Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Energy News Digest for April 11, 2017

Occasionally clear the cache & history of your internet browser. It will help when trying to access news sites that count your visits.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS



HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Wireless Industry Lobbies Statehouses for Access to 'Street Furniture' (Northwest Public Radio – Also heard on National Public Radio)

Columbia & Snake River Reservoirs Not Associated with High Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Northwest Power & Conservation Council)

Two Washington State Rivers among Most Endangered, Environmental Group Says (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

Congress: Bill Seeks to Allow Tribes to Kill Salmon-Eating Sea Lions (Associated Press)

Why Seattle’s New Utility-Billing System Was 11 Months Late & $43M over Budget (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Columbia & Snake River Reservoirs Not Associated with High Greenhouse Gas Emissions 
  • Why Seattle’s New Utility-Billing System Was 11 Months Late & $43M over Budget
  • Survey Unpacks Top Issues That the Utility Industry Sees for 2017
  • Natural Gas Plant Makes a Play for Coal's Market, Using 'Clean' Technology
  • U-S Energy Consumption Rose Slightly in 2016 Despite a Significant Decline in Coal Use
  • Modernizing the Grid: Who Pays, Who Profits, Who Participates?
  • 'America's Greece' & Its Insolvent Electric Utility
  • Congress: Bill Seeks to Allow Tribes to Kill Salmon-Eating Sea Lions
  • Two Washington State Rivers among Most Endangered, Environmental Group Says
  • Columnist: Matt Driscoll – The Quest to Make Tacoma’s Solar Future More Equitable
  • Is Battery Energy Storage at a 'Turning Point' for U-S Utilities?
  • California Saw Dip into Negative Prices as Solar Generation Soared
  • Renewable Energy Tax Credits Challenge Markets
  • How to Save Energy & Reduce Home Utility Bills
  • Washington State’s Cannabis Tracking Contract Up for Bid
  • Washington State Carbon Tax Is Down But Don’t Count It Out
  • Oregon: Ted Wheeler – State Leadership Lacking on Carbon Cap
  • U-S Energy-Related CO2 Emissions Fell 1.7% in 2016
  • Scientists Fear Climate Data Gap as President Trump Aims at Satellites
  • The Scientist Who Stumbled Upon a Tick Full of 20-Million-Year-Old Blood
  • Wireless Industry Lobbies Statehouses for Access to 'Street Furniture'
  • Survey: 70% of Americans Support Allowing Municipal Broadband
  • Quincy Data Center Seeks Fewer Generators
  • Hilly Terrain Makes Wenatchee, Wash., Unlikely Candidate for Wireless Broadband
  • Congress Considers Dusting Off Long-Dormant $300 Million Broadband Map
  • Banks Scramble to Fix Old Systems as IT 'Cowboys' Ride Into Sunset
  • When Apps Secretly Team Up to Steal Your Data
  • Facebook Now Has More Than Five Million Active Advertisers
  • Here’s How to Save Tweets as Drafts on Twitter
  • EPA'S Benton, Former WA State Senator Tapped for Other Post
  • Time Running Out for Washington State Lawmakers to Get Budget Deal
  • Belfair-Area Man’s Arraignment on Murder Charge Delayed — Attorney Challenges Prosecutor’s Findings
  • Man Found Dead Outside Belfair Home Identified
  • Man Who Died Saturday in Fall at Sierra Pacific Identified
  • Mason County Fire Districts Collaborate
WORD OF THE DAY

Behemoth • \bi-HEE-muth\ • noun – 1: often capitalized: a mighty animal described in Job 40:15–24 as an example of the power of God 2: something of monstrous size, power, or appearance

Alfred was pleased with the results of his Copalis Beach sand sculpture. The full sized reproduction of an orca whale had been carved with delicate care. Unfortunately for the creation, decorated with black and white dyed sand, it was done too well. The sculpture was absolutely destroyed when whale watchers arrived on the scene and tried to push the behemoth back into the pounding surf.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Columbia & Snake River Reservoirs Not Associated with High Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Northwest Power & Conservation Council)

Why Seattle’s New Utility-Billing System Was 11 Months Late & $43M over Budget (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

