Monday, December 7, 2015

Energy News Digest for December 7, 2015

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for December 7, 2015

Forecasters: Heavy Rain Means Landslide Danger and Flooding

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Power Outages Accompany Storms; ‘Excessive Rain’ on the Way (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA - Paywall Advisory)

U-S State Department Mulls Columbia River Treaty Recommendation (Flathead Beacon, Kalispell, MT)

Sports Fishing Groups: Columbia River Salmon Reforms Working (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Seattle to Comcast: We Want Contract Deal Like Philly Got (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

US Postal Service Warns Newspapers to Stop Running Pot Ads (Associated Press)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • U-S State Department Mulls Columbia River Treaty Recommendation
  • Storm Packing 68 Mph Winds Knocks Out Power to Over 18,000 in Northwest Washington
  • Energy Costs Were a Concern Long Before Decision to Shut Down Intalco
  • Peninsula Light Customers to See Rate Hike in April
  • Oregon: Central Electric Announces Rate Hikes
  • Oregon: Eugene Water & Electric Board Votes to Increase Prices in 2016
  • Grand Opening for New Clallam Public Utility District Office in Carlsborg Set Saturday
  • Grant Co. Deputies Warn of Phone Scam Targeting Grant PUD Customers
  • California Regulators Finalize $16.7 Million Fine to SoCal Edison for Secret San Onofre Deal
  • California Entrepreneurs Push to Reinvent the Nuclear Industry
  • Touchstone Energy Launches Your Source Campaign
  • Sports Fishing Groups: Columbia River Salmon Reforms Working
  • Study: Removing Bateman Island Causeway Would Assist Salmon
  • Op/Ed: Abundant Salmon Runs Are Early Christmas Present
  • Smelt Run Expected to Decrease This Season
  • Portland Loses Again in Water Utility Lawsuit, This Time for $3 Million
  • Wind, Solar Credits on the Chopping Block?
  • British Columbia: Vancouver Roofing Company Starts Offering Solar Panel Installation
  • As IOUs Push Solar, Santee Cooper Rate Plan Draws Ire of South Carolina Greens
  • Google Nearly Doubles Bet on Renewable Energy
  • Disruptive Deceptions: How Electric Utilities Stifled Rooftop Solar
  • Insulation
  • US Postal Service Warns Newspapers to Stop Running Pot Ads
  • Marijuana Retailers Giving to Charity
  • Surprising Study Says Heat-Trapping Gases Worldwide May Have Gone Down in 2015 Thanks to China
  • Messy Midway: Paris Draft Climate Deal Ready, Long Way to Go
  • Anonymous Hacked the Data of More Than 1,000 Climate Change Officials
  • Giant Battery System Could Help Light Up Homes in Snohomish County
  • Oregon’s ‘Clean Economy’ Is Growing Much Faster Than the Rest of the State
  • Seattle to Comcast: We Want Contract Deal Like Philly Got
  • Tacoma Takes Step toward Municipal Broadband amid Cost Concerns
  • Hawaii to Get Added Broadband Thanks to New Undersea Cable
  • Streaming Video Now Accounts for 70 Percent of Broadband Usage
  • AT&T Expands Speedy GigaPower Fiber Network
  • Why Stakes Are High for Court’s Decision on FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules
  • Broadband Adoption Rates & Gaps in U-S Metropolitan Areas
  • ications Buttons
  • Digital Ad Spending Expected to Soon Surpass TV
  • The Online Industry Is Losing $8 Billion a Year, and Ad Blocking Is the Least of Its Worries
  • Hack a Hairdryer: Campaign Aimed at Women Suddenly Backfires
  • Fourteen Video Tools for Social Media Marketers
  • Pearl Harbor Day Ceremonies to Mark 74 Years since Attack
  • Power Outages Accompany Storms; ‘Excessive Rain’ on the Way
  • Grays Harbor PUD Remembers the December 2007 Storm
  • Very High Winds around Bellingham
  • Kaiser Permanente to Acquire Seattle’s Group Health
WORD OF THE DAY

Volition • \voe-LISH-shun\ • Noun - 1: an act of making a choice or decision; also: a choice or decision made 2: the power of choosing or determining: will

Belvedere was considered the hapless sad sack of the office. It seemed that every endeavor he undertook was doomed to failure, no matter what good intentions he had. His latest venture to house feral civet cats in the basement of the office building came to naught, after he discovered the creature’s scent glands produced such an overpowering stench that the building had to be evacuated several times before the maintenance workers found the source. “Next time you get a bright idea,” thundered the overall-bedecked maintenance supervisor, “don’t act on your own volition…ask me first so I can put an end to it beforehand.”

