Friday, March 18, 2016

Energy News Digest for March 18, 2016

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for March 18, 2016

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Pacific Power Rate Request Runs into Opposition (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Longtime Northwest Power Council Leader Retires (Portland Business Journal, OR)

REC Silicon Could Restart Production in June (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Google Greenlights New $600 Million Data Center in the Dalles (Oregonian, Portland)

Twitter Heard You: The 140-Character Limit Is Here to Stay (Washington Post)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Pacific Power Rate Request Runs into Opposition
  • Longtime Northwest Power Council Leader Retires
  • Building BPA’s Competitive Financial Strength – An Interview with Elliot Mainzer
  • Lower Generation & Power Sales at Grand Coulee Results in Small 181-D Payment, Says BPA
  • Tacoma Public Utilities Chairman To Methanol Proposer: ‘Go Away & Don’t Come Back’ without Answers
  • Diablo Dam Safety Drill Offers Chance to Practice Emergency Coordination
  • Snohomish County PUD to Open New Lynnwood Offices
  • Public Power is a Model for the Future Utility
  • Washington State Chooses Grays River for Steelhead Gene Bank
  • King County Chinook Salmon Recovery Projects Hit 10-Year Mark
  • Taylor Shellfish, with Responsible Aquaculture Certification, Has Plans to Expand
  • Inflatable Dancers Are Latest Astoria Sea Lion Hazing Tools
  • Dozens of Washington State Water Systems Have Elevated Lead Levels
  • Dramatic Images Show El Niño Beginning to Rescue California from Its Drought
  • REC Silicon Could Restart Production in June
  • FERC Rejects Attempt by Qualifying Facility Wind Generator to Force Pseudo-Tie with Portland General
  • California Public Power Utility to Develop Large Geothermal Project in Salton Sea
  • Wind Farm May Be Built Off Long Island
  • Eagles Are Making Wind Turbines Safer for Birds
  • How Utilities Can Turn Distributed Energy Resources from Threat into Opportunity
  • Utilities Often a Forgotten Cost
  • Washington State Governor Vetoes Hemp Farming Bill
  • Legal Weed Is Filling Oregon Tax Coffers Way Ahead of Schedule
  • Oregon Ranks, Um, High on ‘Marijuana Enthusiasm Index’
  • Science at Odds with Washington State Lands Commissioner Candidate Carbon Proposal
  • The Economy Is Growing, But Carbon Emissions Aren’t – That’s a Really Big Deal
  • Canada: Climate Change Labels Coming to Port Moody Gas Pumps – Mayor Has Reservations
  • Our Best Shot at Nuclear Fusion Needs Magnets That Weigh as Much as a Boeing 747
  • Google Greenlights New $600 Million Data Center in the Dalles
  • Report: Google Steps Onto Amazon’s Turf with Apple Cloud Deal
  • Tennessee: Federal Appeals Court Deciding on Municipal Broadband Expansion in Chattanooga
  • Charter Official Nick Pavlis Offers Tennessee Lawmakers Airtime after House Panel Kills Broadband Bill
  • Comcast Customer Hit with $60,000 Penalty after Waiting 10 Months for Installation
  • Twitter Heard You: The 140-Character Limit Is Here to Stay
  • Twitter Shutting Down TweetDeck for Windows App April 15
  • Here’s a Nice Video Reminder Of Just How Awesome Ansel Adams Truly Was
  • Yelp’s Founder Once Thought No One Would Want to Post Opinions on the Internet
  • Obscure Broadcasting Tax at Center of Attempt to End Budget Impasse
  • U-S Gov’t Sets Record for Failures to Find Files When Asked
  • California Initiative Avalanche Makes Signatures More Valuable
  • Sexual Harassment Played into Mason Transit GM’s Departure
  • Boy Scouts Close Tahuya Area Camp
  • Better Business Bureau Worried About ‘Storm Chasers’ after Puget Sound Windstorm
  • On The Brink: Washington State Parks Bouncing Back after ‘Being on the Edge’
  • Cowlitz Casino Continues to Rise Despite Legal Fight
WORD OF THE DAY

Sangfroid • \sawn-FWAH\ • noun – self-possession or imperturbability especially under strain – Etymology: French sang-froid, literally, cold blood

“Watch what happens when I open this breaker,” cackled the scientist. Instantly the entire eastern seaboard went dark, sparking a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission study into the hiring of “mad scientists with sangfroid tendencies”. Unfortunately, it also spawned 250 new regulations as part of the National Energy Reliability Corporation’s rule-making activities.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Pacific Power Rate Request Runs into Opposition (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Longtime Northwest Power Council Leader Retires (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Building BPA’s Competitive Financial Strength – An Interview with Elliot Mainzer (Transmission & Distribution World – The Energy Times)

