Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Energy News Digest for January 9, 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.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


                                        
Snow in Mountains, Wind, & Ample Precipitation: A La Nina-Like Pattern This Week (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Judge OKs Plan to Boost Spill at Columbia & Snake River Dams (Associated Press)

FERC Rejects DOE NOPR, Kicking Resilience Issue to Grid Operators (Utility Dive)

More Equipment, Crews Head to Puerto Rico for Power Boost (Associated Press)

Bill Could Allow More New Washington State Wells for Domestic Use (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Seven Takeaways from Gov. Inslee’s 2018 State Of The State Speech (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • FERC Rejects DOE NOPR, Kicking Resilience Issue to Grid Operators
  • ‘FERC Did Its Job:’ Former Regulators, Lawyers Laud DOE NOPR Rejection
  • More Equipment, Crews Head to Puerto Rico for Power Boost
  • Almost All Power Plants That Retired In the Past Decade Were Powered by Fossil Fuels
  • MIT: Cheap Gas, Not Renewables, Caused Nuclear Woes
  • South Carolina Utility Wants Lawsuit over Nuclear Plant Costs Tossed Out of Court
  • Chelan PUD has Aggressive Capital Improvement Plan
  • British Columbia: The Great Flicker of 2018 (2.5 Second Outage) Was Caused by a Car Crash, BC Hydro Says
  • Damming the Nile – Egypt, Sudan & Ethiopia Battle It Out
  • Bitcoins Should Be Called BTUcoins – That’s a Problem
  • Judge OKs Plan to Boost Spill at Columbia & Snake River Dams
  • Bill Could Allow More New Washington State Wells for Domestic Use
  • The Nation’s Rivers & Streams Are Getting Dangerously Saltier
  • Oregon: Solar Developer Disputes Blockage of 80-Acre Project on Farmland
  • Roadmap to Nowhere: The Myth of Powering the Nation 100% with Renewable Energy
  • $30K Award another Example of How Naval Station Everett Is a Top Base
  • Inslee’s Carbon Tax Would Raise Costs for Consumers, Polluters to Fund Environmental Projects
  • Oregon Business Groups Blast Cap-And-Trade Bills
  • Op/Ed: We Don’t Want California’s Cap-And-Trade Law
  • Your Bathroom Could Soon Be a ‘Smart Bathroom’ Thanks to Kohler
  • President Trump Is Pushing Rural Internet Access. Here’s What Montana Is Doing Already
  • Donald Trump’s Executive Orders on ‘Great, Great’ Rural Broadband Don’t Really Do Anything
  • Trump Rural Broadband Initiatives: Where’s the Beef?
  • Congressional Democrats Try to Force a Vote to Keep Net Neutrality
  • Pole Contact Switcheroo: Judge Backs AT&T Effort to Slow Google Fiber in Nashville
  • Comcast under Fire for Using Sneaky Fees to Jack up Rates
  • Seven Takeaways from Gov. Inslee’s 2018 State Of The State Speech
  • Washington State Legislature Opens amid Protest, Calls for Action
  • GOP Washington State Senator Staying in Olympia, Won’t Join Trump Administration
  • America’s Rural Hospitals Are Dangerously Fragile
  • Suspect Due In Court in Death of Washington State Sheriff’s Deputy
  • 35 MPH Wind Gusts Possible Around Puget Sound Thursday
  • Residents Rescued as Mud Inundates California Burn Areas
  • Washington State Senator Floats Idea of Ferry Service between Olympia & Seattle
  • New Frontier for Craft U-S Whiskey May Be Underfoot in Olympic Peninsula Bog Near Shelton
WORD OF THE DAY

Conurbation • \kah-ner-BAY-shun\ • Noun - An aggregation or continuous network of urban communities.

