Monday, July 18, 2016

Energy News Digest for July 18, 2016

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Bull Trout Lawsuit Targets 26 Dams in Columbia River Basin (Associated Press)

Century-Old Bond for Aluminum Smelters & Utilities Falls Apart (Bloomberg News)

Carbon Initiative Could Cost Grant PUD (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Pacific Northwest Public Power Utilities, Others, Earn High Customer Satisfaction Rankings from J.D. Power (American Public Power Association)

Op/Ed: Base Power Plan on Clean, Not Renewable Energy (Tri-City Herald, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Century-Old Bond for Aluminum Smelters & Utilities Falls Apart
  • Pacific Northwest Public Power Utilities, Others, Earn High Customer Satisfaction Rankings from J.D. Power
  • Op/Ed: Base Power Plan on Clean, Not Renewable Energy
  • Op/Ed: Economist’s Attack on Columbia Generating Station Got It Wrong
  • Washington State Council Member Rockefeller Retires After Five Years on Northwest Power/Conservation Council
  • Lewis County PUD Commissioner Named Officer of National Public Power Council
  • How Did Southern California Keep the Lights On During an Historic Heatwave? We Need to Know
  • State of Hawaii Says No to Major Electric Utility Merger
  • Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Bidding to Buy Oncor Electric
  • Impending Electric Shock? Consumers & Investors Should Brace Themselves
  • On ‘Life-Support,’ Texas Clean-Coal Project Gets Reprieve
  • Bull Trout Lawsuit Targets 26 Dams in Columbia River Basin
  • Starving Seabirds Washing Up Dead on Washington State Beaches
  • Erosion at Bonneville Dam Forces River Managers to Change Fish Spill Pattern
  • Compared to Last Year, Cooler Temperatures Seem to be Giving Snake River Sockeye a Break
  • Tribal Fishing Sites along Columbia River Supported by Pacific NW Congressional Members
  • Fish Viewing Windows Open at Rocky Reach Dam Visitor Center
  • Taylor Shellfish: How a Fifth-Generation Family Raises Sustainable Seafood
  • US Representative Kilmer Enlists State Department on Canadian Sewage Issues
  • Video: Solar Energy a Growing Domestic Source of Electricity in Mason County
  • How Well Do Consumers Understand Rooftop Solar Economics?
  • SolarWorld Loses Summary Judgment, Faces $770 Million Claim
  • California’s Biggest Utilities Break Record for Solar Power
  • Deepwater Wind Proposes Largest Offshore Wind Farm in U-S
  • Energy Guzzlers No More: Data Centers Finally Using Less Electricity, New Study Finds
  • How to Cool Your House Like a Wonk
  • Carbon Initiative Could Cost Grant PUD
  • Inslee Carbon Cap Critics Protest, Fast on Capitol Steps – Say it Doesn’t Go Far Enough
  • California Governor Proposes Extension of Cap-And-Trade Program to 2050
  • Avista Installing Electric Charging Stations in Eastern Washington State
  • Driving Lessons: Charging Ahead in the Electric Vehicle Race
  • U.-S Regulators Pave Way for Speedy Next-Generation 5G Networks
  • Comcast Expands Low-Cost Internet Service to Public Housing Residents
  • Rural America Needs Broadband
  • Pokémon at Substations? Players Beware!
  • Former Kitzhaber Communications Director Files Civil Rights Lawsuit over Firing
  • Baton Rouge Gunman’s Motive Remains Unclear after Police Deaths
  • Two Belfair Projects Put Pavement to the Highway
  • Test of New Look for Railroad Avenue in Downtown Shelton
WORD OF THE DAY

Bombinate • \BAHM-buh-nayt\ • Verb – Buzz, drone.

