Monday, January 5, 2015

Energy News Digest for January 5, 2015

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for January 5, 2015

Special Weather Statements:

Landslide Danger

Flooding

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Grays Harbor Hit Hard by Flooding, Landslides (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

California Gas Prices Rise for First Time in Weeks - Cap-And-Trade Effect Cited (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Small Seabirds Washing Up Dead on Pacific Northwest Beaches (Northwest Public Radio)

Report: FCC to Vote on New Net Neutrality Proposal in February (Consumerist)

Yakima County Considers Broader License System to Discourage Pot Businesses (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
Grays Harbor Hit Hard by Flooding, Landslides
  1. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant Begins Slow Process of Closing
  2. Study: Spending On Outage Management Systems to Reach $1.3 Billion in 2023
  3. California: Governor Brown Names Commissioner Michael Picker President of PUC
  4. Small Seabirds Washing Up Dead on Pacific Northwest Beaches
  5. Op/Ed: Public Can’t Afford to Subsidize New Water Projects
  6. States Work to Meet New Renewable Energy Standards
  7. California Public Utility Chooses Storage over New Gas Plant
  8. Nest Continues Quest for Smart Home Domination
  9. What You Need to Know about Organic Light Emitting Diode Lighting
  10. Yakima County Considers Broader License System to Discourage Pot Businesses
  11. Unhooking Users from Pushers: Black Market Cuts into Peninsula’s Legal Retail Profit
  12. 'They Don't Think It's a Crime': Yellowstone Sees Rise in Pot Cases
  13. Colorado Colleges Ask Feds for Permission to Grow Marijuana for Research Purposes
  14. Feds Stick to Court Argument That Marijuana is Dangerous
  15. California Gas Prices Rise for First Time in Weeks - Cap-And-Trade Effect Cited
  16. California’s Cap-And-Trade Program Now Covers Cars
  17. Car Charging Network Stuck in Idle - Federally Funded Car Recharging Stations Get Little Use
  18. Report: FCC to Vote on New Net Neutrality Proposal in February
  19. Up to Speed: GOP Prepping to Challenge FCC's Impending Net Neutrality Rules
  20. The Town without Wi-Fi - The town is a magnet for technophobes
  21. Beer Wars: Portland Plans to Sue Pabst Brewing Company for Trademark Violation
  22. Oregon U-S Senator Wyden Ends Portland Town Hall after Protesters Take Over
  23. Suicidal Shelton-Area Man Dies after Confrontation with Deputies
  24. Mason County: Island Lake Structure Fire
  25. Rough Flu Season in Full Swing
  26. Two Kennewick Fires on Saturday Caused by Electric Blanket, Hot Stove Burner
  27. Historic Kalakala Ferry to Be Destroyed Later This Month
WORD OF THE DAY

Eleemosynary • \ell-ih-MAWS-uhn-nair-ee\ • adjective – Of, relating to, or supported by charity

“Ye shall be sentenced to violating the ‘Poor Laws’ and placed in a workhouse until rehabilitated,” pronounced the pinch-faced, bewigged judge to the trembling boy. The “Great London Waif Crisis” of the Victorian age was in full sway, and without a wide range of eleemosynary institutions, the workhouse, poor farm or prison were about the only options available to the poor little tyke. (Yeesh, this is pretty dark for an example sentence. I’ll blame it all on Charles Dickens.)

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Grays Harbor Hit Hard by Flooding, Landslides (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant Begins Slow Process of Closing (NY Times)

Study: Spending On Outage Management Systems to Reach $1.3 Billion in 2023 (Utility Dive)

California: Governor Brown Names Commissioner Michael Picker President of PUC (Los Angeles Times, CA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Small Seabirds Washing Up Dead on Pacific Northwest Beaches (Northwest Public Radio)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Op/Ed: Public Can’t Afford to Subsidize New Water Projects (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

States Work to Meet New Renewable Energy Standards (Associated Press)

California Public Utility Chooses Storage over New Gas Plant (Utility Dive)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Nest Continues Quest for Smart Home Domination (Mashable)

What You Need to Know about Organic Light Emitting Diode Lighting (Washington Post)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Yakima County Considers Broader License System to Discourage Pot Businesses (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Unhooking Users from Pushers: Black Market Cuts into Peninsula’s Legal Retail Profit (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

'They Don't Think It's a Crime': Yellowstone Sees Rise in Pot Cases (Associated Press)

Colorado Colleges Ask Feds for Permission to Grow Marijuana for Research Purposes (Oregonian, Portland)

Feds Stick to Court Argument That Marijuana is Dangerous (Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

California Gas Prices Rise for First Time in Weeks - Cap-And-Trade Effect Cited (Sacramento Bee, CA)

California’s Cap-And-Trade Program Now Covers Cars (Grist Online)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Car Charging Network Stuck in Idle - Federally Funded Car Recharging Stations Get Little Use (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Report: FCC to Vote on New Net Neutrality Proposal in February (Consumerist)

Up to Speed: GOP Prepping to Challenge FCC's Impending Net Neutrality Rules (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

The Town without Wi-Fi - The town is a magnet for technophobes, and the locals aren’t thrilled to have them (Washingtonian Magazine)

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Beer Wars: Portland Plans to Sue Pabst Brewing Company for Trademark Violation (Oregonian, Portland)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Oregon U-S Senator Wyden Ends Portland Town Hall after Protesters Take Over (Oregonian, Portland)

GENERAL NEWS

Suicidal Shelton-Area Man Dies after Confrontation with Deputies (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Mason County: Island Lake Structure Fire (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Rough Flu Season in Full Swing (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Two Kennewick Fires on Saturday Caused by Electric Blanket, Hot Stove Burner (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Historic Kalakala Ferry to Be Destroyed Later This Month (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Watch What Happens When Disney World’s Gaston Gets Challenged to a Push-Up Contest

Woman Faces Up to a Month in Jail for Mailing Her Neighbors Cow Poop

Wisconsin Police Find Wedding Ring on Their Christmas Tree

Naked Woman Rescued from Chimney of Estranged Boyfriend

SONG OF THE DAY

Gary Lewis & the Playboys - This Diamond Ring

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.

Note that as some newspapers migrate to a “paywall” system of access, some articles may not be available without forking over some cold hard credit card cash. However, some sites will allow a certain number of story accesses per month before holding out their hand. Sorry if this is an inconvenience.