Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Energy News Digest for October 31, 2018


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SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS





HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Southern California Edison Says Its Equipment Helped Spark Massive Thomas Fire That Killed 2 (Los Angeles Times, CA)

Flyer Citing Latino Businesses’ Opposition to Carbon Fee Ignites Campaign Controversy (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

NRCS: Washington’s New Water Year Off on the Right Foot (Washington Ag Network)

WDFW Commission to Discuss Columbia River Fisheries (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Mason General Breaks Ground for New Medical Office Building in Shelton (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

1.      Southern California Edison Says Its Equipment Helped Spark Massive Thomas Fire That Killed 2
2.      Natural Gas Rates Going Down in Oregon
3.      Head of Giant Longview Millennium Coal Terminal Project in Retires
4.      TransAlta Reports $86 Million Third Quarter Loss Compared with $27 Million Loss a Year Ago
5.      Two Dead after Helicopter Hits Power Lines, Burns & Crashes
6.      U-S on Pace for Record Coal Retirements in 2018, IEEFA Finds
7.      Job 1 for G.E.’s New Chief: Fix Its Ailing Power Business
8.      APPA CEO Kelly Receives Service Award from the Energy Bar Association
9.      A Virginia Farmer Fights to Harvest His Uranium
10.   Billionaires Back Fusion Energy Projects in Pursuit of a ‘SpaceX Moment’
11.   WDFW Commission to Discuss Columbia River Fisheries
12.   Here’s How a Dozen Anglers Made Over $20,000 Each Catching Pikeminnow This Summer
13.   Wood Fiesta Project Delivers Thousands of Logs by Helicopter for Stream Restoration
14.   Ocean Shock – Reuters Reveals the Climate Crisis Beneath the Waves
15.   Oyster Growers Appeal State Decision to Deny Pesticide Use
16.   Maine: Boom & Doom – Squirrel Population Surges in Northeast, as Does Roadkill
17.   TransAlta Awards $520K for Lewis County Solar Projects
18.   Franklin, Benton PUDs Note Deadlines Set for Washington State Solar Incentive Program
19.   Oregon Farms, Ranches Land Federal Renewable Energy Grants
20.   Canadian Solar Farm to Help Light Up Silicon Valley, Monterey
21.   Alexa, Should We Trust You?
22.   Factbox: Ten Years of Bitcoin
23.   Disasters & Regulation
24.   Faraday Future’s Electric Car Plans Are in Peril
25.   Op/Ed: Stop Celebrating Meaningless Environmental Promises
26.   NRCS: Washington’s New Water Year Off on the Right Foot
27.   Flyer Citing Latino Businesses’ Opposition to Carbon Fee Ignites Campaign Controversy
28.   What Could I-1631 Do for Washington State’s Suburbs & Cities?
29.   Democratic Attorneys General Ready for Round Two of Climate Rule Fight
30.   Facebook’s Vision for the Future: Less News Feed, More Stories
31.   Gone to Pot: Marijuana Shortages Plague Canada
32.   Can Pot Save the Pumpkin Farm?
33.   Lime Says It Recalled Some Electric Scooters amid Fears Their Batteries Could Catch Fire
34.   Kepler Telescope Dead after Finding Thousands of Worlds
35.   U-S Supreme Court Hears Yakama Nation Tax Case; Tribe’s Chairman Denied Entry Over Regalia
36.   Mason General Breaks Ground for New Medical Office Building in Shelton
37.   Shelton Swimmers Advance to District Championships
38.   People from Onalaska are Smart – How One Tiny Town Is Battling ‘Rural Brain Drain’
39.   Local Shelters Say Black-Cat Superstitions Don’t Affect Adoptions
40.   Boston Gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger Killed in Prison

WORD OF THE DAY – HORRIBLE HALLOWEEN HAIKU

Lycanthropy /lie-KANN-thruh-pee/ Noun – 1: a delusion that one has become a wolf 2: the assumption of the form & characteristics of a wolf held to be possible by witchcraft or magic.

Dental dilemma
Bob’s canines grow at full moon
Lycanthropy, Yes!


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.    Southern California Edison Says Its Equipment Helped Spark Massive Thomas Fire That Killed 2 (Los Angeles Times, CA)

2.    Natural Gas Rates Going Down in Oregon (Portland Business Journal, OR)

3.    Head of Giant Longview Millennium Coal Terminal Project in Retires (Portland Business Journal, OR)

4.    TransAlta Reports $86 Million Third Quarter Loss Compared with $27 Million Loss a Year Ago (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

5.    Two Dead after Helicopter Hits Power Lines, Burns & Crashes (NY Post)

6.    U-S on Pace for Record Coal Retirements in 2018, IEEFA Finds (Utility Dive)

7.    Job 1 for G.E.’s New Chief: Fix Its Ailing Power Business (NY Times)

8.    APPA CEO Kelly Receives Service Award from the Energy Bar Association (American Public Power Association)

9.    A Virginia Farmer Fights to Harvest His uranium (Bloomberg News)


FISH & WILDLIFE

11. WDFW Commission to Discuss Columbia River Fisheries (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

12. Here’s How a Dozen Anglers Made Over $20,000 Each Catching Pikeminnow This Summer (KCBY-TV, Coos Bay, OR)

13. Wood Fiesta Project Delivers Thousands of Logs by Helicopter for Stream Restoration (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)