The “cough quotient” of the audience slowly increased as the second-rate community college economist’s sturdy, yet droning speech on chickpea futures bombinated through the halls of the extension campus of Dirt Junior College.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Century-Old Bond for Aluminum Smelters & Utilities Falls Apart (Bloomberg News)

Pacific Northwest Public Power Utilities, Others, Earn High Customer Satisfaction Rankings from J.D. Power (American Public Power Association)

Op/Ed: Base Power Plan on Clean, Not Renewable Energy (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Op/Ed: Economist’s Attack on Columbia Generating Station Got It Wrong (Oregonian, Portland)

Washington State Council Member Rockefeller Retires After Five Years on Northwest Power/Conservation Council (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Lewis County PUD Commissioner Named Officer of National Public Power Council (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

How Did Southern California Keep the Lights On During an Historic Heatwave? We Need to Know (Breaking Energy)

State of Hawaii Says No to Major Electric Utility Merger (Associated Press)

Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Bidding to Buy Oncor Electric (Houston Business Journal, TX)

Impending Electric Shock? Consumers & Investors Should Brace Themselves (Forbes Magazine)

On ‘Life-Support,’ Texas Clean-Coal Project Gets Reprieve (Bloomberg News)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Bull Trout Lawsuit Targets 26 Dams in Columbia River Basin (Associated Press)

Starving Seabirds Washing Up Dead on Washington State Beaches (Northwest Public Radio)

Erosion at Bonneville Dam Forces River Managers to Change Fish Spill Pattern (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Compared to Last Year, Cooler Temperatures Seem to be Giving Snake River Sockeye a Break (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Tribal Fishing Sites along Columbia River Supported by Pacific NW Congressional Members (KNDO/KNDU-TV, Tri Cities, WA)

Fish Viewing Windows Open at Rocky Reach Dam Visitor Center (NCW Life, East Wenatchee, WA)

Taylor Shellfish: How a Fifth-Generation Family Raises Sustainable Seafood (Forbes Magazine)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

US Representative Kilmer Enlists State Department on Canadian Sewage Issues (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Video: Solar Energy a Growing Domestic Source of Electricity in Mason County (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

How Well Do Consumers Understand Rooftop Solar Economics? (Utility Dive)

SolarWorld Loses Summary Judgment, Faces $770 Million Claim (Portland Business Journal, OR)

California’s Biggest Utilities Break Record for Solar Power (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Deepwater Wind Proposes Largest Offshore Wind Farm in U-S (Utility Dive)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Energy Guzzlers No More: Data Centers Finally Using Less Electricity, New Study Finds (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

How to Cool Your House Like a Wonk (Washington Post)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Carbon Initiative Could Cost Grant PUD (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Inslee Carbon Cap Critics Protest, Fast on Capitol Steps – Say it Doesn’t Go Far Enough (Northwest Public Radio)

California Governor Proposes Extension of Cap-And-Trade Program to 2050 (Utility Dive)

SCIENCE SWIMS IN A BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Avista Installing Electric Charging Stations in Eastern Washington State (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)

Driving Lessons: Charging Ahead in the Electric Vehicle Race (American Public Power Association)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

U.-S Regulators Pave Way for Speedy Next-Generation 5G Networks (Reuters)

Comcast Expands Low-Cost Internet Service to Public Housing Residents (Oregonian, Portland)

Rural America Needs Broadband (Electric Co-op Today)

MARKETING & MEDIA

Pokémon at Substations? Players Beware! (Electric Co-op Today)

POLITICS & MANAGEMENT

Former Kitzhaber Communications Director Files Civil Rights Lawsuit over Firing (Oregonian, Portland)

GENERAL NEWS

Baton Rouge Gunman’s Motive Remains Unclear after Police Deaths (Reuters)

Two Belfair Projects Put Pavement to the Highway (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Test of New Look for Railroad Avenue in Downtown Shelton (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

FLYING FIGS – DIVERSIONS

Thrifty Bride Serves ‘Garbage Food’ to Her Wedding Guests

New Hampshire City Police Use Pokemon Go to Lure Fugitives

A Man Has Hidden $50,000 worth of $100 Bills around Salem

Rare Solar Eclipse Coming to Oregon in 2017, Hotels Already Booked

SONG OF THE DAY

Trevor Rabin – National Treasure Theme (Movie Soundtrack)

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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.