Thursday, July 31, 2014

Energy News Digest for July 31, 2014

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THE NEWS DIGEST WORD CLOUD

Energy News Digest word cloud for July 31, 2014

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Local Law Enforcement Launch New Campaign to Curb Social Media during Emergencies (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Are New Advanced Electric Meters Gonna Fry Your Brain?  Investigating a Seattle City Light Decision That’s Causing Tinfoil-Hat Panic (The Stranger)

Pacific Gas & Electric Calls Criminal Charges Against Agency ‘Unwarranted,’ Says It Didn’t Break the Law (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

Some of America’s Best Solar Incentives Are in Washington State (Clean Technica)

Are You a Verizon Customer With Unlimited Data? Get Ready to be Throttled (Yahoo! News)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Are New Advanced Electric Meters Gonna Fry Your Brain?  Investigating a Seattle City Light Decision That’s Causing Tinfoil-Hat Panic
  • Pacific Gas & Electric Calls Criminal Charges Against Agency ‘Unwarranted,’ Says It Didn’t Break the Law
  • Portland General Electric Logs Bounceback, Of Sorts, As Report Shows a $35 Million Profit
  • Judge Orders Cowlitz PUD Recall Backers to Pay Commissioner Piper $30,000 in Legal Fees
  • Could Oregon Help Energize Mexico?
  • Simulation Models Optimize Columbia River Water Power
  • Clallam PUD Moves Ahead with Carlsborg Expansion
  • Suzuki Foundation Takes Aim at Peace River’s Site C Dam, Other British Columbia Projects
  • Editorial: California Public Utilities Commission Sweetly Snuggles Up to Pacific Gas & Electric
  • The Biggest Threat to the Economy is from Outer Space
  • FEMA Regulations Pose Electric Co-op Challenges
  • Report on Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) Application Data is Released
  • Columbia River Fall Salmon Seasons Kick Off This Friday with Buoy 10 Opener
  • Diggin’ In: Oyster Gardeners Help Save Chesapeake Bay
  • Columbia River Treaty Review Could Be Massive Water Grab
  • Some of America’s Best Solar Incentives Are in Washington State
  • How to Invest in Renewable Energy
  • Beyond Energy Efficiency - We’re Not Just Reducing Demand for Electricity, We’re Destroying It
  • Energy Data Miner Opower Is Taking Big Steps into Asia
  • Are You a Verizon Customer With Unlimited Data? Get Ready to be Throttled
  • FCC ‘Deeply Troubled’ by Verizon’s Plan to Slow Down LTE for Unlimited Data Customers
  • Verizon Explains Why It’s Throttling Its ‘Unlimited’ Data Customers
  • How the History of Electricity Explains Municipal Broadband
  • CenturyLink: How Dare Cities Challenge the Laws We Paid For
  • Local Law Enforcement Launch New Campaign to Curb Social Media during Emergencies
  • Permit Needed by News Media to Cover a Forest Fire? Legislation is Dead
  • Google Maps on Your Feet: Smartshoes Vibrate to Tell You Where to Go
  • Snubbed by the South: Washington State Loses Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner to South Carolina
  • Is Marijuana an Oregon Cash Crop? Advocates Say Yes, State Says No
  • Rare Look inside Bonneville Power Administration’s Vancouver Lightning Lab
  • Defying Death in Utah Arches: A Thrill Too Far?
WORD OF THE DAY

Rill • \RILL\ • noun – A very small brook

Tommy was very proud of his hydroelectric project. Built on a rill that fed the upper reaches of the Columbia River, it generated one watt of electricity. He was confused as to why he couldn’t get a feed-in tariff for what he considered a valuable run of river project.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Are New Advanced Electric Meters Gonna Fry Your Brain?  Investigating a Seattle City Light Decision That’s Causing Tinfoil-Hat Panic (The Stranger)

Pacific Gas & Electric Calls Criminal Charges Against Agency ‘Unwarranted,’ Says It Didn’t Break the Law (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

Portland General Electric Logs Bounceback, Of Sorts, As Report Shows a $35 Million Profit (Sustainable Business Oregon)

Judge Orders Cowlitz PUD Recall Backers to Pay Commissioner Piper $30,000 in Legal Fees (Longview Daily News, WA)

Could Oregon Help Energize Mexico? (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Simulation Models Optimize Columbia River Water Power (Phys.Org)

Clallam PUD Moves Ahead with Carlsborg Expansion (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)

Suzuki Foundation Takes Aim at Peace River’s Site C Dam, Other British Columbia Projects (Globe & Mail, Canada)

Editorial: California Public Utilities Commission Sweetly Snuggles Up to Pacific Gas & Electric (Sacramento Bee, CA)

The Biggest Threat to the Economy is from Outer Space (Bloomberg News)

FEMA Regulations Pose Electric Co-op Challenges (Electric Co-op Today)

Report on Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) Application Data is Released (American Public Power Association)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Columbia River Fall Salmon Seasons Kick Off This Friday with Buoy 10 Opener (The Dalles Chronicle, OR)

Diggin’ In: Oyster Gardeners Help Save Chesapeake Bay (Bellingham Herald, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Columbia River Treaty Review Could Be Massive Water Grab (Coeur d’Alene Press, ID)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Some of America’s Best Solar Incentives Are in Washington State (Clean Technica)

How to Invest in Renewable Energy (Associated Press)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Beyond Energy Efficiency - We’re Not Just Reducing Demand for Electricity, We’re Destroying It (Slate Magazine)

Energy Data Miner Opower Is Taking Big Steps into Asia (Forbes Magazine)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Are You a Verizon Customer With Unlimited Data? Get Ready to be Throttled (Yahoo! News)

FCC ‘Deeply Troubled’ by Verizon’s Plan to Slow Down LTE for Unlimited Data Customers (The Verge)

Verizon Explains Why It’s Throttling Its ‘Unlimited’ Data Customers (Yahoo! News)

How the History of Electricity Explains Municipal Broadband (Washington Post)

CenturyLink: How Dare Cities Challenge the Laws We Paid For (Broadband Reports)

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Local Law Enforcement Launch New Campaign to Curb Social Media during Emergencies (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Permit Needed by News Media to Cover a Forest Fire? Legislation is Dead (Courthouse News Service)

Google Maps on Your Feet: Smartshoes Vibrate to Tell You Where to Go (Washington Post)

GENERAL NEWS

Snubbed by the South: Washington State Loses Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner to South Carolina (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

Is Marijuana an Oregon Cash Crop? Advocates Say Yes, State Says No (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Rare Look inside Bonneville Power Administration’s Vancouver Lightning Lab (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

Defying Death in Utah Arches: A Thrill Too Far? (NY Times)

DIVERSIONS

Why Songs Get Stuck in Your Head (and How to Stop It)

These Maniacs Cooked Steak with Molten Lava & Lightning

Odd Cause of Gaping Siberian Holes Possibly Found

Crashed Drone Carried Contraband Aimed at South Carolina Prison

SONG OF THE DAY

The Archies - Sugar Sugar (Earworm Food)

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their web sites regularly, which may result in broken links in the future.

Note that as some newspapers migrate to a “paywall” system of access, some articles may not be available without forking over some cold hard credit card cash. However, some sites will allow a certain number of story accesses per month before holding out their hand. Sorry if this is an inconvenience.