NWPPA Morning Brief - Thursday, August 20, 2026

NWPPA Morning Brief — Thursday, August 20, 2026 In today's brief: Top Federal Developments NRC Holds First-of-Kind Mandatory Hearing on TVA's Clinch River Small Modular Reactor — https://www.ventureatlas.org/news/2026-08-14-clinch-river-nrc-hearing-bwrx-300 Quantum-GUARD Act Would Direct FERC and DOE to Address Quantum Cyber Risk to the Grid — https://legis1.com/news/quantum-computing-electric-grid-coons-and-rounds PJM Files Conditional Reliability Framework for Large New Loads — https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/energy-power-supply/pjm-s-new-deal-for-data-centers-bring-power-or-face-cuts Top Regional / State Developments Washington Wildfire Costs Top $207 Million with 20 Active Fires — https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/cost-to-battle-20-wildfires-in-wa-has-topped-200m/ California Adopts Nation's Strictest Home-Ignition-Zone Landscaping Rules — https://www.wcbu.org/npr-news/2026-08-19/california-passes-toughest-wildfire-rules-in-the-u-s-for-home-landscaping Black Hills Energy Files 32% Rate Increase for Northeast Wyoming — https://www.kotatv.com/2026/08/17/black-hills-energy-wants-hike-electric-rates-32-northeast-wyoming/?outputType=amp AI and Large Load Demand Radar Pennsylvania Governor Signs Executive Order Regulating AI Data Centers — https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/environmental-law/1833248/pennsylvania-data-center-executive-order-adds-new-development-and-permitting-requirements Worth Knowing New BloombergNEF data cited by Bloomberg Law shows MISO added 7.45 gigawatts of solar between April 2024 and… — https://news.bloomberglaw.com/insurance/burst-of-new-solar-power-makes-midwest-grid-the-biggest-in-us Pilot notice: AI-generated daily briefing. Verify before acting on it. Feel free to reach out if you have comments or concerns.