Friday, January 13, 2017

Energy News Digest for January 13, 2017

Occasionally get out the feather duster to clear the cache & history of your internet browser. It will help when trying to access news sites that count your visits.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


High Resolution Satellite Imagery of Washington State/Oregon Snow (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

How Would Washington State Governor Jay Inslee’s Proposed Carbon Tax Work? (Washington State Wire)

Tesla Contract with Aberdeen Will Be Voided, But May Be Re-Approved (KXRO Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Kittitas County Places Temporary Moratorium on Commercial Renewable Energy Projects (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)

In a Digital World, Americans Have Less Tolerance for Power Outages (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Energy Secretary Seeks to Lock in Free Speech for DOE Scientists (Christian Science Monitor)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • In a Digital World, Americans Have Less Tolerance for Power Outages
  • Montana Lawmakers Push to Increase Scrutiny on Utility Costs
  • David Aldrich Resigns from Snohomish PUD Board
  • Snohomish PUD in Talks to Buy Building in Everett for $5.5 Million
  • BC Hydro Agrees to Pay $1 Million to Municipality Affected by Peace River Dam Project
  • There’s Powerful Fun to Be Had with Your Utility in Chelan This Weekend
  • New England: Grid in the Balance – Clean, Reliable, Competitively Priced Power – Or Suboptimal Solutions?
  • Natural Gas Prices in 2016 Were the Lowest in Nearly 20 Years
  • Orca Protection Zone Proposed Near San Juan Island
  • Salmon with large tapeworms arrive in the U-S
  • Lummi Clammers, Dairy Farmers Team Up to Clean Bacteria-Polluted Bay, Rather Than Fight
  • Storms Ease California Drought as Reservoirs Fill Up
  • Kittitas County Places Temporary Moratorium on Commercial Renewable Energy Projects
  • County Commissioners Deny Solar Farm Permit Near Kittitas
  • Montana Bill to Grandfather Net Metering Reels in Utility & Solar Support
  • Proponents Hope Winter Weather Boosts Smart Thermostat Adoption in Chicago
  • How Would Washington State Governor Jay Inslee’s Proposed Carbon Tax Work?
  • Tesla Contract with Aberdeen Will Be Voided, But May Be Re-Approved
  • Need A Charge for Your New Tesla? Now It’ll Cost You
  • Despite the Hype, Batteries Aren’t the Cheapest Way to Store Energy on the Grid
  • Record Shares of Americans Now Own Smartphones, Have Home Broadband
  • Satellite Constellations Could Be Poised to Challenge the Broadband Industry
  • Alphabet (Google) Ended Drone Internet Project, Saying Economics Didn’t Work Out
  • Cellphone Carriers Are Bracing for Massive Data Usage During the Inauguration
  • Don’t Confuse New Starbucks’ Latte with Old-Timey Laxative Remedy
  • Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
  • Energy Secretary Seeks to Lock in Free Speech for DOE Scientists
  • Washington State Senate Coalition Selects Sheldon as President Pro Tem
  • Governor Kate Brown Declares State of Emergency in Oregon Due to Snow
  • Washington State to Help Grant County Clear Roads
  • Crippling Ice Storm to Encase 1,000-Mile Stretch of U-S in Ice
  • Video: Focus on Shelton - New Job Opening, Comprehensive Plan Update
  • How Seattle Can Avoid Becoming San Francisco: Be ‘YIMBYS’ Not ‘NIMBYS’
WORD OF THE DAY

Grog • \GRAWG\ • Noun – Alcoholic liquor; especially: liquor (as rum) cut with water & now often served hot with lemon juice & sugar sometimes added.

“By golly, this is the WORST grog I’ve ever had,” croaked the sailor on the HMS Pinafore. “Watch your mouth,” muttered his fellow sailors. “The next thing you know, we’ll have to be swilling down our salt pork and pea soup with plain old water!”

