Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Wisconsin Democrats' election wins could shift state energy policy; lawsuits, unpaid taxes plague company behind Columbia River refinery, and a philanthropist bestows $70M on New Mexico's tribal institutions.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, November 5, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Rising utility bills, gas prices, and concerns about climate change help shape the midterm elections.

That's according to environmental advocates who say supporters are demanding cleaner, more affordable energy.

In Wisconsin, groups supportive of climate power president Lori Lode says development of these facilities became an important part of the affordability debate in Wisconsin and nationwide as communities question the pollution and electricity costs associated with powering them.

Basically, every sitting DEM governor or governor-elect embraced clean energy as a key guardrail against data center pollution.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley was elected the state's first black governor.

Charlie has pledged to give local communities the final say over data center projects.

And a company proposing to build a non-conventional diesel refinery on the Columbia River is facing foreclosure, lawsuits, and other major financial challenges across the country.

That's according to research collected by Oregon nonprofits.

A letter to the governor flags that Houston-based Next Renewable Fuels is no longer allowed to operate in Delaware because it owes nearly half a million dollars in back taxes to that state.

Audrey Leonard, an attorney with Columbia Riverkeeper, says the problems don't stop there, adding that the site of the proposed refinery in Oregon is under foreclosure because Next failed to make payments.

They failed to pay their business taxes and are being sued by investors and consultants that they've hired.

All factors into the laundry list of reasons that this is a really bad idea for Oregon and for the community in Klatskenai.

Leonard says Governor Kotek voiced her support for the project last year, citing the potential for jobs and added tax revenue.

Neither Next nor the governor's office responded to a request for comment.

I'm Isobel Charle.

And two months after noting a drop in financial support, the American Indian College Fund has received a $70 million contribution from a major U.S. philanthropist with no strings attached.

The unrestricted grant from Yield Giving was made on behalf of Mackenzie Scott, who helped launch Amazon.com in 1994.

The gift comes just months after funding for the nonprofit faltered following the COVID-19 pandemic.

College Fund President Cheryl Crazybull says the gift lets the organization expand scholarships for students attending tribal colleges and universities.

They are among the most responsive institutions when it comes to aligning their curriculum with tribal and local and even regional priorities for education.

It's estimated about 15% of indigenous people hold a college degree, which is less than half the national average.

I'm Roz Brown.

This is Public News Service.

Unlike the lower 48 where small power generators are interconnected, Alaska's microgrids often involve a standalone source of electricity.

Nearly 190 rural communities generate standalone power for about 80,000 residents of rural Alaska, mostly through small diesel generators.

But some communities are trying to reduce their reliance on diesel.

The tiny northwest Arctic village of Kotzebue now runs on 20% wind energy, according to Renewable Energy Alaska Project Executive Director Katie Lister.

That 20% for Kotzebue represents around 300,000 gallons of diesel annually that is displaced.

For the community, that's significant.

At $6 a gallon, that's $1.8 million that didn't have to get spent on importing diesel.

Diesel prices, already volatile in Alaska because of unpredictable weather and challenging geography, are especially difficult now amid America's conflict in Iran.

I'm Mark Moran.

And environmental groups are pointing to the rising energy cost as one reason behind Tuesday's political shakeup in Texas, where Democrats scored major victories in the longtime GOP stronghold.

Clean energy supporters criticized Trump administration's efforts to keep aging coal plants running while restricting renewable energy development.

David Kiva, president of EDF Action, says voters are sending a message about the cost of keeping the lights on.

President Trump and his friends have built a pretty powerful messaging machine.

But when they tell people that things are great and they look at their bills and they understand that they are not, they lose credibility on any number of different issues.

The administration maintains that keeping coal and natural gas plants operating is necessary to ensure reliable power and keep prices down.

It argues that retiring those plants too quickly, particularly as electricity demand grows, could increase the risk of power shortages and put additional pressure on household utility bills.

Crystal Blair reporting.

Finally, Democrats are poised for a major shift in power in Pennsylvania following the midterm election.

Governor Josh Shapiro won a second term with 60 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Stacey Garrity.

Democrats also flipped four of Pennsylvania's U.S.

House seats, helping the party secure control of the chamber.

Matthew Levandusky of the University of Pennsylvania says if the projections hold up, Democrats would net over 255 seats in Washington, D.C.

I think this is much more a repudiation of Trump and the policies that have been enacted in the second Trump administration than is an embrace of Democrats.

You know, we see factors like the cost of gas, food, just the cost of prices generally.

Danielle Smith reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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