-squealing,406874
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/jinny-lu-6-old-pug-163313076.html
Mariners Crushed 22-0 by Brewers in Historic
Shutout Loss
NASA Images Show 60-Foot-Wide Crater on Moon
After SpaceX Rocket Booster Crash
https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/nasa-images-show-60-foot-225300595.html
When the Music’s Over: Columbia House Is
Shutting Down After 71 Years
https://www.kcra.com/article/columbia-house-shutting-down-after-71-years/73466151
Song of the Day
Joe Cocker - You Are So Beautiful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPkzNPmOEgQ
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.
