Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Energy News Digest for January 29, 2019


The Hot Shots edition of the Energy News Digest is available on Facebook, and on Twitter.

To subscribe to the Energy News Digest, email jmyer@masonpud3.org.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS




HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Pacific Gas & Electric Files for Bankruptcy. Electricity Prices Likely to Rise For Millions of Californians (Los Angeles Times, CA)

To Help Salmon, Fish Advocates Want To Kill Some Gulls (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Hoping to Hook a Chinook Salmon This Spring? This Year’s Run May Be Slim, Forecasts Say (Olympian, WA – Paywall Advisory)

Apple to Patch Privacy Bug in Video-Calling Feature (Reuters)

Inslee Announces Appointment of Lisa Brown as Director of Washington State Department of Commerce (Washington State Wire, Olympia)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

1.      Pacific Gas & Electric Files for Bankruptcy. Electricity Prices Likely to Rise for Millions of Californians
2.      Wyoming Lawmakers Look to Sue Washington State over Coal
3.      Bill Gates Comes to Washington, DC — Selling the Promise of Nuclear Energy
4.      An Emerging Push for Time-Of-Use Rates Sparks New Debates about Customer & Grid Impacts
5.      Western Energy Imbalance Market Looks to Expand its Authority
6.      Longtime Tillamook PUD Board Members Ended Their Terms in January
7.      U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions Increased in 2018 – Will Likely Fall in 2019 & 2020
8.      To Help Salmon, Fish Advocates Want To Kill Some Gulls
9.      Hoping to Hook a Chinook Salmon This Spring? This Year’s Run May Be Slim, Forecasts Say
10.   Oregon Biologists Killing California Sea Lions to Protect Threatened Salmon
11.   Apparently, Salmon’s Not the Only Thing on the Menu: Sea Lion Bites Alaska Fisherman, Tries to Drag Him into Sea
12.   British Columbia: Trans Mountain Pipeline Work Destroyed Salmon Habitat
13.   Near-Bankrupt PG&E Pulls Plug on a Hydropower License Renewal
14.   Renewables? Sorry, But You’ve Got a Gas Emissions Problem
15.   How ‘Bout a Little Hometown Love? Microsoft, Vermont Team Up to Increase Broadband Access, Digital Skills Training in Vermont
16.   Kagan: Broadband-Only Households to Reach 40.8 Million by 2023
17.   Apple to Patch Privacy Bug in Video-Calling Feature
18.   Feel Like You’ve Lost Control of Your Data? A Washington Lawmaker Wants to Change That
19.   Virtual Reality, Clean Energy Captivate Car Lovers at Portland Auto Show
20.   Dye: Completing the Columbia Basin Project Would Be a Game Changer for the Region
21.   How A Crumbling Dam in the Enchantments Could Change Our Understanding of the PNW Wilderness
22.   States Along Colorado River Working to Avert Crisis from 19-Year Drought
23.   Is It Climate Change? New Birds Are Here, Others Disappeared
24.   Flickr’s Top Photos of 2018 Aren’t Just About Clicks & Algorithms
25.   Oregon: Woodburn Hemp Company Lands $33 Million
26.   California Looks at Tax Cut to Boost Sluggish Pot Sales
27.   Liberals Grow Skeptical of Carbon Tax Proposal
28.   Inslee Announces Appointment of Lisa Brown as Director of Washington State Department of Commerce
29.   Everyone Wants to Clean Up State Energy Sector – Parties Disagree on How
30.   Hair Stylists Take Over Olympia, Fighting against Booth Renting Bill
31.   Boy in Highway 101 Hit & Run Not Expected to Live — Motorist Who Fled Scene Sought
32.   Life-Threatening Cold Grips U.S., Could Hit Minus 50 in the Midwest
33.   Perspective: Lowland Snow? It’s Possible for Some Areas Early Next Week
34.   Confirmed Measles Cases in Clark County Rise to 34

WORD OF THE DAY – HORRIBLE HAIKU EDITION

Crocodile Tears /CROCK-uh-dial – teers/ Plural Noun – False or affected tears; hypocritical sorrow.

