Thursday, February 1, 2018

Energy News Digest for February 1, 2018

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SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS



HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Bonneville Power Administration Outlines Its Plan to Stay Competitive (Oregonian, Portland)

White House Seeks 72 Percent Cut to Clean Energy Research, Underscoring Administration’s Preference for Fossil Fuels (Washington Post)

Miamians Are the Worst Electricity Hogs in the U-S, New Survey Says. Blame AC. (Miami Herald, FL)

Washington Fish & Wildlife Predicts Smaller Smelt Run for 2018 (Longview Daily News, WA)

Funding for Yakima Water Plan Back Before Congress (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Bonneville Power Administration Outlines Its Plan to Stay Competitive
  • Low Gas Prices, Renewable Energy Squeeze Bonneville Power Administration
  • Jefferson PUD, Public Debate Proposed Electrical Rate Hikes
  • Op/Ed: Wrong to Pick on Jefferson PUD’s Citizen Board
  • Vashon’s Source of Clean Electricity
  • Utility Customers Win $775 Million Back from San Onofre Deal Criticized as Lopsided against Them
  • Insurance Claims for California Wildfires Climb to $12 Billion
  • The Controversy Surrounding Massachusetts’ $1.6B Hydropower Transmission Line
  • More Utility Workers in Puerto Rico as Power Restoration Continues
  • Puerto Rico Says Energy Assets May Fetch Up to $4 Billion
  • For Utilities, the New Corporate Tax Cuts Are a Double-Edged Sword
  • Four Tips to Prepare for Extended Power Outages
  • Washington Fish & Wildlife Predicts Smaller Smelt Run for 2018
  • Lingering Blob – The Warm-Water Anomoly Known as the Blob May Be Gone – Its Effects Linger
  • Once-Vanished Fishers Are Making Their Comeback in Washington
  • Funding for Yakima Water Plan Back Before Congress
  • Global River Cleanups Grow – How Communities from Portland, Oregon, to Paris Are Cleaning & Playing in Their Waterways
  • California Gauges Snowpack amid Dry Winter
  • White House Seeks 72 Percent Cut to Clean Energy Research, Underscoring Administration’s Preference for Fossil Fuels
  • Alaska: Juneau Assembly Eyes Renewable Energy Target
  • Seattle Offers New Incentives to Urge Residents to Buy Electric Cars
  • Uncoordinated Trouble? Electric Vehicles Can Be a Grid Asset, But Only With Planning & Investment
  • Miamians Are the Worst Electricity Hogs in the U-S, New Survey Says. Blame AC.
  • U-S Green Building Council Releases Annual Top Ten States for LEED Green Building Per Capita
  • Vermont Electric Co-Op Seeks Adopters for New Smart Energy Device
  • California Makes Big Money From Its Carbon Pricing Program. Who Gets It?
  • Idaho Lawmakers Continue to Balk at New Science Standards
  • How Cloud Seeding May Alleviate Northwest Drought
  • Op/Ed: Should President Trump Nationalize a 5G Network?
  • Microsoft’s Cloud Computing Business Grows, Stock Edges Up
  • What He Did on His Summer Break: Exposed a Global Security Flaw
  • Twitter Followers Vanish amid Inquiries into Fake Accounts
  • Capitalizing on the Super Bowl or Olympics without Landing in Legal Trouble
  • Bad Reputation: America’s Top 20 Most-Hated Companies
  • Trump’s $1.5 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Is Light on Federal Funds, & Details
  • All the Money in the Law – Will Tax Savings go to Energy Infrastructure
  • Report: Ed Murray’s Spokesperson Secretly Worked against Him
  • Social Media Threats Investigation Cancels Shelton School Assemblies
  • Camas Mill Will Lay Off Workers Starting May 1
  • Shelton City Commission Approves Economic Development Plan
  • Warmer Weather Hitting Seattle in the Middle of Winter
  • From the Ashes, Shelton’s Bowling Team Returns to State Prominence
WORD OF THE DAY - Horrible Haiku Edition

Deadline ● /DED-line/ ● Noun – 1: a line drawn within or around a prison that a prisoner passes at the risk of being shot 2 a: a date or time before which something must be done b: the time after which copy is not accepted for a particular issue of a publication

Those dratted deadlines
Immutable march of time
Missed. Copy now dead

Word Origins, “Wonderopolis

The term “deadline” has uncertain origins. The earliest uses of the word appear to have referred simply to lines that did not move. This usage may have developed into “deadline” being used around the time of the Civil War as a term related to prisons, meaning a line that could not be crossed by prisoners.