14. Ocean Shock – Reuters Reveals the Climate Crisis Beneath the Waves (Reuters)

15. Oyster Growers Appeal State Decision to Deny Pesticide Use (Associated Press)

16. Maine: Boom & Doom – Squirrel Population Surges in Northeast, as Does Roadkill (Portland Press Herald, ME)

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

17. TransAlta Awards $520K for Lewis County Solar Projects (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/business/transalta-awards-k-for-local-solar-projects/article_4a72c2b4-dc6e-11e8-9327-1b2fa9010aed.html

18. Franklin, Benton PUDs Note Deadlines Set for Washington State Solar Incentive Program (Franklin & Benton PUDs, Tri-Cities, WA)

19. Oregon Farms, Ranches Land Federal Renewable Energy Grants (Capital Press)

20. Canadian Solar Farm to Help Light Up Silicon Valley, Monterey (Bloomberg News)

THE WIZARDING WORLD – TECHNOLOGY

21. Alexa, Should We Trust You? (Atlantic Magazine)

22. Factbox: Ten Years of Bitcoin (Reuters)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

23. Disasters & Regulation (Pots & Pans)

I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC

24. Faraday Future’s Electric Car Plans Are in Peril (Mashable)

ENVIRONMENTAL FOOT LOCKER

25. Op/Ed: Stop Celebrating Meaningless Environmental Promises (Sunnyside Daily Sun, WA)

WATER, THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE

26. NRCS: Washington’s New Water Year Off on the Right Foot (Washington Ag Network)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

27. Flyer Citing Latino Businesses’ Opposition to Carbon Fee Ignites Campaign Controversy (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

28. What Could I-1631 Do for Washington State’s Suburbs & Cities? (Sightline Institute)

29. Democratic Attorneys General Ready for Round Two of Climate Rule Fight (Washington Examiner)

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

30. Facebook’s Vision for the Future: Less News Feed, More Stories (NY Times)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

31. Gone to Pot: Marijuana Shortages Plague Canada (Associated Press)

32. Can Pot Save the Pumpkin Farm? (Washington Post)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

33. Lime Says It Recalled Some Electric Scooters amid Fears Their Batteries Could Catch Fire (The Hill, Washington, DC)

34. Kepler Telescope Dead after Finding Thousands of Worlds (Associated Press)

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

35. U-S Supreme Court Hears Yakama Nation Tax Case; Tribe’s Chairman Denied Entry Over Regalia (Northwest Public Broadcasting)

GENERAL NEWS

36. Mason General Breaks Ground for New Medical Office Building in Shelton (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

37. Shelton Swimmers Advance to District Championships (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

38. People from Onalaska are Smart – How One Tiny Town Is Battling ‘Rural Brain Drain’ (The Hechinger Report)

39. Local Shelters Say Black-Cat Superstitions Don’t Affect Adoptions (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

40. Boston Gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger Killed in Prison (Reuters)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

This Plane Accidentally Flew Around the World

Couple Dies in Yosemite While Apparently Taking Selfie

A Store Had to Move Thousands of Books. So a Human Chain Was Formed.

‘War of the Worlds’ Radio Broadcast Sparked Panic across Country 80 Years Ago Today

SONG OF THE DAY

Forever Autumn/Thunderchild – Justin Hayward, “The War of the Worlds in Concert”

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENERGY NEWS DIGEST

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org.

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.

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Energy News Digest for October 30, 2018


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

The Energy News Digest is on Facebook, and on Twitter.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS





HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

‘Red Flag’ Wind Warnings Hit Northern California – Pacific Gas & Electric Urges Customers to Prepare (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Connecticut Can Use Efficiency Funds to Cover Budget Shortfall, Federal Court Rules (Utility Dive)

FCC Falsely Claims Community Broadband an ‘Ominous Threat to the First Amendment’ (Motherboard)

Fight Over Washington State Carbon Fee Initiative Shaping up to Be Costliest (Associated Press)

Small 2.9 Earthquake Hits in Tacoma Early Tuesday (KCPQ-TV, Seattle/Tacoma, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

