Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Energy News Digest for December 31, 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

Strong Winds & Lots of Precipitation Ahead (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

Clark Public Utilities Shifts Solar-Panel Revenue to Operation Warm Heart (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Germany Shuts Nuclear Plant as It Phases Out Atomic Energy (Associated Press)

Tired of Waiting for Broadband, Rural Communities Are Tapping Grants, Partnerships to Get Modern Internet (Canon City Daily Record, CO)

Study Finds Bellingham Has Strong Base of Clean Energy Jobs Compared to Rest of State (Bellingham Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

1.        Germany Shuts Nuclear Plant as It Phases Out Atomic Energy
2.        Montana: Bozeman Residents Call on State to Reject NorthWestern Energy’s 20-Year Plan
3.        Orcas Power & Light Board Listens to Member Concerns, Reconsiders Resolution on Snake River Dams
4.        Fake Seattle City Light Warnings: Old Scam at Dawn of New Year
5.        California: Happy New Year from Pacific Gas & Electric: Your Electric Rates Will Rise Jan. 1
6.        Report: Natural Gas Production to Slow in 2020
7.        Coeur d’Alene’s Eagle Viewing Season Ending After Lower-Than-Normal Year
8.        President Trump’s Plans to Strip Clean Water Protections Leave New Mexico Fearing Pollution & Health Risks
9.        ‘A Slow-Motion Chernobyl’: How Lax Laws Turned a River into a Disaster
10.     Clark Public Utilities Shifts Solar-Panel Revenue to Operation Warm Heart
11.     Study Finds Bellingham Has Strong Base of Clean Energy Jobs Compared to Rest of State
12.     Solar Company Merges Energy Production with Sheep Grazing to Restore Soil, Biodiversity
13.     Bronx Wind Turbine’s Blades Fly Off, Smashing Car & Billboard
14.     Tired of Waiting for Broadband, Rural Communities Are Tapping Grants, Partnerships to Get Modern Internet
15.     Employee Error to Blame for Massive Data Leak, Wyze Says
16.     Court Won’t Reinstate Lawsuit over Diet Dr Pepper Advertising
17.     Marist Poll: ‘Whatever’ Is Once Again Most Annoying Word of Year
18.     Apostrophes, School Choice, & More: 7 AP Style Rules You Need to Know
19.     Feds Target Seattle Transportation Projects as Part of Criminal Inquiry
20.     Strong Winds & Lots of Precipitation Ahead
21.     Hood Canal Bridge Closed by High Winds
22.     High Winds Threaten New Year’s Eve Fireworks at Space Needle
23.     Two Officers Shot, One Man Killed in Federal Way Confrontation
24.     Employers, Employees Prepare for Costs, Benefits of Coming $1.50 Minimum Wage Increase
25.     Boeing’s 737 MAX Crisis Leaves It Badly Behind in ‘Arms Race’ for Next Decade’s Jets

WORD OF THE DAY

Glockenspiel • \GLAWK-ken-shpeel\ • noun – A percussion instrument consisting of a series of graduated metal bars tuned to the chromatic scale & played with two hammers

“Sonny, with shoulders like that, you’re a natural to carry the marching band’s glockenspiel in the parade,” intoned the well-travelled virtuoso. “You do understand that I’ll be hammering away on the cranky thing while you walk four miles?”

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.      Germany Shuts Nuclear Plant as It Phases Out Atomic Energy (Associated Press)

2.      Montana: Bozeman Residents Call on State to Reject NorthWestern Energy’s 20-Year Plan (KECI-TV, Missoula, MT)

3.      Orcas Power & Light Board Listens to Member Concerns, Reconsiders Resolution on Snake River Dams (Orcas Power & Light Company, Friday Harbor, WA)

4.      Fake Seattle City Light Warnings: Old Scam at Dawn of New Year (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA)

5.      California: Happy New Year from Pacific Gas & Electric: Your Electric Rates Will Rise Jan. 1 (SF Chronicle, CA)

6.      Report: Natural Gas Production to Slow in 2020 (Pittsburgh Business Times, PA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

7.      Coeur d’Alene’s Eagle Viewing Season Ending After Lower-Than-Normal Year (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

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

8.      President Trump’s Plans to Strip Clean Water Protections Leave New Mexico Fearing Pollution & Health Risks (Los Angeles Times, CA)

9.      ‘A Slow-Motion Chernobyl’: How Lax Laws Turned a River into a Disaster (Union Journal News, NY)

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

10.   Clark Public Utilities Shifts Solar-Panel Revenue to Operation Warm Heart (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

11.   Study Finds Bellingham Has Strong Base of Clean Energy Jobs Compared to Rest of State (Bellingham Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)

12.   Solar Company Merges Energy Production with Sheep Grazing to Restore Soil, Biodiversity (USA Today)

13.   Bronx Wind Turbine’s Blades Fly Off, Smashing Car & Billboard (NY Post)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

14.   Tired of Waiting for Broadband, Rural Communities Are Tapping Grants, Partnerships to Get Modern Internet (Canon City Daily Record, CO)

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY

15.   Employee Error to Blame for Massive Data Leak, Wyze Says (Ars Technica)

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

16.   Court Won’t Reinstate Lawsuit over Diet Dr Pepper Advertising (ABC News)

17.   Marist Poll: ‘Whatever’ Is Once Again Most Annoying Word of Year (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

18.   Apostrophes, School Choice, & More: 7 AP Style Rules You Need to Know (CISION)

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

19.   Feds Target Seattle Transportation Projects as Part of Criminal Inquiry (Crosscut Seattle)

GENERAL NEWS

20.   Strong Winds & Lots of Precipitation Ahead (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

21.   Hood Canal Bridge Closed by High Winds (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

22.   High Winds Threaten New Year’s Eve Fireworks at Space Needle (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

23.   Two Officers Shot, One Man Killed in Federal Way Confrontation (KOMO TV, Seattle, WA)

24.   Employers, Employees Prepare for Costs, Benefits of Coming $1.50 Minimum Wage Increase (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

25.   Boeing’s 737 MAX Crisis Leaves It Badly Behind in ‘Arms Race’ for Next Decade’s Jets (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Bewildered CVS Shoppers Keep Getting Super-Long Receipts

Police Warn Against Celebratory Gunfire on New Year’s Eve

A 12-Year-Old Got a Magnifying Glass for Christmas — And Set His Lawn on Fire

A Couple Unwittingly Threw Away $20,000. The Dump Gave It Back.

SONG OF THE DAY

George Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

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