Thursday, January 29, 2015

Energy News Digest for January 29, 2015

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for January 29, 2015

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Proposed Klickitat PUD Pumped Storage Hydro Project Holds Meetings - Five-year plan to build hydroelectric project could bring new jobs (Goldendale Sentinel, WA)

Washington State Fishery Managers Set Smelt, Spring Chinook Seasons (Longview Daily News, WA)

Now That Growing Pot Is Legal, Can It Also Be More Energy Efficient? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Washington‐Made Solar Products Power Award-Winning Bainbridge Island Development (Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, WA)

Survey: Trust Is Key to Utility-Customer Relationship (Utility Dive)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  1. Proposed Klickitat PUD Pumped Storage Hydro Project Holds Meetings - Five-year plan to build hydroelectric project could bring new jobs
  2. Survey: Trust Is Key to Utility-Customer Relationship
  3. Grant PUD to Sell Dozen Homes at Wanapum Village
  4. 2014: A High-Visibility Year for Bonneville Power Administration’s Synchrophasor Program
  5. Texas: Energy Company Stands behind High Electricity Bills
  6. Former EPA Administrator Browner Pushes for More Nuclear Power
  7. Oklahoma Worries about Swarm of Earthquakes & Connection to Oil Industry
  8. Washington State Fishery Managers Set Smelt, Spring Chinook Seasons
  9. U-S Senate Votes to Keep Lesser Prairie Chicken on ‘Threatened’ List
  10. Where Rhinos Once Roamed, A Habitat for Sensitive Willamette Valley Species Emerges in Oregon Wine Country – Thanks to some Bonneville Power Administration Money
  11. California: Measuring Sierra Snowpack Is a Lot More Complex than It Looks
  12. Washington‐Made Solar Products Power Award-Winning Bainbridge Island Development
  13. Solar Panels Get Heat from Beaverton Residents
  14. Solar Parking Lots Sound Like a Great Idea. Why Aren’t They Catching On?
  15. Consumers’ Bureau & FTC Say They Understand Concerns about Solar Leasing Practices
  16. Buffalo Jump? Is Surging U-S Wind Power Headed Off a Cliff?
  17. Energy Smart Industrial: Five Years of Enormous Savings - Program has saved industries more than 647 million kWh of electricity
  18. Energy Adviser: Incentives, Loans Help Conserve Energy
  19. Why People Use Less Energy on Super Bowl Sunday
  20. Now That Growing Pot Is Legal, Can It Also Be More Energy Efficient?
  21. Marijuana News: U-S Attorney General Nominee Opposes Legal Pot
  22. Dude! Legal Marijuana America’s Fastest-Growing Industry – Report
  23. Prominent Investment Firm Pumps Money into Cannabis Tech Company
  24. 12,000 Joints Rolled for Super Bowl ‘12th Pack’
  25. Can We Harvest Lightning for the Power Grid?
  26. Grant PUD Expands Wireless Broadband Network
  27. Google Fiber in Portland, Apple Data Center in Prineville Could Both Hinge on Obscure Oregon Tax Law
  28. Google Says Net Neutrality Won’t Curb Expansion of Google Fiber
  29. Oregon Official: As Comcast Critics Pounce, Kate Brown Doesn’t Want to Talk about Her Letter Supporting Cable Giant
  30. Amazon Starts Cloud Email Service for Businesses
  31. Facebook Tops Wall Street Revenue Target in Fourth
  32. Tips on Shooting Slo-Mo Video with iPhone
  33. Tri-City Legislators Propose Bill to Explore Eastern Washington Seceding from State
  34. Comcast Customer Service Renames Spokane Couple with Profanity on Billing Address
  35. Video: Students Use Seahawks to Learn Leadership
WORD OF THE DAY

Myrmidon • \MURR-muh-don\ • noun – 1: A member of a warlike Thessalian people who followed Achilles on the expedition against Troy 2: A loyal follower, especially one who executes orders without question, protest, or pity.

