Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Energy News Digest for November 4, 2015

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for November 4, 2015

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Alcoa Decision to Idle Plants Comes after Tax Breaks Renewed – Language that would have required Alcoa to pay back those tax savings if it laid off workers was not included in the final deal (Northwest Public Radio)

Power Shift: Data Centers to Replace Aluminum Industry as Largest Energy Consumers in Washington State (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

Federal Plan for Snake River Fall Chinook Recovery Unveiled (Oregonian, Portland)

Silicon Supply Lawsuit Could Threaten SolarWorld’s Existence (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Mason County Unofficial Election Results (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Alcoa Decision to Idle Plants Comes after Tax Breaks Renewed – Language that would have required Alcoa to pay back those tax savings if it laid off workers was not included in the final deal
  • Chelan County Elected Officials Grapple with Alcoa Plant Closure
  • Power Shift: Data Centers to Replace Aluminum Industry as Largest Energy Consumers in Washington State
  • City of Ellensburg to Run Test on Dolarway Transformer after Bird Strike, Outage
  • Grant PUD Commissioners Set Public Hearings on Rates
  • San Francisco Voters Define ‘Green’ Energy as City Launches Public Power Program
  • California ISO to Move Its Backup Center from Los Angeles to Lincoln
  • Scam Uses Co-op Recording in Bid to Trick Members
  • Federal Plan for Snake River Fall Chinook Recovery Unveiled
  • State, Federal Agencies to Map & Protect Cold Water Refuges for Fish in Columbia & Willamette
  • Millions of British Columbia Salmon Mysteriously ‘Just Disappear’ in Troubling Year
  • Quinault Tribe Shuts Fisheries in Grays Harbor County, Queets River to Protect Coho
  • Toxin from Vast Algae Bloom Off West Coast Found in Dead or Dying Marine Animals as Far North as Washington
  • Umatilla Tribes Join Opposition to Nestle Bottling Facility
  • Obama’s Clean Water Rules Saved by the Senate – For Now
  • Silicon Supply Lawsuit Could Threaten SolarWorld’s Existence
  • Wind Energy Is Being Unfairly Held Back in California
  • Central Oregon Forest Waste Has Potential
  • New Solar Panel Product to Reduce Costs Up to 10 Percent
  • Goldman Sachs to Invest $150 Billion in Clean Energy
  • Standards for Energy Storage: Which Wire Where?
  • Get Your House Ready for Winter
  • RIP for Incandescent Light Bulbs?
  • Six Reasons Marijuana Legalization Failed in Ohio
  • China Burns Much More Coal than Reported, Complicating Climate Talks
  • As Scientists Worry About Warming World, U-S Public Doesn’t
  • The Pacific Ocean Becomes a Caldron
  • Wine Will Survive Climate Change, Says Industry, But Will Likely Change
  • Washington State Senator Maralyn Chase Rails against Clean Energy Fund
  • New Research Shows Why Grid Defection Would Be a Bad Idea for the Average American
  • Tesla Misses Estimates, But Shares Rev Up on Positive CEO Comments
  • The Last Straw: Orcas Island Residents Bypass Internet Providers
  • Cloud Wars Setback? Microsoft Caps Storage While Competitors Expand
  • Not so Fast Frontier & CenturyLink: Oregon Regulators Raise the Bar for Gigabit Tax Breaks
  • Colorado: Broadband Ballot Measure Passes in Pitkin County
  • Are Twitter’s New Hearts Clickier Than Stars?
  • Study: 75% of Children Have Their Own Mobile Device by Age Four
  • Gmail’s Inbox App Will Now Write (Some Of) Your E-Mails for You
  • Google & Facebook Made These Posters to Illustrate the Unstoppableness of the Internet
  • Mason County Unofficial Election Results
  • Mason County Auditor – November 3, 2015 General Election
  • Voters Approve Wildlife, Anti-Tax Measures
  • City of Shelton Looks at Cutting Budget to Avoid Deficit
  • Strong Solar Wind from Hole Blowing in a Dazzling Aurora
WORD OF THE DAY

Ad hoc • \AD-HOCK\ • adjective 1a: concerned with a particular end or purpose *b: formed or used for specific or immediate problems or needs 2: fashioned from whatever is immediately available: improvised.

Brent did one thing, and he did it well: catching popcorn literally shot from a cannon at the circus. His ad hoc talent was wildly applauded at each show. Other than this act, he had no other part in the circus, other than shoveling elephant manure after each show. “Why don’t you leave the circus man,” murmured a mellow fan one day. “This is really demeaning work.” “What,” Brent shot back. “And leave show business?”

