Good morning, it's Wednesday.

🗓️ On this day: In 1883, Manche Langley was born. Considered to be one of the first women to practice law in Oregon, she went on to become the deputy district attorney of Multnomah County and a professor at Pacific University.

⛅ Today's weather: Partly sunny, high 82, low 59.

Today's newsletter is 1,027 words — a 4-minute read.

The Pacific Northwest will need to add a tremendous amount of new power over the next six years to keep the lights on for all of its residents, according to a new federal draft report.

Why it matters: Population growth, data centers and electrification are expected to send the region's electricity demand soaring.

Driving the news: The Northwest Power and Conservation Council, which plans for the region's energy needs across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, released its draft Ninth Power Plan last week.

By the numbers: To keep up with demand, the Pacific Northwest will need an additional 11 gigawatts of new generating capacity by 2032 — roughly as much annual power-generating capacity as Oregon has today.

• Most of that — 9.2 gigawatts — will come from renewables like wind and solar, while 2.1 gigawatts will need to come from natural gas power plants.
• The region will also need to add 5 gigawatts of storage capacity.

Plus: It will need to cut demand by about one gigawatt through energy efficiency, per the report.

For reference, one gigawatt is enough to power up to 750,000 homes simultaneously under normal conditions.

Reality check: It took the region a decade to add the last 10 gigawatts of power, per OPB.

• Oregon and Washington also have some of the slowest rates of clean energy adoption in the country, per ProPublica.
• And that was before the Trump administration pulled back tax breaks and other forms of support for renewable energy projects.

Zoom out: The challenge only grows from here.

• Power demand is expected to potentially double over the next 20 years.

Follow the money: Meeting that demand will require more than $2 billion in investment from renewable energy developers and utilities.

• It's a tall ask given power bills have already risen considerably since 2021.

What's next: The report is still just a draft and the public will have multiple chances to weigh in before it's finalized, either online or at a series of public meetings.

Share this story

Portland is less than a week away from our last 8pm sunset of the year.

The big picture: While we're still in the thick of summer — and our hottest days may still lie ahead — the inevitable march toward darker skies has begun.

• Our last 8pm sunset is Aug. 25, according to Time and Date. Then the loss of light will accelerate.
• We won't get another post-8pm sunset until mid-April.

Between the lines: We lose a little more daylight every day as the Earth's Northern Hemisphere tilts away from the Sun through Dec. 21, which will be the shortest day of the year.

• But the farther west within a time zone you live, the later your sunsets will typically be.

Zoom out: East Coast cities from Boston to Miami are already officially in 8pm darkness.

• Ditto for Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, New Orleans, Nashville and Denver in their respective time zones.

💭 Meira's thought bubble: Here's how I'm soaking up the last of the summer sun:

• Taking an after-dinner stroll with friends to catch golden hour at Peninsula Park.
• Hosting a backyard dinner party or eating al fresco at a new restaurant.
• Swimming at my favorite river spot until the sun hides behind trees.

☀️ What do you do to savor summer?

Hit reply and let us know

😢 Despite our best efforts, Portland will not be the next city to host the James Beard Awards after we were eliminated from the running in the first round. (The Oregonian)

⚖️ The former CEO of Oregon Health & Science University is suing the institution, alleging that racism, sexism and anti-Muslim prejudice tainted the investigation that led to his firing.

• OHSU said it planned to "vigorously defend against those allegations." (OPB)

🏥 The Providence Portland Medical Center will add nearly 100 beds, filling two floors of its cancer treatment facility that were built in 2008 but left empty in anticipation of future need. (KOIN)

🐘 Elephants Deli's flagship location in Northwest Portland, which burned down six months ago, could be reborn as a food hall with space for 18 food carts, according to early planning documents. (The Oregonian)

The Oregon Ducks will debut as the No. 2 team in the nation, per the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.

• It's the best preseason ranking in team history.
• The only team to get more first-place votes: Ohio State, which eliminated the Ducks from the playoffs in the Rose Bowl in 2024.

What's next: Oregon will kick off its season against No. 28 Boise State at 12:30pm Sept. 5 in Eugene.

When I saw this billboard on the corner of North Rosa Parks Way and Interstate Avenue yesterday I thought, "What a strange thing to advertise."

• With no blatant logo or "paid for" signage, what's the point?

I dug a bit deeper and learned the stat is referring to a 2024 survey from the International Dairy Foods Association showing 97% of Americans "love or like" ice cream (we'll put the obvious bias aside for now).

• Turns out, Oregon ice cream maker Alden's is behind the billboard and is leaning into that rare point of American consensus for a new campaign built around the things we don't agree on. Bold!

For example, the brand has posted up at Cathedral Park to ask people their thoughts on cats or dogs and whether sending "K" in a text message is an act of aggression.

• Apparently, these topics are considerably more divisive than a scoop of ice cream.

🤔 Meira is realizing she may live on a different planet because none of these "songs of the summer" are on her playlist.

🌅 Kale is sticking by his controversial opinion that earlier sunsets are good, actually.

This newsletter was edited by Meira Gebel.