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

U-S State Department Mulls Columbia River Treaty Recommendation (Flathead Beacon, Kalispell, MT)

Storm Packing 68 Mph Winds Knocks Out Power to Over 18,000 in Northwest Washington (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

Energy Costs Were a Concern Long Before Decision to Shut Down Intalco (Bellingham Herald, WA)

Peninsula Light Customers to See Rate Hike in April (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Oregon: Central Electric Announces Rate Hikes (My Central Oregon, Bend)

Oregon: Eugene Water & Electric Board Votes to Increase Prices in 2016 (KMTR-TV, Eugene, OR)

Grand Opening for New Clallam Public Utility District Office in Carlsborg Set Saturday – With Santa, a Nice Touch (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Grant Co. Deputies Warn of Phone Scam Targeting Grant PUD Customers (KNDO/KNDU-TV, Tri Cities, WA)

California Regulators Finalize $16.7 Million Fine to SoCal Edison for Secret San Onofre Deal (Utility Dive)

California Entrepreneurs Push to Reinvent the Nuclear Industry (Los Angeles Times, CA)

Touchstone Energy Launches Your Source Campaign (Electric Co-op Today)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Sports Fishing Groups: Columbia River Salmon Reforms Working (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Study: Removing Bateman Island Causeway Would Assist Salmon (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Op/Ed: Abundant salmon runs are early Christmas present (The Covington Reporter, WA)

Smelt Run Expected to Decrease This Season (Longview Daily News, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Portland Loses Again in Water Utility Lawsuit, This Time for $3 Million (Oregonian, Portland)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Wind, Solar Credits on the Chopping Block? (The Hill, Washington, DC)

British Columbia: Vancouver Roofing Company Starts Offering Solar Panel Installation (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

As IOUs Push Solar, Santee Cooper Rate Plan Draws Ire of South Carolina Greens (Utility Dive)

Google Nearly Doubles Bet on Renewable Energy (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

Disruptive Deceptions: How Electric Utilities Stifled Rooftop Solar (Forbes Magazine)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Insulation (Breaking Energy)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

US Postal Service Warns Newspapers to Stop Running Pot Ads (Associated Press)

Marijuana Retailers Giving to Charity (USA Today)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Surprising Study Says Heat-Trapping Gases Worldwide May Have Gone Down in 2015 Thanks to China (Associated Press)

Messy Midway: Paris Draft Climate Deal Ready, Long Way to Go (Associated Press)

Anonymous Hacked the Data of More Than 1,000 Climate Change Officials (Mother Jones)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Giant Battery System Could Help Light Up Homes in Snohomish County (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

Oregon’s ‘Clean Economy’ Is Growing Much Faster Than the Rest of the State (Portland Business Journal, OR)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Seattle to Comcast: We Want Contract Deal Like Philly Got (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Tacoma Takes Step toward Municipal Broadband amid Cost Concerns (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Hawaii to Get Added Broadband Thanks to New Undersea Cable (Pacific Business Journal, HI)

Streaming Video Now Accounts for 70 Percent of Broadband Usage (re/code)

AT&T Expands Speedy GigaPower Fiber Network (USA Today)

Why Stakes Are High for Court’s Decision on FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules (Christian Science Monitor)

Broadband Adoption Rates & Gaps in U-S Metropolitan Areas (Brookings Institution)

MARKETING & MEDIA

Some Twitter Users Cry Foul as Platform Switches Moments and Notifications Buttons (AdWeek)

Digital Ad Spending Expected to Soon Surpass TV (NY Times)

The Online Industry Is Losing $8 Billion a Year, and Ad Blocking Is the Least of Its Worries (AdWeek)

Hack a Hairdryer: Campaign Aimed at Women Suddenly Backfires (British Broadcasting Corporation)

Fourteen Video Tools for Social Media Marketers (Social Media Examiner)

GENERAL NEWS

Pearl Harbor Day Ceremonies to Mark 74 Years since Attack (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

Power Outages Accompany Storms; ‘Excessive Rain’ on the Way (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Grays Harbor PUD Remembers the December 2007 Storm (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Very High Winds around Bellingham (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

Kaiser Permanente to Acquire Seattle’s Group Health (Associated Press)

DIVERSIONS

A Sunken Spanish Galleon Worth Billions Has Been Discovered Off the Coast of Colombia

Cat Missing for Eight Years Reunited With Family in California

Wild Boar in Germany Adopted by Herd of Cattle

Man Named Bud Weisser Arrested at Budweiser Brewery

SONG OF THE DAY

Richard Rodgers – Victory at Sea, Main Theme

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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 websites 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.