Monday, May 4, 2015

Energy News Digest for May 4, 2015

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for May 4, 2015

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Court of Appeals Rules Klickitat County PUD Must Pay for 2010 Wildfire (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Tesla’s Battery Technology to Power Homes, Businesses (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Seattle Activists Push for City-Run, High-Speed Internet Service (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Scientists Monitor Undersea Volcanic Eruption Off Oregon Coast (Reuters)

Two Sea Lions Die in Trap at Bonneville Dam (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Court of Appeals Rules Klickitat County PUD Must Pay for 2010 Wildfire
  • Snohomish PUD Probes Allegations of Unfair Contracts
  • Taxpayers: Don’t Send Jefferson PUD Your Property Taxes
  • History Month: How the Cowlitz PUD Came to Be
  • Supreme Court to Review U-S Electricity Market Efficiency Rule
  • Electric Smart Meters Operating in Two-Way Mode Surpasses One-Way Smart Meters
  • Three Serious Failures in Transmission Planning & How to Fix Them
  • Two Sea Lions Die in Trap at Bonneville Dam
  • White Salmon River Evolves Amid Mixed Feelings
  • Sammamish Residents Say Development Would Add Traffic, Harm Salmon
  • Willapa-Grays Harbor Oyster Growers Association & DOE Cancel Pesticide Permit
  • Oyster Heaven: Hama Hama Hits Upon a Tasty Business Model
  • New Sea Star Babies Offer Hope amid Mass Deaths in Pacific
  • Low Water Forecasts at Dalles Dam Will Impact How Much Montana Reservoirs Will Be Drawn Down
  • California: Sacramento Water Coalition Works to Avoid Feared ‘Dead Pool’ at Folsom Dam
  • Initiative 937 – Carbon Reduction Investments are Smart Strategy for Electric Sector
  • Montana: Second Wind Farm Going up near Fairfield
  • U-S Senator Lamar Alexander Blasts EPA for Favoring Wind & Solar over Nuclear Power
  • Co-ops Rank Highly on Solar Top 10 List
  • Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Enhanced Geothermal Systems
  • Washington State Group Challenging New Medical Marijuana Law
  • California Pot Legalization Effort Is All About Details
  • Editorial: Washington State’s Drought Is a Natural Cycle
  • Tesla’s Battery Technology to Power Homes, Businesses
  • Northwest Students Take to the Track in Lacey Electric Car Rally
  • Road-Tripping on the West Coast Electric Highway
  • Seattle Activists Push for City-Run, High-Speed Internet Service
  • Comcast’s Internet Subscribers Surpass Cable TV Customers
  • Large Saturday Comcast Outage Comes at Terrible Time for Fight Fans
  • Cutting the Cord: Navigating Streaming Services & Living without Cable TV
  • Choosing an Internet Service Provider: Tips for Cord-Cutters
  • Olympia Students, Educators Talk Technology
  • Seven Ways Your Facebook Page Can Help Your Business
  • Washington State Lawmakers Might Expand Their Social Network
  • Carly Fiorina Really Should Have Remembered to Register Her Domain Name
  • Philip Morris International Uses Copyright Claims to Quiet Marlboro Critics
  • Search of Washington State Auditor Troy Kelley’s House, Computers Raises More Questions
  • Scientists Monitor Undersea Volcanic Eruption Off Oregon Coast
  • Wood Stove Smoke Down – Washington State’s Air Quality Is Back in Line Again
  • The Most (and Least) Polluted Cities in America
  • Mason County: Filing for Public Office Begins Next Week
  • Hupp Withdraws from Port of Shelton Commission Race
  • Change of Date & Venue for the Next Downtown Shelton Visioning Meeting
  • Police Shoot Dead Two Gunmen at Texas Exhibit of Prophet Mohammad Cartoons
WORD OF THE DAY

Doyen • \DOY-un\ • noun – *1: the senior or most experienced member of a group 2: the oldest example of a category

“Man, at 98 years old you’re the oldest employee here,” shouted Biff at handsome Buck Mulligan. “The thing is, you don’t look a day over 30. I’ll bet there’s a picture of Doyen Gray somewhere in your attic!”

