Friday, January 12, 2018

Energy News Digest for January 12, 2018

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SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS



HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

U-S Supreme Court to Hear Washington State Appeal of Salmon Habitat Order (Associated Press)

California Faces $241 Million Bill to Close Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant (Courthouse News Service)

What’s in Your Warehouse: Puerto Rico Governor Calls for DOJ Probe after Power Equipment Stockpile Found (Utility Dive)

REC Silicon Pens Letter to President Trump Over Chinese Trade Dispute (iFiber One News, Ephrata, WA)

States (including Washington) Push Back after Net Neutrality Repeal (NY Times)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • California Faces $241 Million Bill to Close Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant
  • What’s in Your Warehouse: Puerto Rico Governor Calls for DOJ Probe after Power Equipment Stockpile Found
  • Governor Inslee Wants Washington State Removed from Coastal Oil Drilling Plan
  • Senator Cantwell: Drilling Plan Carve-Out for Florida May Be Illegal
  • Grant PUD 2018 Rates to Be Unveiled at January 23 Meeting
  • NW Power& Conservation Council Taps Idaho’s Yost as New Chair, Montana’s Anders Vice-Chair
  • Mason PUD 3 Helps WSP Train K-9s
  • New Mexico Customers Could Be the First to See Rate Reductions as a Result of Lower Corporate Tax
  • Berkshire Hathaway Utility Unit Shuffles Top Executives
  • During Recent Cold Snap, the U-S Withdrew a Record Amount of Natural Gas from Storage
  • Chinese Bitcoin Miners Eye Sites in Energy-Rich Canada
  • Real Choices, Real Savings: Keeping the Lights On for Low-Income Customers
  • U-S Supreme Court to Hear Washington State Appeal of Salmon Habitat Order
  • Plaintiffs in Columbia River Spill for Fish Case File Reply Briefs in Ninth Circuit; Oral Arguments in March
  • Study: Decline of Salmon Also Impacts Salmon Genetics
  • Killing Barred Owls to See Impact on Spotted Owl Approved
  • Seventeen Former Wildlife Officials Urge Interior to Rethink Easing Rules Against Killing Birds
  • There Are Record Bald Eagle Numbers in North Idaho – Biologists Don’t Know Why
  • Op/Ed: Rural Washington Hardest Hit by Hirst Water Ruling
  • REC Silicon Pens Letter to President Trump Over Chinese Trade Dispute
  • President Trump Says He Wishes U-S Would Use Hydropower. It Already Does
  • A Smart Home Sounds Like a Great Idea. So Why Is It Still So Complicated?
  • California’s Timber Industry Was Sacrificed for the Spotted Owl. Now Pot Farms Pose a New Threat
  • It’s Time to Go Nuclear in the Fight against Climate Change
  • Cutting Carbon Emissions While Earning Cash
  • Electric Vehicle Tax Credit Survives, but G.M. & Tesla Aren’t Cheering
  • CenturyLink’s Patel: Broadband Expansion Will Focus on Higher Speeds, Dense Areas
  • Missouri: Broadband Access Helps Farmers Stay Competitive
  • Congress Prepares To Knock Down Barriers to Broadband Expansion in Rural America
  • FCC Plan to Lower Broadband Standards Is Met with “Mobile Only Challenge”
  • Facebook Is Changing. What Does That Mean for Your News Feed?
  • Facebook Shares Tumble after Changes to Its News Feed That Could Shrink Ad Revenue
  • Four Optimization Strategies to Make Your Social Media Less ‘Normal’
  • States (including Washington) Push Back after Net Neutrality Repeal
  • Is There a Washington State Soda Tax in the Works?
  • Interior Plans to Move Thousands of Workers in the Biggest Reorganization in Its History
  • Rattlesnake Ridge Slide Date Keeps Changing. Authorities Caution That It Could Come Any Time
  • Belfair’s Widened SR 3 Stretch to Get Crosswalk Flashers, Speed Sensor Signs
  • Report: Maintaining I-5 through 2040 Will Cost State Billions
  • State Farm Shuttering Two Washington State Call Centers
  • Weak to Moderate La Nina Will Likely Continue through Winter, NOAA Says
WORD OF THE DAY

Xanadu • \ZAN-uh-doo\ • noun – An idyllic, exotic, or luxurious place

“Ahh. Whenever I hear the word Xanadu I think of the former glory of the Mongol Empire,” sighed Bataar.
“I think of Charles Foster Kane!” shouted Jim Gettys,
“I imagine Olivia Newton John, resplendent in spandex,” said Sonny Malone in a dreamy, far away voice.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