1.      ‘Red Flag’ Wind Warnings Hit Northern California – Pacific Gas & Electric Urges Customers to Prepare
2.      Study: Natural Gas, Wind, Solar Cheapest Power Generation
3.      Western Regionalization Plan B: Utilities Take an Interim Step to Expand the Grid
4.      Oregon Governor Joins Other States in Offshore Drilling Ban
5.      General Electric Reveals Deeper Regulatory Probe, Restructuring, Ailing Power Unit
6.      French Pumped Hydropower Plan Stymied by European Union Deadlock
7.      Op/Ed: Three Ways Utilities Can Better Engage Low-Income Customers
8.      Tesla Faces a Challenger in the Home Solar Business
9.      Eight Questions to Ask Before Going Solar at Home
10.   FCC Falsely Claims Community Broadband an ‘Ominous Threat to the First Amendment’
11.   How Big Tech Will Be Hit by the United Kingdom’s New Digital Tax
12.   Will South Dakota Get 5G?
13.   How Much Does a Cable Box Really Cost? The Industry Would Prefer You Don’t Ask
14.   How’d This Government Agency Get Infected with Malware? 9,000 Pages of P*rn.
15.   Connecticut Can Use Efficiency Funds to Cover Budget Shortfall, Federal Court Rules
16.   Sacramento Leads by Example on Cleaner Energy, with Help from Electrification
17.   Op/Ed: Dear Customer: We’re Shutting Off Your Water
18.   Fight Over Washington State Carbon Fee Initiative Shaping up to Be Costliest
19.   Carbon Fee Initiative: High Stakes, High Spending in Washington State
20.   Earth’s Carbon Dioxide Levels Are Likely the Highest They’ve Been in 15 Million Years
21.   Children, Activists Rally in Support of Climate Change Lawsuit
22.   U-S Supreme Court Hears Arguments in ‘Landmark’ Yakama Nation Gas Tax Case
23.   Second Person Files Public Disclosure Complaint against Donor Group Supporting Grant PUD Candidates
24.   Small 2.9 Earthquake Hits in Tacoma Early Tuesday
25.   Mason General Hospital (Et. Al.) Breaks Ground on Medical Office Building
26.   Squaxin Child Center Getting Commerce Funds
27.   It’s Almost Time to ‘Fall Back’, Daylight Saving Time Ends This Weekend

WORD OF THE DAY

Haberdasher \HABB-err-dash-err\ Noun - 1: a dealer in notions 2: a dealer in men’s clothing and accessories.

One of the country’s most celebrated presidents, Harry Truman, was a successful haberdasher in Kansas City. That is, until the recession of 1921 put him out of business.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.    ‘Red Flag’ Wind Warnings Hit Northern California – Pacific Gas & Electric Urges Customers to Prepare (Sacramento Bee, CA)

2.    Study: Natural Gas, Wind, Solar Cheapest Power Generation (Utility Dive)

3.    Western Regionalization Plan B: Utilities Take an Interim Step to Expand the Grid (Utility Dive)

4.    Oregon Governor Joins Other States in Offshore Drilling Ban (Associated Press)

5.    General Electric Reveals Deeper Regulatory Probe, Restructuring, Ailing Power Unit (Reuters)

6.    French Pumped Hydropower Plan Stymied by European Union Deadlock (Renewable Energy World)

7.    Op/Ed: Three Ways Utilities Can Better Engage Low-Income Customers (Utility Dive)

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

8.    Tesla Faces a Challenger in the Home Solar Business (NY Times)

9.    Eight Questions to Ask Before Going Solar at Home (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

10. FCC Falsely Claims Community Broadband an ‘Ominous Threat to the First Amendment’ (Motherboard)

11. How Big Tech Will Be Hit by the United Kingdom’s New Digital Tax (Bloomberg News)

12. Will South Dakota Get 5G? (Pots & Pans)

13. How Much Does a Cable Box Really Cost? The Industry Would Prefer You Don’t Ask (Los Angeles Times, CA)

14. How’d This Government Agency Get Infected with Malware? 9,000 Pages of P*rn. (Washington Post)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

15. Connecticut Can Use Efficiency Funds to Cover Budget Shortfall, Federal Court Rules (Utility Dive)

16. Sacramento Leads by Example on Cleaner Energy, with Help from Electrification (Breaking Energy)

WATER, THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE

17. Op/Ed: Dear Customer: We’re Shutting Off Your Water (NY Times)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

18. Fight Over Washington State Carbon Fee Initiative Shaping up to Be Costliest (Associated Press)

19. Carbon Fee Initiative: High Stakes, High Spending in Washington State (Politico)

20. Earth’s Carbon Dioxide Levels Are Likely the Highest They’ve Been in 15 Million Years (Mashable)

21. Children, Activists Rally in Support of Climate Change Lawsuit (Reuters)

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

22. U-S Supreme Court Hears Arguments in ‘Landmark’ Yakama Nation Gas Tax Case (Northwest Public Broadcasting)

23. Second Person Files Public Disclosure Complaint against Donor Group Supporting Grant PUD Candidates (iFiberOne News, Ephrata, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

24. Small 2.9 Earthquake Hits in Tacoma Early Tuesday (KCPQ-TV, Seattle/Tacoma, WA)

25. Mason General Hospital (Et. Al.) Breaks Ground on Medical Office Building (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

26. Squaxin Child Center Getting Commerce Funds (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

27. It’s Almost Time to ‘Fall Back’, Daylight Saving Time Ends This Weekend (CBS Miami, FL)

WITCHES ON THE WATER – DIVERSIONS

Hundreds of Witches Pick Paddles over Broomsticks to Paddleboard the Willamette River

This Stray Cat Who Crashed a Fashion Show Is My Favorite Supermodel

Couple in Mystery Proposal Photo Identified

Goodwill Workers in New Jersey Find Original 1774 ‘Rebel’ Newspaper

SONG OF THE DAY

Temptations – Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today)

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENERGY NEWS DIGEST

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org.

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.