Survey Unpacks Top Issues That the Utility Industry Sees for 2017 (American Public Power Association)

Natural Gas Plant Makes a Play for Coal's Market, Using 'Clean' Technology (National Public Radio)

U-S Energy Consumption Rose Slightly in 2016 Despite a Significant Decline in Coal Use (US Energy Information Administration)

Modernizing the Grid: Who Pays, Who Profits, Who Participates? (Midwest Energy News)

'America's Greece' & Its Insolvent Electric Utility (Utility Dive)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Congress: Bill Seeks to Allow Tribes to Kill Salmon-Eating Sea Lions (Associated Press)

ENVIRONMENTAL FOOT LOCKER

Two Washington State Rivers among Most Endangered, Environmental Group Says (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

Columnist: Matt Driscoll – The Quest to Make Tacoma’s Solar Future More Equitable (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA – Paywall Advisory)

Is Battery Energy Storage at a 'Turning Point' for U-S Utilities? (Utility Dive)

California Saw Dip into Negative Prices as Solar Generation Soared (American Public Power Association)

Renewable Energy Tax Credits Challenge Markets (Houston Chronicle, TX)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

How to Save Energy & Reduce Home Utility Bills (Breaking Energy)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Washington State’s Cannabis Tracking Contract Up for Bid (Marijuana Business Daily)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Washington State Carbon Tax Is Down But Don’t Count It Out (Crosscut Seattle)

Oregon: Ted Wheeler – State Leadership Lacking on Carbon Cap (Portland Business Journal, OR)

U-S Energy-Related CO2 Emissions Fell 1.7% in 2016 (US Energy Information Administration)

Scientists Fear Climate Data Gap as President Trump Aims at Satellites (NY Times)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – DRIVING ON SUNSHINE

The Scientist Who Stumbled Upon a Tick Full of 20-Million-Year-Old Blood (Atlantic Magazine)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Wireless Industry Lobbies Statehouses for Access to 'Street Furniture' (Northwest Public Radio – Also heard on National Public Radio)

Survey: 70% of Americans Support Allowing Municipal Broadband (Broadband Reports)

Quincy Data Center Seeks Fewer Generators (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Hilly Terrain Makes Wenatchee, Wash., Unlikely Candidate for Wireless Broadband (GovTech)

Congress Considers Dusting Off Long-Dormant $300 Million Broadband Map (Watchog.Or)

Banks Scramble to Fix Old Systems as IT 'Cowboys' Ride Into Sunset (Reuters)

When Apps Secretly Team Up to Steal Your Data (Atlantic Magazine)

MARKETING & MEDIA

Facebook Now Has More Than Five Million Active Advertisers (AdWeek)

Here’s How to Save Tweets as Drafts on Twitter (AdWeek)

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

EPA'S Benton, Former WA State Senator Tapped for Other Post (Politico)

Time Running Out for Washington State Lawmakers to Get Budget Deal (Northwest Public Radio)

GENERAL NEWS

Belfair-Area Man’s Arraignment on Murder Charge Delayed — Attorney Challenges Prosecutor’s Findings (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Man Found Dead Outside Belfair Home Identified (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Man Who Died Saturday in Fall at Sierra Pacific Identified (KXRO Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Mason County Fire Districts Collaborate (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA – Paywall Advisory)

MOUNTAIN DEW IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Groom Left with £25,000 Bill After Wife-To-Be Dumped Him for another Woman Six Weeks before Wedding

Pepsi Mops Up 'Unusual' Mountain Dew Spill

Seattle Baseball Fans Can Now Enjoy Fried Oysters, Bugs

Is It Last Call for Craft Beer?

SONG OF THE DAY

Michael Bublé & Diana Krall - Alone Again, Naturally

Gilbert O'Sullivan - Alone Again, Naturally (Original)

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENERGY NEWS DIGEST

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org.

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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.

