Friday, July 8, 2016

Energy News Digest for July 8, 2016

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Five Police Killed, Seven Cops Injured, Fourth Suspect Dead after Dallas Attack (Associated Press)

Portland General Electric’s Boardman Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant $100M over Budget (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

Idaho Power to Seek Review of $35.2M Investment in Energy Efficiency, Demand Response Programs (Utility Dive)

Kate Brown to Lawmakers: Repeal of Oregon’s Low-Carbon Fuels Law Is Off Limits in Transportation Talks (Oregonian, Portland)

Las Vegas Goes Solar: Good News for Some, Bad for Others (Christian Science Monitor)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Portland General Electric’s Boardman Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant $100M over Budget
  • Initiative 937 Costs – Pacific Power Requests Small Rate Increase to Cover Conservation Efforts
  • Avista Plans Little Falls Reservoir Drawdown
  • Why Seattle City Light’s Average Electric Bill Is About To Go Up ~$1
  • Damning Documents Exposed in Pacific Gas & Electric Trial over Natural Gas Explosion
  • California: Pacific Gas & Electric Closes Gas Storage Field in Delta after Finding Leaks
  • Clean Energy Is at a Critical Turning Point – Wind & Solar May Not Be Enough
  • A Planned Outage for the Ages: Planned Power Cut at Death Valley Saturday Means No Escaping 116-Degree Heat
  • Op/Ed: Lost Economic Opportunities from Energy Projects Mounting
  • Ocean Salmon Catch Data Reveals Fairly Good Catches Mainly Off Ilwaco
  • Salmon Runs with More Diversity Provide Best Catches, Study Finds
  • ‘Salmon Cannon’ Helps Move Fish over Dams
  • Salmon Angler Named Regional WDFW Boss for SW Washington State
  • Kennewick Irrigation District Does Not Anticipate a Need for Water Restrictions during 2016 Water Season
  • Drought Conditions Worsen in Oregon for Fifth Year
  • Ding! Round One in WOTUS Court Fight Begins
  • Las Vegas Goes Solar: Good News for Some, Bad for Others
  • The Winds Are Changing for Renewable Energy
  • How Utilities Are Fighting Back on Solar Power
  • Environmental Review Released for Geothermal Leasing in Santa Fe National Forest
  • Idaho Power to Seek Review of $35.2M Investment in Energy Efficiency, Demand Response Programs
  • Washington’s Total Recreational Marijuana Sales Pass $1 Billion
  • Kate Brown to Lawmakers: Repeal of Oregon’s Low-Carbon Fuels Law Is Off Limits in Transportation Talks
  • A Grand Bargain? California Governor in Talks with Oil Companies about Climate Change Programs 
  • Analysis: Internet Access – An Incomplete Promise
  • The Great Tablet Gold Rush Is Over
  • Facebook Testing Encrypted Chats in Messenger
  • Twitter Seeks NBA, MLS, Turner Deals to Stream Sports
  • Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
  • Scamalot – Trolling the Trollers
  • Transgender Bathroom Initiative Falls Short
  • Five Police Killed, Seven Cops Injured, Fourth Suspect Dead after Dallas Attack
  • Olympia Demonstrators Cause Damage, Clog I-5 On-Ramp in Protest
  • President Obama Orders Flags at Half-Staff after Dallas Shooting
  • Strong Jobs Report Helps Debunk Recession Fears
  • Roadkill Fair Game In Washington State
WORD OF THE DAY

Hoity-toity /HOY-tee – TOY-tee/ Adjective – 1: thoughtlessly silly or frivolous: flighty 2: marked by an air of assumed importance: highfalutin.

My hoity-toity hat
Festooned like a parade float
Grandest of them all

Merriam-Webster Word Origin – Today we most often use hoity-toity as an adjective, but before it was an adjective it was a noun meaning “thoughtless giddy behavior.” The noun, which first appeared in print in 1668, was probably created as a sing-songy rhyme based on the dialectal English word hoit, meaning, “to play the fool.” The adjective hoity-toity can stay close to its roots and mean “foolish” (“…as though it were very hoity-toity of me not to know that royal personage…” — W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor’s Edge), but in current use it more often means “pretentious.”