Did you know? Eighteenth-century English admiral Edward Vernon reputedly earned the nickname “Old Grog” because he often wore a cloak made from grogram (a coarse, loosely woven fabric made of silk or silk blended with mohair or wool). In Old Grog’s day, sailors in the Royal Navy were customarily given a daily ration of rum, but in 1740 the admiral, concerned about the health of his men, ordered that the rum should be diluted with water. The decision wasn’t very popular with the sailors, who supposedly dubbed the mixture “grog” after Vernon. Today, “grog” can be used as a general term for any liquor, even undiluted, and someone who acts drunk or shaky can be called “groggy.”

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

In a Digital World, Americans Have Less Tolerance for Power Outages (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Montana Lawmakers Push to Increase Scrutiny on Utility Costs (Utility Dive)

David Aldrich Resigns from Snohomish PUD Board (My Everett News, WA)

Snohomish PUD in Talks to Buy Building in Everett for $5.5 Million (Everett Herald, WA)

BC Hydro Agrees to Pay $1 Million to Municipality Affected by Peace River Dam Project (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

There’s Powerful Fun to Be Had with Your Utility in Chelan This Weekend (Lake Chelan Mirror, Wa)

New England: Grid in the Balance – Clean, Reliable, Competitively Priced Power – Or Suboptimal Solutions? (CommonWealth, Boston, MA)

Natural Gas Prices in 2016 Were the Lowest in Nearly 20 Years (U-S Energy Information Administration)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Orca Protection Zone Proposed Near San Juan Island (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Salmon with large tapeworms arrive in the U-S (USA Today)

WATER, THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE

Lummi Clammers, Dairy Farmers Team Up to Clean Bacteria-Polluted Bay, Rather Than Fight (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

Storms Ease California Drought as Reservoirs Fill Up (Reuters)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Kittitas County Places Temporary Moratorium on Commercial Renewable Energy Projects (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)

County Commissioners Deny Solar Farm Permit Near Kittitas (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)

Montana Bill to Grandfather Net Metering Reels in Utility & Solar Support (Utility Dive)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Proponents Hope Winter Weather Boosts Smart Thermostat Adoption in Chicago (Midwest Energy News)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

How Would Washington State Governor Jay Inslee’s Proposed Carbon Tax Work? (Washington State Wire)

SCIENCE SWIMS IN A BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Tesla Contract with Aberdeen Will Be Voided, But May Be Re-Approved (KXRO Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Need A Charge for Your New Tesla? Now It’ll Cost You (Silicon Valley Journal, CA)

Despite the Hype, Batteries Aren’t the Cheapest Way to Store Energy on the Grid (The Energy Collective)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Record Shares of Americans Now Own Smartphones, Have Home Broadband (Pew Research Center)

Satellite Constellations Could Be Poised to Challenge the Broadband Industry (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

Alphabet (Google) Ended Drone Internet Project, Saying Economics Didn’t Work Out (Ars Technica)

Cellphone Carriers Are Bracing for Massive Data Usage During the Inauguration (Washington Post)

MARKETING & MEDIA

Don’t Confuse New Starbucks’ Latte with Old-Timey Laxative Remedy (Olympian, WA – Paywall Advisory. My brother made a few extra bucks in high school by harvesting this intestinal distress creator.)

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds (Consumerist)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Energy Secretary Seeks to Lock in Free Speech for DOE Scientists (Christian Science Monitor)

Washington State Senate Coalition Selects Sheldon as President Pro Tem (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Governor Kate Brown Declares State of Emergency in Oregon Due to Snow (Oregonian, Portland)

Washington State to Help Grant County Clear Roads (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Crippling Ice Storm to Encase 1,000-Mile Stretch of U-S in Ice (Mashable)

Video: Focus on Shelton - New Job Opening, Comprehensive Plan Update (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

How Seattle Can Avoid Becoming San Francisco: Be ‘YIMBYS’ Not ‘NIMBYS’ (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

BAWDY BRIDESMAIDS – DIVERSIONS

Microsoft Cortana Has Made Its Picks for the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs

Maid of Honor Turns Wedding into Nightmare

Man’s Stolen Tiny Home Recovered in Hermiston

Dog Fur Sweaters? Yes, It’s a Thing – Here’s Why People Love Them

SONG OF THE DAY

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Our House

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LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

Links in the news digest lead to current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links. There may be paywall barriers, unless you are willing to fork over some dough or if you have a clean browser history.