Schultz mea culpa
“Sorry I sold the Sonics”
Mere crocodile tears

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.    Pacific Gas & Electric Files for Bankruptcy. Electricity Prices Likely to Rise for Millions of Californians (Los Angeles Times, CA)

2.    Wyoming Lawmakers Look to Sue Washington State over Coal (Associated Press)

3.    Bill Gates Comes to Washington, DC — Selling the Promise of Nuclear Energy (Washington Post)

4.    An Emerging Push for Time-Of-Use Rates Sparks New Debates about Customer & Grid Impacts (Utility Dive)

5.    Western Energy Imbalance Market Looks to Expand its Authority (RTO Insider)

6.    Longtime Tillamook PUD Board Members Ended Their Terms in January (Tillamook County Pioneer, OR)

7.    U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions Increased in 2018 – Will Likely Fall in 2019 & 2020 (U-S Energy Information Administration)

FISH & WILDLIFE


9.    Hoping to Hook a Chinook Salmon This Spring? This Year’s Run May Be Slim, Forecasts Say (Olympian, WA – Paywall Advisory)

10. Oregon Biologists Killing California Sea Lions to Protect Threatened Salmon (SF Chronicle)

11. Apparently, Salmon’s Not the Only Thing on the Menu: Sea Lion Bites Alaska Fisherman, Tries to Drag Him into Sea (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

12. British Columbia: Trans Mountain Pipeline Work Destroyed Salmon Habitat – Biologist calls the work on the Stewart Creek crossing in Chilliwack ‘amateur hour’ (Columbia Valley Pioneer, BC)

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

13. Near-Bankrupt PG&E Pulls Plug on a Hydropower License Renewal (Renewable Energy World)

14. Renewables? Sorry, But You’ve Got a Gas Emissions Problem (Grist Online)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

15. How ‘Bout a Little Hometown Love? Microsoft, Vermont Team Up to Increase Broadband Access, Digital Skills Training in Vermont (Telecompaper)

16. Kagan: Broadband-Only Households to Reach 40.8 Million by 2023 (Multichannel News)

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY

17. Apple to Patch Privacy Bug in Video-Calling Feature (Reuters)

18. Feel Like You’ve Lost Control of Your Data? A Washington Lawmaker Wants to Change That (Northwest Public Broadcasting)

I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC

19. Virtual Reality, Clean Energy Captivate Car Lovers at Portland Auto Show (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

“CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE” – WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

20. Dye: Completing the Columbia Basin Project Would Be a Game Changer for the Region (Washington Ag Network)

21. How A Crumbling Dam in the Enchantments Could Change Our Understanding of the PNW Wilderness (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

22. States Along Colorado River Working to Avert Crisis from 19-Year Drought (National Public Radio)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

23. Is It Climate Change? New Birds Are Here, Others Disappeared (Everett Herald, WA)

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

24. Flickr’s Top Photos of 2018 Aren’t Just About Clicks & Algorithms (Fast Company)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

25. Oregon: Woodburn Hemp Company Lands $33 Million (Portland Business Journal, OR)

26. California Looks at Tax Cut to Boost Sluggish Pot Sales (Courthouse News Service)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

27. Liberals Grow Skeptical of Carbon Tax Proposal (Washington Examiner)

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

28. Inslee Announces Appointment of Lisa Brown as Director of Washington State Department of Commerce (Washington State Wire, Olympia)

29. Everyone Wants to Clean Up State Energy Sector – Parties Disagree on How (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

30. Hair Stylists Take Over Olympia, Fighting against Booth Renting Bill (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

31. Boy in Highway 101 Hit & Run Not Expected to Live — Motorist Who Fled Scene Sought (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

32. Life-Threatening Cold Grips U.S., Could Hit Minus 50 in the Midwest (Reuters)

33. Perspective: Lowland Snow? It’s Possible for Some Areas Early Next Week (KCPQ-TV, Seattle/Tacoma, WA)

34. Confirmed Measles Cases in Clark County Rise to 34 (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Missing Toddler Found Alive Says He Was ‘With a Bear for Two Days’

Mom Accidentally Donates Mug with $6,500 Stashed Inside

Canada Dry Planning to Change Labelling after ‘Made from Real Ginger’ Lawsuits

Taking Tune from “The Office” Episode, Man Helps Save Woman’s Life

SONG OF THE DAY

Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive (Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack)

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

Links in the news digest lead to current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links.