Monday, April 10, 2017

Energy News Digest for April 10, 2017



Occasionally clear the cache & history of your internet browser. It will help when trying to access news sites that count your visits.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS



HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Bonneville Power Administration Stops Wind Power Generation for the First Time in Four Years (Bonneville Power Administration)

Data Centers Boost Prineville’s Economy, But Not Without Growing Pains (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Bonneville Power Administration Runs Two-Year Test on Transmission System (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Conservationists Sue Oregon over Endangered Coho (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Jobs in Legislature, Trump Administration Add Up to Big Payday for State Sen. Doug Ericksen (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

  • Bonneville Power Administration Stops Wind Power Generation for the First Time in Four Years
  • Bonneville Power Administration Runs Two-Year Test on Transmission System
  • New York: National Grid Service Shutoffs Soar; Utility Urges Trump Not to Ax Aid for Poor
  • NRG, a Power Company Leaning Green, Faces Activist Challenge
  • Op/Ed: Making American Hydropower Great Again
  • California Utilities Say Pacific Gas & Electric Transmission Rates Are ‘Excessive’
  • California Solar Spike Leads to Negative CAISO Real-Time Prices in March
  • Nuclear Plant Owners Expand Search for Rescue to More States
  • Nebraska Legislature Tables Measures to Impose Retail Competition
  • Schweitzer Engineering to Expand in Spokane
  • Conservationists Sue Oregon over Endangered Coho
  • Seals, Sea Lions Studied to Track Fish Health
  • Vandalism of Four Corners Arch Infuriates Nature Enthusiasts
  • California Governor Declares End to Drought Emergency
  • Nippon Paper Plant to Be Shut Down, Power Plant Idled
  • When Solar Panels Became Job Killers
  • ‘More for Less’: Renewable Power Surges into Mainstream as Costs Fall
  • Iowa: Berkshire Subsidiary on Renewable Energy Push across the West
  • Kentucky Coal Museum Switching to Solar Power
  • Knowledge Gained as Power Conserved
  • U-S Households’ Heating Equipment Choices Are Diverse – Vary by Climate Region
  • Washington State’s Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Considers Opening Marijuana Businesses
  • Canada: Marijuana Legalization Plan to Be Released Thursday
  • Court Could Decide Next Week If Trump Has Its Blessing on Climate Regulation Rollback
  • California’s Cap-And-Trade Program Isn’t a Tax, Court Rules
  • Tesla Hits a New Milestone, Passing General Motors in Valuation
  • Data Centers Boost Prineville’s Economy, But Not Without Growing Pains
  • Should Broadband Be Included in President Trump’s Infrastructure Plan?
  • Comcast Wants Be Your New Cellphone Carrier – Here’s Everything You Need to Know.
  • Yet More Executives Leave Google Fiber
  • Do Cellphones Boost Cancer Risk? Jury’s Still Out, Some Scientists Say
  • What Is “Brain Hacking”? Tech Insiders on Why You Should Care
  • How on Earth Does an Ad Like Pepsi’s Get Approved?
  • Jobs in Legislature, Trump Administration Add Up to Big Payday for State Sen. Doug Ericksen
  • I’m Not Texting. I’m Taking Notes.
  • Woman Dies in Tumwater Fire
  • Belfair Woman Had Bank Account Emptied after Shopping Trip
  • New Earthquake Alert System Rolls Out in Oregon, Washington
  • Sequim, Port Townsend in Top 10 of Online Contest for Best Northwestern Small Town
  • Belfair Winery, Mosquito Fleet, Wins “Best of Show”
  • Study Links Puget Sound Residents’ Happiness to Their Interactions with Natur
  • What in the World Is Causing the Retail Meltdown of 2017?
WORD OF THE DAY


Amalgamate • \uh-MAL-guh-mayt\ • Verb - To unite in or as if in a mixture of elements; especially: to merge into a single body.