Eventually, the term began to be used by journalists in the sense we know today. This was most likely the result of the design of early printing presses that featured a guideline on the printing plate. Any text inside the line would be printed. Any text outside the line — the “deadline” — would not be printed and would “die.”

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Bonneville Power Administration Outlines Its Plan to Stay Competitive (Oregonian, Portland)

Low Gas Prices, Renewable Energy Squeeze Bonneville Power Administration (Utility Dive)

Jefferson PUD, Public Debate Proposed Electrical Rate Hikes (Port Townsend Leader, WA)

Op/Ed: Wrong to Pick on Jefferson PUD’s Citizen Board (Port Townsend Leader, WA)

Vashon’s Source of Clean Electricity (The Vashon Loop, WA)

Utility Customers Win $775 Million Back from San Onofre Deal Criticized as Lopsided against Them (San Diego Union Tribune, CA)

Insurance Claims for California Wildfires Climb to $12 Billion (Courthouse News Service)

The Controversy Surrounding Massachusetts’ $1.6B Hydropower Transmission Line (Green Tech Media)

More Utility Workers in Puerto Rico as Power Restoration Continues (Power Magazine)

Puerto Rico Says Energy Assets May Fetch Up to $4 Billion (Bloomberg News)

For Utilities, the New Corporate Tax Cuts Are a Double-Edged Sword (Utility Dive)

Four Tips to Prepare for Extended Power Outages (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Washington Fish & Wildlife Predicts Smaller Smelt Run for 2018 (Longview Daily News, WA)

Lingering Blob – The Warm-Water Anomoly Known as the Blob May Be Gone – Its Effects Linger (Northwest Power & Conservation Council)

Once-Vanished Fishers Are Making Their Comeback in Washington (Northwest Public Broadcasting)

WATER, THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE

Funding for Yakima Water Plan Back Before Congress (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)

Global River Cleanups Grow – How Communities from Portland, Oregon, to Paris Are Cleaning & Playing in Their Waterways (Christian Science Monitor)

California Gauges Snowpack amid Dry Winter (Associated Press)

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

White House Seeks 72 Percent Cut to Clean Energy Research, Underscoring Administration’s Preference for Fossil Fuels (Washington Post)

Alaska: Juneau Assembly Eyes Renewable Energy Target (KTOO Radio, Jeanue, AK)

I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC

Seattle Offers New Incentives to Urge Residents to Buy Electric Cars (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

Uncoordinated Trouble? Electric Vehicles Can Be a Grid Asset, But Only With Planning & Investment (Utility Dive)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Miamians Are the Worst Electricity Hogs in the U-S, New Survey Says. Blame AC. (Miami Herald, FL)

U-S Green Building Council Releases Annual Top Ten States for LEED Green Building Per Capita (Green Building Council)

Vermont Electric Co-Op Seeks Adopters for New Smart Energy Device (Vermont Business Magazine)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

California Makes Big Money From Its Carbon Pricing Program. Who Gets It? (Grist Online)

Idaho Lawmakers Continue to Balk at New Science Standards (Associated Press)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

How Cloud Seeding May Alleviate Northwest Drought (Northwest Public Broadcasting)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Op/Ed: Should President Trump Nationalize a 5G Network? (NY Times)

Microsoft’s Cloud Computing Business Grows, Stock Edges Up (Reuters)

What He Did on His Summer Break: Exposed a Global Security Flaw (NY Times)

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

Twitter Followers Vanish amid Inquiries into Fake Accounts (NY Times)

Capitalizing on the Super Bowl or Olympics without Landing in Legal Trouble (AdWeek)

Bad Reputation: America’s Top 20 Most-Hated Companies (USA Today)

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

Trump’s $1.5 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Is Light on Federal Funds, & Details (NY Times)

All the Money in the Law – Will Tax Savings go to Energy Infrastructure (Politico’s Morning Energy)

Report: Ed Murray’s Spokesperson Secretly Worked against Him (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Social Media Threats Investigation Cancels Shelton School Assemblies (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Camas Mill Will Lay Off Workers Starting May 1 (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Shelton City Commission Approves Economic Development Plan (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Warmer Weather Hitting Seattle in the Middle of Winter (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

From the Ashes, Shelton’s Bowling Team Returns to State Prominence (Olympian, WA – Paywall Advisory)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Washington State Legislators Express Their Creativity with Colorful Socks

Owner Receives Letter Granting Dog Unemployment Benefits

How to Get a Killer Whale to Say ‘Hello’

Maine City’s Attempt to Break Beer Can Record Comes Up Short

SONG OF THE DAY

James Taylor - “Mud Slide Slim”

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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.