Friday, January 25, 2019

Energy News Digest for January 25, 2019


The Hot Shots edition of the Energy News Digest is available on Facebook, and on Twitter.

To subscribe to the Energy News Digest, email jmyer@masonpud3.org.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS




HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

President Trump, Congress Agree to End Longest Government Shutdown (KCPQ-TV, Seattle/Tacoma, WA)

State of Emergency – Measles Outbreak Grows in Pacific Northwest, 30 Cases Reported (Associated Press)

Avista, Hydro One Abandon Plans for Sale (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Private Power Lines, Not Pacific Gas & Electric’s, Caused Deadly 2017 Wine Country Fire, State Says (Los Angeles Times, CA)

Mason County Requests State Funding to Keep Salmon from Swimming Over Road (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

1.      Avista, Hydro One Abandon Plans for Sale
2.      Private Power Lines, Not Pacific Gas & Electric’s, Caused Deadly 2017 Wine Country Fire, State Says
3.      Carbon-Free Energy by 2045 Is Goal of Legislation Introduced in Washington State Legislature
4.      Klamath County, OR – Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Swan Lake North Pumped Storage Project
5.      Community’s Help Sought to Meet Chelan Valley Load Growth
6.      Workers Affected by Federal Government Shutdown Get Public Power Electric Bill Support
7.      Company Defends Plans for New Mexico Nuclear Waste Storage Facility
8.      Common Choice Aggregators – Here’s How Local Governments Are Replacing California’s Biggest Utilities
9.      Mason County Requests State Funding to Keep Salmon from Swimming Over Road
10.   North Pacific Fishing Industry Raising Money for Alaska Coast Guard Families
11.   NextEra Fires ‘Warning Shot’ at Pacific Gas & Electric over Power Contracts
12.   Huge Wind Turbine Project in Eastern Shasta County Is Ready to Go to the Public
13.   Wyoming Voters Could Decide Whether to Increase the State’s Wind Tax
14.   Interior Reverses Course, Proceeds With Martha’s Vineyard Wind Project after Allegations of Fossil Fuel Bias
15.   Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to Build New Energy Sciences Research Facility
16.   It’s Now Clear None of the Supposed Benefits of Killing Net Neutrality Are Real
17.   Hulu Cuts Basic Monthly Subscription Price to $6
18.   California Utilities Pursue Subscriptions, Time-Of-Use Rates to Drive More California Electric Vehicles
19.   Are Electric Cars Only for the Rich? Sacramento Is Challenging That Notion
20.   With Rise of Electric Vehicles, a New Foreign Energy Dependence Looms
21.   Well That Monitors Giant Idaho Aquifer Back in Service
22.   Last Four Years Hottest on Record
23.   Exclusive: Bipartisan House Group Revives Carbon Tax Bill
24.   United Kingdom – Watchdog Rejects Complaint against ‘Vegan’ Electricity Company
25.   ‘Close’ Proximity, ‘End’ Result, & More Redundant Words to Delete from Your Writing
26.   NASA’s Opportunity Rover Marks 15 Years on Mars
27.   President Trump, Congress Agree to End Longest Government Shutdown
28.   State of Emergency – Measles Outbreak Grows in Pacific Northwest, 30 Cases Reported
29.   Clallam Sheriff’s Office Makes Arrest in Connection with Triple Homicide
30.   Construction Will Resume in Late February on Shelton’s Downtown Connector Project
31.   Shelton Bowlers Eye Return Trip to State Championships

WORD OF THE DAY

Caltrop • \KAL-trip \ • noun – 1: a device with four metal points so arranged that when any three are on the ground the fourth projects upward as a hazard to the hooves of horses or to pneumatic tires 2: a plural but single or plural in construction: star thistle 1 b: puncture vine; also : any of various related herbs (genera Tribulus & Kallstroemia) of the same family (Zygophyllaceae, the caltrop family)

