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Joel Myer, Communicator Emeritus, edits The Energy News Digest.
Programming Note
The Energy News Digest will be on a time-out in the corner on September 7 and September 9.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Why Finding Missing
Workers from Nepal’s Hydropower Tunnels Is Proving to Be Difficult (Associated
Press)
Falling Lake Mead
Threatens Hoover Dam’s Power Output (KNXV-TV, Phoenix, AZ)
https://www.abc15.com/news/falling-lake-mead-threatens-hoover-dams-power-output
The U.S. Built More
Grid Batteries Last Quarter Than Ever Before (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/batteries/us-built-more-grid-batteries
Climate Change Past
the Point of No Return, UN Says, as Worst Impacts Are Now Unavoidable (Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/unep-climate-paris-global-warming-9.7329305
An Island Is Floating
Around a British Columbia Reservoir — And It Keeps Disappearing (Global News,
Canada)
https://globalnews.ca/news/12044932/floating-island-bc-williston-resevoir/
News Highlights (See Stories Below)
1. Why Finding Missing Workers from Nepal’s Hydropower Tunnels
Is Proving to Be Difficult
2. Falling Lake Mead Threatens Hoover Dam’s Power Output
3. The Pacific Northwest Has a Copper Theft Problem
4. Refreshed Strategic Plan Sharpens Bonneville Power
Administration’s Focus on Accelerated Grid Expansion, Ratepayer Protection
5. Montana Regulators Order NorthWestern Energy to Redo
20-Year Power Plan after Review Finds Gaps
6. Economic Growth Is Stunted in Wyoming Due to Lack of
Electrons, Industrial Customers Say
7. British Columbia Energy Ministry Says Four Calculation
Mistakes Led to $1.5 Billion Budget Error
8. Man Accused of Shooting at Tree Removal Workers in Oregon
City Appears in Court
9. Alaska: Fall Storm Season Is Near – Here Are Some Ways to
Prepare
10. Small Nuclear Reactors Could Be America’s Next Power Move
11. The U.S. Built More Grid Batteries Last Quarter Than Ever
Before
12. California: Vacaville Battery Storage Project Draws Hours
of Opposition at Final Public Hearing
13. WA State: Snohomish PUD to Celebrate Opening of South
Everett Solar Project
14. Wind Energy Benefits North Dakota. So Why Has the State
Soured on It?
15. Coho Salmon Fishing Reopens Off Columbia River with Weekend
Window
16. How a Klamath Basin Bird Crisis Brings Old Water Rivals
Together
17. Climate Change Past the Point of No Return, UN Says, as
Worst Impacts Are Now Unavoidable
18. Colorado River Drought Lawsuits May Dampen Wyoming Dam
Plans
19. Reining in Big Tech: How California Lawmakers Plan to
Regulate Artificial Intelligence & Social Media
20. WA State: More Data Centers Possible for Klickitat County
21. Google Just Escaped a Breakup of Its Ad Tech Empire
22. Social Media Companies Are Trying Harder to Know Which
Users Are Kids
23. An Island Is Floating Around a British Columbia Reservoir —
And It Keeps Disappearing
24. California Assembly Kills Wildfire Liability Plan Gov.
Newsom Agreed to with Legislators
25. Montana: Judge Confirms PSC Commissioner Will Remain
Suspended
26. Above-Average Rainfall Forecast for the West as El Niño
Kicks into Gear
27. Choosing the Least Bad Option: Local Blackouts vs.
Catastrophic Wildfires
28. Washington Creates a New Tool to Address Transmission
Bottlenecks
Word of the Day
Defile \dih-FILE\ Verb/Noun – 1 - Verb: to make unclean or impure: as - a: to corrupt the purity or perfection of, debase; b: to make physically unclean, especially with something unpleasant or contaminating d: to violate the sanctity of, desecrate e: sully, dishonor 2 – Noun: a narrow passage through mountains, a narrow passage or gorge.
The troop of spelunkers entered the defile leading to the yawning entrance of the infamous “Cave of the Intestinally Distressed Bats.” Only the tour guide knew what they would find. Only the adventurers with excellent vocabularies realized too late the origin of the cavern’s name and the reason the tour included heavy discounts on dry cleaning at the small nearby town’s single laundry establishment.