California Faces $241 Million Bill to Close Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant (Courthouse News Service)

What’s in Your Warehouse: Puerto Rico Governor Calls for DOJ Probe after Power Equipment Stockpile Found (Utility Dive)

Governor Inslee Wants Washington State Removed from Coastal Oil Drilling Plan (Associated Press)

Senator Cantwell: Drilling Plan Carve-Out for Florida May Be Illegal (Associated Press)

Grant PUD 2018 Rates to Be Unveiled at January 23 Meeting (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

NW Power& Conservation Council Taps Idaho’s Yost as New Chair, Montana’s Anders Vice-Chair (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Mason PUD 3 Helps WSP Train K-9s (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

New Mexico Customers Could Be the First to See Rate Reductions as a Result of Lower Corporate Tax (Utility Dive)

Berkshire Hathaway Utility Unit Shuffles Top Executives (Associated Press)

During Recent Cold Snap, the U-S Withdrew a Record Amount of Natural Gas from Storage (U-S Energy Information Administration)

Chinese Bitcoin Miners Eye Sites in Energy-Rich Canada (Reuters)

Real Choices, Real Savings: Keeping the Lights On for Low-Income Customers (American Public Power Association)

FISH & WILDLIFE

U-S Supreme Court to Hear Washington State Appeal of Salmon Habitat Order (Associated Press)

Plaintiffs in Columbia River Spill for Fish Case File Reply Briefs in Ninth Circuit; Oral Arguments in March (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Study: Decline of Salmon Also Impacts Salmon Genetics (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)

Killing Barred Owls to See Impact on Spotted Owl Approved (KXRO Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Seventeen Former Wildlife Officials Urge Interior to Rethink Easing Rules Against Killing Birds (Washington Post)

There Are Record Bald Eagle Numbers in North Idaho – Biologists Don’t Know Why (Northwest Public Radio)

WATER, THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE

Op/Ed: Rural Washington Hardest Hit by Hirst Water Ruling (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

REC Silicon Pens Letter to President Trump Over Chinese Trade Dispute (Ifiber One News, Ephrata, WA)

President Trump Says He Wishes U-S Would Use Hydropower. It Already Does (CNBC)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

A Smart Home Sounds Like a Great Idea. So Why Is It Still So Complicated? (USA Today)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

California’s Timber Industry Was Sacrificed for the Spotted Owl. Now Pot Farms Pose a New Threat (Sacramento Bee, CA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

It’s Time to Go Nuclear in the Fight against Climate Change (Grist Online)

Cutting Carbon Emissions While Earning Cash (NY Times)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

Electric Vehicle Tax Credit Survives, but G.M. & Tesla Aren’t Cheering (NY Times)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

CenturyLink’s Patel: Broadband Expansion Will Focus on Higher Speeds, Dense Areas (Fierce Telecom – For Rural $500 Million for 10 Mbps. Meh)

Missouri: Broadband Access Helps Farmers Stay Competitive (Associated Press)

Congress Prepares To Knock Down Barriers to Broadband Expansion in Rural America (USA Today)

FCC Plan to Lower Broadband Standards Is Met with “Mobile Only Challenge” (Ars Technica)

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

Facebook Is Changing. What Does That Mean for Your News Feed? (NY Times)

Facebook Shares Tumble after Changes to Its News Feed That Could Shrink Ad Revenue (Los Angeles Times, CA)

Four Optimization Strategies to Make Your Social Media Less ‘Normal’ (AdWeek)

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

States (including Washington) Push Back after Net Neutrality Repeal (NY Times)

Is There a Washington State Soda Tax in the Works? (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Interior Plans to Move Thousands of Workers in the Biggest Reorganization in Its History (Washington Post)

GENERAL NEWS

Rattlesnake Ridge Slide Date Keeps Changing. Authorities Caution That It Could Come Any Time (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)

Belfair’s Widened SR 3 Stretch to Get Crosswalk Flashers, Speed Sensor Signs (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Report: Maintaining I-5 through 2040 Will Cost State Billions (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

State Farm Shuttering Two Washington State Call Centers (Associated Press)

Weak to Moderate La Nina Will Likely Continue through Winter, NOAA Says (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

A Lofty Proposal: ‘Marry Me’ Etched In Snow, Seen from Above

Woman Returns Christmas Tree to Costco ‘Because It’s Dead’

Thick Ice Sheets Found Below the Surface of Mars Could Help Us Explore the Red Planet

Darwin Awards: Warning Issued after Teens Eat Laundry Detergent Pods for New Internet Challenge

SONG OF THE DAY

The Fifth Dimension – Wedding Bell Blues

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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.