Welcome to “EverSeaTacoOly,” blared the tour guide. His grating mashing of the conurbation along the central Puget Sound I-5 parking lot of a freeway was only slightly tinged with irony.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

FERC Rejects DOE NOPR, Kicking Resilience Issue to Grid Operators (Utility Dive)

‘FERC Did Its Job:’ Former Regulators, Lawyers Laud DOE NOPR Rejection (Utility Dive)

More Equipment, Crews Head to Puerto Rico for Power Boost (Associated Press)

Almost All Power Plants That Retired In the Past Decade Were Powered by Fossil Fuels (U-S Energy Information Administration)

MIT: Cheap Gas, Not Renewables, Caused Nuclear Woes (Utility Dive)

South Carolina Utility Wants Lawsuit over Nuclear Plant Costs Tossed Out of Court (Associated Press)

Chelan PUD has Aggressive Capital Improvement Plan (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

British Columbia: The Great Flicker of 2018 (2.5 Second Outage) Was Caused by a Car Crash, BC Hydro Says (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

Damming the Nile – Egypt, Sudan & Ethiopia Battle It Out (Jerusalem Post)

Bitcoins Should Be Called BTUcoins – That’s a Problem (The Energy Collective)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Judge OKs Plan to Boost Spill at Columbia & Snake River Dams (Associated Press)

WATER, THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE

Bill Could Allow More New Washington State Wells for Domestic Use (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

The Nation’s Rivers & Streams Are Getting Dangerously Saltier (Washington Post)

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

Oregon: Solar Developer Disputes Blockage of 80-Acre Project on Farmland (Capital Press)

Roadmap to Nowhere: The Myth of Powering the Nation 100% with Renewable Energy (The Energy Collective)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

$30K Award another Example of How Naval Station Everett Is a Top Base (My Everett News, WA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Inslee’s Carbon Tax Would Raise Costs for Consumers, Polluters to Fund Environmental Projects (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA – Paywall Advisory)

Oregon Business Groups Blast Cap-And-Trade Bills (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Op/Ed: We Don’t Want California’s Cap-And-Trade Law (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

Your Bathroom Could Soon Be a ‘Smart Bathroom’ Thanks to Kohler (Mashable)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

President Trump Is Pushing Rural Internet Access. Here’s What Montana Is Doing Already (KTVQ-TV, Billings, MT)

Donald Trump’s Executive Orders on ‘Great, Great’ Rural Broadband Don’t Really Do Anything (Gizmodo – PG-13 for Language)

Trump Rural Broadband Initiatives: Where’s the Beef? (Telecompetitor)

Congressional Democrats Try to Force a Vote to Keep Net Neutrality (Courthouse News Service)

Pole Contact Switcheroo: Judge Backs AT&T Effort to Slow Google Fiber in Nashville (Broadband Reports)

Comcast under Fire for Using Sneaky Fees to Jack up Rates (Broadband Reports)

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

Seven Takeaways from Gov. Inslee’s 2018 State Of The State Speech (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Washington State Legislature Opens amid Protest, Calls for Action (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

GOP Washington State Senator Staying in Olympia, Won’t Join Trump Administration (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA – Paywall Advisory)

America’s Rural Hospitals Are Dangerously Fragile (Atlantic Magazine)

GENERAL NEWS

Suspect Due In Court in Death of Washington State Sheriff’s Deputy (Associated Press)

35 MPH Wind Gusts Possible Around Puget Sound Thursday (KCPQ-TV, Seattle/Tacoma, WA)

Residents Rescued as Mud Inundates California Burn Areas (Associated Press)

Washington State Senator Floats Idea of Ferry Service between Olympia & Seattle (Olympian, WA – Paywall Advisory)

New Frontier for Craft U-S Whiskey May Be Underfoot in Olympic Peninsula Bog Near Shelton (Associated Press)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Some People Curse & Say Nasty Things in Their Sleep. There’s a Good Reason.

Buzzkill: Starbucks Wins Dismissal in U-S of Under Filled Latte Lawsuit

Man Trying to Kill Spider Sets Apartment on Fire, Tenants Forced to Move Out

Here Are 50 Pictures of Mount Hood Looking Beautiful Over the Last 70 Years

SONG OF THE DAY

The K Sisters – Java Jive

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENERGY NEWS DIGEST

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org.

GET SOCIAL WITH THE NEWS DIGEST

The Energy News Digest is on Facebook.

Follow the Energy News Digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices.

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.