(From Merriam-Webster) Did you know? In Latin, “ad hoc” literally means “for this.” That historical meaning is clearly reflected in contemporary English uses of “ad hoc”—anything that is “ad hoc” can be thought of as existing “for this purpose only.” For example, an “ad hoc committee” is generally authorized to look into a single matter of limited scope, not to pursue any interesting issue. “Ad hoc” can also be used as an adverb meaning “for the case at hand apart from other applications,” as in “a commission created ad hoc.” The adverb is older (it has been used in English since the mid-17th century), but the adjective is no quickly improvised addition to our language; it has been part of English since at least 1879.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Alcoa Decision to Idle Plants Comes after Tax Breaks Renewed – Language that would have required Alcoa to pay back those tax savings if it laid off workers was not included in the final deal (Northwest Public Radio)

Chelan County Elected Officials Grapple with Alcoa Plant Closure (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

Power Shift: Data Centers to Replace Aluminum Industry as Largest Energy Consumers in Washington State (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

City of Ellensburg to Run Test on Dolarway Transformer after Bird Strike, Outage (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)

Grant PUD Commissioners Set Public Hearings on Rates (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

San Francisco Voters Define ‘Green’ Energy as City Launches Public Power Program (SF Chronicle)

California ISO to Move Its Backup Center from Los Angeles to Lincoln (Sacramento Business Journal, CA)

Scam Uses Co-op Recording in Bid to Trick Members (Electric Co-op Today)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Federal Plan for Snake River Fall Chinook Recovery Unveiled (Oregonian, Portland)

State, Federal Agencies to Map & Protect Cold Water Refuges for Fish in Columbia & Willamette (Environmental Protection Agency)

Millions of British Columbia Salmon Mysteriously ‘Just Disappear’ in Troubling Year (Globe & Mail, Canada)                                                                                                                                  

Quinault Tribe Shuts Fisheries in Grays Harbor County, Queets River to Protect Coho (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Toxin from Vast Algae Bloom Off West Coast Found in Dead or Dying Marine Animals as Far North as Washington (Associated Press)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Umatilla Tribes Join Opposition to Nestle Bottling Facility (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Obama’s Clean Water Rules Saved by the Senate – For Now (Christian Science Monitor)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Silicon Supply Lawsuit Could Threaten SolarWorld’s Existence (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Wind Energy Is Being Unfairly Held Back in California (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Central Oregon Forest Waste Has Potential (Bend Bulletin, OR)

New Solar Panel Product to Reduce Costs Up to 10 Percent (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

Goldman Sachs to Invest $150 Billion in Clean Energy (Fortune Magazine)

Standards for Energy Storage: Which Wire Where? (American Public Power Association)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Get Your House Ready for Winter (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)

RIP for Incandescent Light Bulbs? (The Energy Collective)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Six Reasons Marijuana Legalization Failed in Ohio (USA Today)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

China Burns Much More Coal than Reported, Complicating Climate Talks (NY Times)

As Scientists Worry About Warming World, U-S Public Doesn’t (Associated Press)

The Pacific Ocean Becomes a Caldron (NY Times)

Wine Will Survive Climate Change, Says Industry, But Will Likely Change (Oregonian, Portland, OR)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Washington State Senator Maralyn Chase Rails against Clean Energy Fund (Everett Herald, WA)

New Research Shows Why Grid Defection Would Be a Bad Idea for the Average American (Grist Online)

Tesla Misses Estimates, But Shares Rev Up on Positive CEO Comments (USA Today)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

The Last Straw: Orcas Island Residents Bypass Internet Providers (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Cloud Wars Setback? Microsoft Caps Storage While Competitors Expand (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

Not so Fast Frontier & CenturyLink: Oregon Regulators Raise the Bar for Gigabit Tax Breaks (Oregonian, Portland, OR)

Colorado: Broadband Ballot Measure Passes in Pitkin County (Associated Press)

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Are Twitter’s New Hearts Clickier Than Stars? (Gizmodo)

Study: 75% of Children Have Their Own Mobile Device by Age Four (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Gmail’s Inbox App Will Now Write (Some Of) Your E-Mails for You (Washington Post)

Google & Facebook Made These Posters to Illustrate the Unstoppableness of the Internet (AdWeek)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Tattoos Becoming Less Taboo at Work (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Mason County Unofficial Election Results (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Mason County Auditor – November 3, 2015 General Election (Mason County Elections, WA)

Voters Approve Wildlife, Anti-Tax Measures (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

City of Shelton Looks at Cutting Budget to Avoid Deficit (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Strong Solar Wind from Hole Blowing in a Dazzling Aurora (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Seattle’s Famous Gum Wall Is Getting Cleaned after 20 Years

Guinness Tweaking Its 256-Year-Old Beer Recipe So Vegans Can Enjoy a Pint, Too

Sharp-Eyed Garbage Man Returns Lost $12K to a Local School

Study May Have Found Evidence of Alternate, Parallel Universes (USA Today)

SONG OF THE DAY

Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

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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.