Lower Generation & Power Sales at Grand Coulee Results in Small 181-D Payment, Says BPA (Colville Tribal Tribune, WA)

Tacoma Public Utilities Chairman To Methanol Proposer: ‘Go Away & Don’t Come Back’ without Answers – Utility chair Bryan Flint blasts company’s lack of specifics (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Diablo Dam Safety Drill Offers Chance to Practice Emergency Coordination (Skagit Valley Herald, Mount Vernon, WA)

Snohomish County PUD to Open New Lynnwood Offices (Everett Herald, WA)

Public Power is a Model for the Future Utility (American Public Power Association)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Washington State Chooses Grays River for Steelhead Gene Bank (Longview Daily News, WA)

King County Chinook Salmon Recovery Projects Hit 10-Year Mark (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Taylor Shellfish, with Responsible Aquaculture Certification, Has Plans to Expand (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Inflatable Dancers Are Latest Astoria Sea Lion Hazing Tools (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Dozens of Washington State Water Systems Have Elevated Lead Levels (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Dramatic Images Show El Niño Beginning to Rescue California from Its Drought (Los Angeles Times, CA)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

REC Silicon Could Restart Production in June (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

FERC Rejects Attempt by Qualifying Facility Wind Generator to Force Pseudo-Tie with Portland General (Wind Power Engineering & Development)

California Public Power Utility to Develop Large Geothermal Project in Salton Sea (American Public Power Association)

Wind Farm May Be Built Off Long Island (NY Times)

Eagles Are Making Wind Turbines Safer for Birds (Breaking Energy)

How Utilities Can Turn Distributed Energy Resources from Threat into Opportunity (Utility Dive)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Utilities Often a Forgotten Cost (Chicago Tribune, IL)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Washington State Governor Vetoes Hemp Farming Bill (Marijuana Business Daily)

Legal Weed Is Filling Oregon Tax Coffers Way Ahead of Schedule (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Oregon Ranks, Um, High on ‘Marijuana Enthusiasm Index’ (Oregonian, Portland)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Science at Odds with Washington State Lands Commissioner Candidate Carbon Proposal (Washington Policy Center)

The Economy Is Growing, But Carbon Emissions Aren’t – That’s a Really Big Deal (Washington Post)

Canada: Climate Change Labels Coming to Port Moody Gas Pumps – Mayor Has Reservations (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Our Best Shot at Nuclear Fusion Needs Magnets That Weigh as Much as a Boeing 747 (Gizmodo)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Google Greenlights New $600 Million Data Center in the Dalles (Oregonian, Portland)

Report: Google Steps Onto Amazon’s Turf with Apple Cloud Deal (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Tennessee: Federal Appeals Court Deciding on Municipal Broadband Expansion in Chattanooga (Chattanooga Times Free Press, TN)

Charter Official Nick Pavlis Offers Tennessee Lawmakers Airtime after House Panel Kills Broadband Bill (Knoxville News Sentinel, TN)

Comcast Customer Hit with $60,000 Penalty after Waiting 10 Months for Installation (Consumerist)

MARKETING & MEDIA

Twitter Heard You: The 140-Character Limit Is Here to Stay (Washington Post)

Twitter Shutting Down TweetDeck for Windows App April 15 (Consumerist)

Here’s a Nice Video Reminder Of Just How Awesome Ansel Adams Truly Was (Popular Photography)

Yelp’s Founder Once Thought No One Would Want to Post Opinions on the Internet (Washington Post)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Obscure Broadcasting Tax at Center of Attempt to End Budget Impasse (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

U-S Gov’t Sets Record for Failures to Find Files When Asked (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA - Paywall Advisory)

California Initiative Avalanche Makes Signatures More Valuable (Sacramento Bee, CA)

GENERAL NEWS

Sexual Harassment Played into Mason Transit GM’s Departure (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA – Paywall Advisory)

Boy Scouts Close Tahuya Area Camp (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA – Paywall Advisory)

Better Business Bureau Worried About ‘Storm Chasers’ after Puget Sound Windstorm (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

On The Brink: Washington State Parks Bouncing Back after ‘Being on the Edge’ (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Cowlitz Casino Continues to Rise Despite Legal Fight (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Washington, DC Bald Eagle Nest Cam

Oregon Man Sues over ‘Dangerous’ Llama

Dog Believed Lost at Sea Turns Up on Island Used by U-S Navy

Leaked Memo Reports Kazakhstan Barring Smartphones at Government Offices to Prevent Leaks

SONG OF THE DAY

Steve Miller Band – Space Intro/Fly Like an Eagle

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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.