1. Why
Finding Missing Workers from Nepal’s Hydropower Tunnels Is Proving to Be
Difficult (Associated Press)
2. Falling
Lake Mead Threatens Hoover Dam’s Power Output (KNXV-TV, Phoenix, AZ)
https://www.abc15.com/news/falling-lake-mead-threatens-hoover-dams-power-output
3. The
Pacific Northwest Has a Copper Theft Problem (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kuow.org/economy/2026-09-02/the-pacific-northwest-has-a-copper-theft-problem
4. Refreshed
Strategic Plan Sharpens Bonneville Power Administration’s Focus on Accelerated
Grid Expansion, Ratepayer Protection (Bonneville Power Administration)
5. Montana
Regulators Order NorthWestern Energy to Redo 20-Year Power Plan after Review
Finds Gaps (The Cool Down)
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/northwestern-energy-revise-power-plan-montana/
6. Economic
Growth Is Stunted in Wyoming Due to Lack of Electrons, Industrial Customers Say
(Wyofiles)
7. British
Columbia Energy Ministry Says Four Calculation Mistakes Led to $1.5 Billion Budget
Error (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-gas-royalty-budget-error-9.7328419
8. Man
Accused of Shooting at Tree Removal Workers in Oregon City Appears in Court (KOIN-TV,
Portland, OR)
9. Alaska:
Fall Storm Season Is Near – Here Are Some Ways to Prepare (KNOM Radio, Anchorage,
AK)
https://knom.org/2026/08/31/fall-storm-season-is-near-here-are-some-ways-to-prepare/
10. Small
Nuclear Reactors Could Be America’s Next Power Move (Christian Science Monitor)
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2026/0902/nuclear-power-data-centers
Renewable
Energy & Self Storage
11. The
U.S. Built More Grid Batteries Last Quarter Than Ever Before (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/batteries/us-built-more-grid-batteries
12. California:
Vacaville Battery Storage Project Draws Hours of Opposition at Final Public
Hearing (CBS News)
https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/vacaville-battery-storage-project-final-public-hearing/
13. WA
State: Snohomish PUD to Celebrate Opening of South Everett Solar Project (Everett
Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.heraldnet.com/2026/09/01/pud-to-celebrate-opening-of-south-everett-solar-project/
14. Wind
Energy Benefits North Dakota. So Why Has the State Soured on It? (Canary Media)
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/wind/wind-energy-north-dakota-benefits
Fish
& Wildlife
15. Coho
Salmon Fishing Reopens Off Columbia River with Weekend Window (The Oregonian, Portland,
OR)
16. How
a Klamath Basin Bird Crisis Brings Old Water Rivals Together (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
Climate
Change Sequestration Vault
17. Climate
Change Past the Point of No Return, UN Says, as Worst Impacts Are Now
Unavoidable (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/unep-climate-paris-global-warming-9.7329305
Water,
Water Anywhere?
18. Colorado
River Drought Lawsuits May Dampen Wyoming Dam Plans (WyoFile)
https://wyofile.com/colorado-river-drought-lawsuits-may-dampen-wyoming-dam-plans/
HAL’s
Internet Café
19. Reining
in Big Tech: How California Lawmakers Plan to Regulate Artificial Intelligence
& Social Media (Los Angeles Times, CA – via Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/reigning-big-tech-california-lawmakers-005701389.html
20. WA
State: More Data Centers Possible for Klickitat County (Goldendale Sentinel, WA
- Paywall Advisory)
Public
Relations, Marketing & Media
21. Google
Just Escaped a Breakup of Its Ad Tech Empire (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/media-advertising/articles/google-just-escaped-breakup-ad-164423335.html
22. Social
Media Companies Are Trying Harder to Know Which Users Are Kids (Associated
Press)
https://abcnews.com/amp/Technology/wireStory/social-media-companies-harder-users-kids-136105662
Barrel
O’ Green Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
23. An
Island Is Floating Around a British Columbia Reservoir — And It Keeps
Disappearing (Global News, Canada)
https://globalnews.ca/news/12044932/floating-island-bc-williston-resevoir/
Politics,
Governance, and Management
24. California
Assembly Kills Wildfire Liability Plan Gov. Newsom Agreed to with Legislators (KCRA-TV,
Sacramento, CA)
25. Montana:
Judge Confirms PSC Commissioner Will Remain Suspended (Daily Montanan)
https://dailymontanan.com/2026/08/31/judge-confirms-psc-commissioner-will-remain-suspended/
Other
Things to Know About Today
26. Above-Average
Rainfall Forecast for the West as El Niño Kicks into Gear (KTLA-TV, Los Angeles,
CA)
https://ktla.com/weather/above-average-rainfall-forecast-for-the-west-as-el-nino-kicks-into-gear/
Soapbox
Serenade – Vox Populi
27.
Choosing the Least Bad Option: Local Blackouts
vs. Catastrophic Wildfires (The Institute for Western Energy)
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/choosing-least-bad-option-local-blackouts-veexc
28.
Washington Creates a New Tool to Address
Transmission Bottlenecks (Davis Wright Tremaine LLP)
Diversions - Alligators in the Sewer
13-Year-Old Sells 1-of-1
Gold Jimothy Rookie Card for More Than $21,000 on eBay
https://mynorthwest.com/local/jimothy-rookie-card-auction/4271045
Pugs in Wigs, Suits &
Capes Vie for Top Prize at Packed Portland Pooch Pageant
Over 100 Colonel
Sanders Artifacts Sold at Auction, Totaling Nearly $300,000
https://www.wlky.com/article/colonel-sanders-memorabilia-sold-auction/73295779
Man Balances 254
Toilet Paper Rolls on His Head
Song of the Day
Henhouse Five Plus Two
(Ray Stevens) - In the Mood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vxdQwVuago
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