Alfonse was chosen to meet with the irritated customers over how they had been treated. It wasn’t so much that he was the paragon of human strength or struck fear in the hearts of anyone. It was that Alfonse was considered the ultimate myrmidon, or “good soldier”. He would bleat the company’s party line regardless of logic, precedence or legality until all in the room were exhausted by his efforts.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Proposed Klickitat PUD Pumped Storage Hydro Project Holds Meetings - Five-year plan to build hydroelectric project could bring new jobs (Goldendale Sentinel, WA)

Survey: Trust Is Key to Utility-Customer Relationship (Utility Dive)

Grant PUD to Sell Dozen Homes at Wanapum Village (iFiber One News, Ephrata, WA)

2014: A High-Visibility Year for Bonneville Power Administration’s Synchrophasor Program (Bonneville Power Administration)

Texas: Energy Company Stands behind High Electricity Bills (KTRK-TV, Houston, TX)

Former EPA Administrator Browner Pushes for More Nuclear Power (Utility Dive)

Oklahoma Worries about Swarm of Earthquakes & Connection to Oil Industry (Washington Post)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Washington State Fishery Managers Set Smelt, Spring Chinook Seasons (Longview Daily News, WA)

U-S Senate Votes to Keep Lesser Prairie Chicken on ‘Threatened’ List (Associated Press)

Where Rhinos Once Roamed, A Habitat for Sensitive Willamette Valley Species Emerges in Oregon Wine Country – Thanks to some Bonneville Power Administration Money (Oregonian, Portland)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

California: Measuring Sierra Snowpack Is a Lot More Complex than It Looks (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Washington‐Made Solar Products Power Award-Winning Bainbridge Island Development (Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, WA)

Solar Panels Get Heat from Beaverton Residents (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)

Solar Parking Lots Sound Like a Great Idea. Why Aren’t They Catching On? (Christian Science Monitor)

Consumers’ Bureau & FTC Say They Understand Concerns about Solar Leasing Practices (American Public Power Association)

Buffalo Jump? Is Surging U-S Wind Power Headed Off a Cliff? (Breaking Energy)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Energy Smart Industrial: Five Years of Enormous Savings - Program has saved industries more than 647 million kWh of electricity (Bonneville Power Administration)

Energy Adviser: Incentives, Loans Help Conserve Energy (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Why People Use Less Energy on Super Bowl Sunday (Washington Post)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Now That Growing Pot Is Legal, Can It Also Be More Energy Efficient? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Marijuana News: U-S Attorney General Nominee Opposes Legal Pot (Oregonian, Portland)

Dude! Legal Marijuana America’s Fastest-Growing Industry – Report (RT)

Prominent Investment Firm Pumps Money into Cannabis Tech Company (Marijuana Business Daily)

12,000 Joints Rolled for Super Bowl ‘12th Pack’ (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Can We Harvest Lightning for the Power Grid? (Forbes Magazine)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Grant PUD Expands Wireless Broadband Network (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

Google Fiber in Portland, Apple Data Center in Prineville Could Both Hinge on Obscure Oregon Tax Law (Oregonian, Portland)

Google Says Net Neutrality Won’t Curb Expansion of Google Fiber (Consumerist)

Oregon Official: As Comcast Critics Pounce, Kate Brown Doesn’t Want to Talk about Her Letter Supporting Cable Giant (Oregonian, Portland)

Amazon Starts Cloud Email Service for Businesses (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook Tops Wall Street Revenue Target in Fourth Quarter (Reuters)

Tips on Shooting Slo-Mo Video with iPhone (USA Today)

GENERAL NEWS

Tri-City Legislators Propose Bill to Explore Eastern Washington Seceding from State (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Comcast Customer Service Renames Spokane Couple with Profanity on Billing Address (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Video: Students Use Seahawks to Learn Leadership (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Farmer Herds His Happy Cows into Smiley-Face Formation

Simulator Runs Super Bowl Matchup 50,000 Times, And the Winner Is ...

“Bare Shoulders” – Teen Forced to Wear Winter Coat or Leave School Dance

Chocolate Was Once Considered a Powerful Cure-All Drug

SONG OF THE DAY

John Denver - Sunshine on My Shoulders

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.