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Court of Appeals Rules Klickitat County PUD Must Pay for 2010 Wildfire (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Snohomish PUD Probes Allegations of Unfair Contracts (Associated Press)

Taxpayers: Don’t Send Jefferson PUD Your Property Taxes – PUD returns $18,000 to county from mistaken online transfers (Port Townsend Leader, WA)

History Month: How the Cowlitz PUD Came to Be (Longview Daily News, WA)

Supreme Court to Review U-S Electricity Market Efficiency Rule (Reuters)

Electric Smart Meters Operating in Two-Way Mode Surpasses One-Way Smart Meters (U-S Energy Information Administration)

Three Serious Failures in Transmission Planning & How to Fix Them (Utility Dive)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Two Sea Lions Die in Trap at Bonneville Dam (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

White Salmon River Evolves Amid Mixed Feelings – With Condit Dam gone, life goes on, but with many changes, challenges (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Sammamish Residents Say Development Would Add Traffic, Harm Salmon (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Willapa-Grays Harbor Oyster Growers Association & DOE Cancel Pesticide Permit (KXRO Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Oyster Heaven: Hama Hama Hits Upon a Tasty Business Model (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

New Sea Star Babies Offer Hope amid Mass Deaths in Pacific (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Low Water Forecasts at Dalles Dam Will Impact How Much Montana Reservoirs Will Be Drawn Down (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

California: Sacramento Water Coalition Works to Avoid Feared ‘Dead Pool’ at Folsom Dam (Sacramento Bee, CA)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Initiative 937 – Carbon Reduction Investments are Smart Strategy for Electric Sector (Plan Washington Catalyst)

Montana: Second Wind Farm Going up near Fairfield (Great Falls Tribune, MT)
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2015/05/01/second-wind-farm-going-near-fairfield/26745287/

U-S Senator Lamar Alexander Blasts EPA for Favoring Wind & Solar over Nuclear Power (Chattanooga Times Free Press, TN)
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2015/apr/29/alexander-blasts-epa-favoring-wind-and-solar-over-nuclear-power/301512/

Co-ops Rank Highly on Solar Top 10 List (Electric Co-op Today)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Enhanced Geothermal Systems (Breaking Energy)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Washington State Group Challenging New Medical Marijuana Law (Marijuana Business Daily)

California Pot Legalization Effort Is All About Details (Sacramento Bee, CA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Editorial: Washington State’s Drought Is a Natural Cycle (Omak Chronicle, WA)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Tesla’s Battery Technology to Power Homes, Businesses (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Northwest Students Take to the Track in Lacey Electric Car Rally (Olympian - Paywall Advisory)

Road-Tripping on the West Coast Electric Highway (Northwest Public Radio)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Seattle Activists Push for City-Run, High-Speed Internet Service (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Comcast’s Internet Subscribers Surpass Cable TV Customers (Oregonian, Portland)

Large Saturday Comcast Outage Comes at Terrible Time for Fight Fans (Associated Press)

Cutting the Cord: Navigating Streaming Services & Living without Cable TV (Oregonian, Portland)

Choosing an Internet Service Provider: Tips for Cord-Cutters (Oregonian, Portland)

Olympia Students, Educators Talk Technology (Olympian - Paywall Advisory)

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Seven Ways Your Facebook Page Can Help Your Business (Social Media Examiner)

Washington State Lawmakers Might Expand Their Social Network (Olympian - Paywall Advisory)

Carly Fiorina Really Should Have Remembered to Register Her Domain Name (Gizmodo)

Philip Morris International Uses Copyright Claims to Quiet Marlboro Critics (Consumerist)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Search of Washington State Auditor Troy Kelley’s House, Computers Raises More Questions (Northwest Public Radio)

GENERAL NEWS

Scientists Monitor Undersea Volcanic Eruption Off Oregon Coast (Reuters)

Wood Stove Smoke Down – Washington State’s Air Quality Is Back in Line Again (Northwest Public Radio)

The Most (and Least) Polluted Cities in America (Grist Online)

Mason County: Filing for Public Office Begins Next Week (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Hupp Withdraws from Port of Shelton Commission Race (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Change of Date & Venue for the Next Downtown Shelton Visioning Meeting (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Police Shoot Dead Two Gunmen at Texas Exhibit of Prophet Mohammad Cartoons (Reuters)

DIVERSIONS

On ‘Star Wars’ Day, May the Fourth Be With You

Blackboard Chalk Isn’t Really Chalk at All

Let the Debate Begin – Ten Enchanting Cover Songs Better Than the Originals

Joyful Noise or Unholy Din? New Church ‘Bells’ Mean Discord

SONG OF THE DAY

John Williams – Best of Star Wars

Similarities? You Be the Judge: Gustav Holst - The Planets

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.