Amanda stood at the second-floor window, a smile playing across her face as she watched her potential fiancé dance gingerly in his bare feet across her gravel driveway. She knew that when she asked for a floral bouquet the garden he would have to negotiate the sharp gravel chunks, jabbing the tender soles of his feet as if she had strewn his path with a truckload of caltrops. “Next time I’ll ask for a bouquet of ‘stinging nettles’,” she thought. Her sharp cackle of laughter at the thought chased her long-haired Chihuahua from the room.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.    Avista, Hydro One Abandon Plans for Sale (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

2.    Private Power Lines, Not Pacific Gas & Electric’s, Caused Deadly 2017 Wine Country Fire, State Says (Los Angeles Times, CA)

3.    Carbon-Free Energy by 2045 Is Goal of Legislation Introduced in Washington State Legislature (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA – Paywall Advisory)

4.    Klamath County, OR – Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Swan Lake North Pumped Storage Project (Federal Energy Regularity Commission)

5.    Community’s Help Sought to Meet Chelan Valley Load Growth (Lake Chelan Mirror, Wa – Nice Framing)

6.    Workers Affected by Federal Government Shutdown Get Public Power Electric Bill Support (American Public Power Association)

7.    Company Defends Plans for New Mexico Nuclear Waste Storage Facility (Associated Press)

8.    Common Choice Aggregators – Here’s How Local Governments Are Replacing California’s Biggest Utilities (Los Angeles Times, CA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

9.    Mason County Requests State Funding to Keep Salmon from Swimming Over Road (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

10. North Pacific Fishing Industry Raising Money for Alaska Coast Guard Families (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

11. NextEra Fires ‘Warning Shot’ at Pacific Gas & Electric over Power Contracts (Los Angeles Times, CA)

12. Huge Wind Turbine Project in Eastern Shasta County Is Ready to Go to the Public (Redding Record Searchlight, CA)

13. Wyoming Voters Could Decide Whether to Increase the State’s Wind Tax (Casper Star Tribune, WY)

14. Interior Reverses Course, Proceeds With Martha’s Vineyard Wind Project after Allegations of Fossil Fuel Bias (Washington Examiner)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

15. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to Build New Energy Sciences Research Facility (Daily Energy Insider)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

16. It’s Now Clear None of the Supposed Benefits of Killing Net Neutrality Are Real (Motherboard)

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY

17. Hulu Cuts Basic Monthly Subscription Price to $6 (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

I SING THE CAR ELECTRIC

18. California Utilities Pursue Subscriptions, Time-Of-Use Rates to Drive More California Electric Vehicles (Utility Dive)

19. Are Electric Cars Only for the Rich? Sacramento Is Challenging That Notion (NY Times)

20. With Rise of Electric Vehicles, a New Foreign Energy Dependence Looms (Houston Chronicle, TX)

“CLEAN UP ON AISLE THREE” – WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

21. Well That Monitors Giant Idaho Aquifer Back in Service (Associated Press)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

22. Last Four Years Hottest on Record (Courthouse News Service)

23. Exclusive: Bipartisan House Group Revives Carbon Tax Bill (Axios)

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

24. United Kingdom – Watchdog Rejects Complaint against ‘Vegan’ Electricity Company (Farmers Weekly, UK)

25. ‘Close’ Proximity, ‘End’ Result, & More Redundant Words to Delete from Your Writing (Medium)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

26. NASA’s Opportunity Rover Marks 15 Years on Mars (Courthouse News Service)

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

27. President Trump, Congress Agree to End Longest Government Shutdown (KCPQ-TV, Seattle/Tacoma, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

28. State of Emergency – Measles Outbreak Grows in Pacific Northwest, 30 Cases Reported (Associated Press)

29. Clallam Sheriff’s Office Makes Arrest in Connection with Triple Homicide (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

30. Construction Will Resume in Late February on Shelton’s Downtown Connector Project (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

31. Shelton Bowlers Eye Return Trip to State Championships (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Sweethearts Candies Won’t Be on Shelves This Valentine’s Day

The Eat Roadkill Revolution Is Coming

A 10-Year-Old Kid Won a Science Fair by Proving Tom Brady Is A Cheater

Report: Two Coyotes in Ballard Got Drunk on Craft Beer

SONG OF THE DAY

Bee Gees - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

Links in the news digest lead to current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links.