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Portland General Electric’s Boardman Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant $100M over Budget (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

Initiative 937 Costs – Pacific Power Requests Small Rate Increase to Cover Conservation Efforts (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Avista Plans Little Falls Reservoir Drawdown (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Why Seattle City Light’s Average Electric Bill Is About To Go Up ~$1 (West Seattle Blog, WA)

Damning Documents Exposed in Pacific Gas & Electric Trial over Natural Gas Explosion (Courthouse News Service)

California: Pacific Gas & Electric Closes Gas Storage Field in Delta after Finding Leaks (SF Chronicle)

Clean Energy Is at a Critical Turning Point – Wind & Solar May Not Be Enough (Washington Post)

A Planned Outage for the Ages: Planned Power Cut at Death Valley Saturday Means No Escaping 116-Degree Heat (Los Angeles Times, CA)

Op/Ed: Lost Economic Opportunities from Energy Projects Mounting (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Ocean Salmon Catch Data Reveals Fairly Good Catches Mainly Off Ilwaco (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Salmon Runs with More Diversity Provide Best Catches, Study Finds (Globe & Mail, Canada)

‘Salmon Cannon’ Helps Move Fish over Dams (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Salmon Angler Named Regional WDFW Boss for SW Washington State (Longview Daily News, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Kennewick Irrigation District Does Not Anticipate a Need for Water Restrictions during 2016 Water Season (KNDO/KNDU-TV, Tri Cities, WA)

Drought Conditions Worsen in Oregon for Fifth Year (Associated Press)

Ding! Round One in WOTUS Court Fight Begins (Politico)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Las Vegas Goes Solar: Good News for Some, Bad for Others (Christian Science Monitor)

The Winds Are Changing for Renewable Energy (The Atlantic Magazine)

How Utilities Are Fighting Back on Solar Power (Consumer Reports)

Environmental Review Released for Geothermal Leasing in Santa Fe National Forest (Renewable Energy World)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Idaho Power to Seek Review of $35.2M Investment in Energy Efficiency, Demand Response Programs (Utility Dive)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Washington’s Total Recreational Marijuana Sales Pass $1 Billion (Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Kate Brown to Lawmakers: Repeal of Oregon’s Low-Carbon Fuels Law Is Off Limits in Transportation Talks (Oregonian, Portland)

A Grand Bargain? California Governor in Talks with Oil Companies about Climate Change Programs (Los Angeles Times, CA)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Analysis: Internet Access – An Incomplete Promise (Daily Yonder)

The Great Tablet Gold Rush Is Over (Mashable)

MARKETING & MEDIA

Facebook Testing Encrypted Chats in Messenger (Associated Press)

Twitter Seeks NBA, MLS, Turner Deals to Stream Sports (Reuters)

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds (Consumerist)

Scamalot – Trolling the Trollers (Mashable)

POLITICS & MANAGEMENT

Transgender Bathroom Initiative Falls Short (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Five Police Killed, Seven Cops Injured, Fourth Suspect Dead after Dallas Attack (Associated Press)

Olympia Demonstrators Cause Damage, Clog I-5 On-Ramp in Protest (Olympian - Paywall Advisory)

President Obama Orders Flags at Half-Staff after Dallas Shooting (The Hill, Washington, DC)

Strong Jobs Report Helps Debunk Recession Fears (USA Today)

Roadkill Fair Game In Washington State (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Royal Brunei Airlines’ First All-Female Pilot Crew Lands Plane in Saudi Arabia - Where Women Are Not Allowed to Drive

Black Bear Tangles With the Wrong Ex-Boxer

Moldy, Water-Filled Seattle Teardown Sells for $427,000, Double Asking Price

This Local Pizza Chain Pays for Employee Tattoos — Of the Company’s Logo

SONG OF THE DAY

Maynard Ferguson - Gonna Fly Now

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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.