“This is awful,” Mandrake mumbled to himself. Halfway through his experimental amalgamated accordion/ukulele/banjo rendition of “Stairway to Heaven,” he realized it was an unmitigated cacophonic disaster. The neighborhood kennel club’s residents, meanwhile, would never be the same.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Bonneville Power Administration Stops Wind Power Generation for the First Time in Four Years (Bonneville Power Administration)

Bonneville Power Administration Runs Two-Year Test on Transmission System (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

New York: National Grid Service Shutoffs Soar; Utility Urges Trump Not to Ax Aid for Poor (Syracuse Post-Standard, NY)

NRG, a Power Company Leaning Green, Faces Activist Challenge (NY Times)

Op/Ed: Making American Hydropower Great Again (Morning Consult)

California Utilities Say Pacific Gas & Electric Transmission Rates Are ‘Excessive’ (American Public Power Association)

California Solar Spike Leads to Negative CAISO Real-Time Prices in March (Utility Dive)

Nuclear Plant Owners Expand Search for Rescue to More States (Associated Press)

Nebraska Legislature Tables Measures to Impose Retail Competition (American Public Power Association)

Schweitzer Engineering to Expand in Spokane (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Conservationists Sue Oregon over Endangered Coho (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Seals, Sea Lions Studied to Track Fish Health (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

ENVIRONMENTAL FOOT LOCKER

Vandalism of Four Corners Arch Infuriates Nature Enthusiasts (USA Today)

WATER, THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE

California Governor Declares End to Drought Emergency

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

Nippon Paper Plant to Be Shut Down, Power Plant Idled – New Owner to Close Ediz Hook Plant for Up to 18 Months (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

When Solar Panels Became Job Killers (NY Times)

‘More for Less’: Renewable Power Surges into Mainstream as Costs Fall (Christian Science Monitor)

Iowa: Berkshire Subsidiary on Renewable Energy Push across the West (Omaha World-Herald, IA)

Kentucky Coal Museum Switching to Solar Power (Cable News Network)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Knowledge Gained as Power Conserved (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

U-S Households’ Heating Equipment Choices Are Diverse – Vary by Climate Region (U-S Energy Information Administration)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Washington State’s Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Considers Opening Marijuana Businesses (Associated Press)

Canada: Marijuana Legalization Plan to Be Released Thursday (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Court Could Decide Next Week If Trump Has Its Blessing on Climate Regulation Rollback (Washington Examiner)

California’s Cap-And-Trade Program Isn’t a Tax, Court Rules (Grist Online)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – DRIVING ON SUNSHINE

Tesla Hits a New Milestone, Passing General Motors in Valuation (NY Times)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Data Centers Boost Prineville’s Economy, But Not Without Growing Pains (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Should Broadband Be Included in President Trump’s Infrastructure Plan? (Washington Post)

Comcast Wants Be Your New Cellphone Carrier – Here’s Everything You Need to Know. (Washington Post)

Yet More Executives Leave Google Fiber (Broadband Reports)

Do Cellphones Boost Cancer Risk? Jury’s Still Out, Some Scientists Say (Sacramento Bee, CA)

MARKETING & MEDIA

What Is “Brain Hacking”? Tech Insiders on Why You Should Care (CBS, Sixty Minutes)

How on Earth Does an Ad Like Pepsi’s Get Approved? (Atlantic Magazine)

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

Jobs in Legislature, Trump Administration Add Up to Big Payday for State Sen. Doug Ericksen (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

I’m Not Texting. I’m Taking Notes. (NY Times)

GENERAL NEWS

Woman Dies in Tumwater Fire (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Belfair Woman Had Bank Account Emptied after Shopping Trip (KIRO-TV, Seattle, WA)

New Earthquake Alert System Rolls Out in Oregon, Washington (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Sequim, Port Townsend in Top 10 of Online Contest for Best Northwestern Small Town (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Belfair Winery, Mosquito Fleet, Wins “Best of Show” (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Study Links Puget Sound Residents’ Happiness to Their Interactions with Nature (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA – Paywall Advisory)

What in the World Is Causing the Retail Meltdown of 2017? (Atlantic Magazine)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

After Two Decades, Sergio Garcia Finally Gets to Wear the Masters Green Jacket

Video Shows Man Forcibly Removed from Overbooked United Airlines Flight (USA Today)

The Mystery of Knitting ... Remains a Mystery

Delightfully Geeky Beanies Are the Perfect Headwear for Scientists of the Resistance

SONG OF THE DAY

B.J. Thomas – Everybody Loves a Rain Song

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENERGY NEWS DIGEST

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org.

THE NEWS DIGEST TWITTER FEED

Follow the 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.