Energy News Digest for December 23, 2014

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for December 23, 2014

http://tinyurl.com/mgsfop4

Flood Watch in Effect for Mason County

http://tinyurl.com/l83u55u

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Lawsuits Could ‘Destroy’ Recreational Cannabis in Washington State (Marijuana Business Daily)

http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/lawsuits-could-destroy-rec-marijuana-in-washington-state/

Businesses: Carbon Tax Would Impact Citizens (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/2014/12/22/businesses-carbon-tax-would-impact-citizens/20788185/

Chinook Salmon at Risk of Catastrophe Due to Climate Change, UBC Researcher Warns (The Province, Vancouver, BC)
http://www.theprovince.com/technology/environment/Chinook+salmon+risk+catastrophe+climate+change/10673760/story.html

Lawsuit against U-S Army Corps of Engineers Complicates Oregon Liquefied Natural Gas Plans in Warrenton (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2014/12/lawsuit_againts_army_corps_of.html

Storms Bring Massive Amounts of Elwha River Sediment Downstream (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20141223/NEWS/312239990/storms-bring-massive-amounts-of-elwha-river-sediment-downstream

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

1. Lawsuit against U-S Army Corps of Engineers Complicates Oregon Liquefied Natural Gas Plans in Warrenton
2. Natural Gas Falls to Two-Year Low with No Cold in Sight
3. Editorial: Could British Columbia’s Peace River Dam’s ‘Clean’ Power Actually Fuel Dirty Energy?
4. Nuclear: Carbon Free, but Not Free of Unease
5. Update: Power Restored - Outage on North Shore Rd West of Belfair
6. Snohomish PUD Offers Safety Reminders for Winter Storms
7. Telephone Scam Targets Vera Water & Power Customers
8. Op/ED: Counting Our Many Blessings at Year’s End
9. Power Giant Alstom to Pay Record $772 Million to Settle Bribery Charges
10. Construction of Central America’s Biggest Hydroelectric Dam is Nearly Finished in Costa Rica
11. Chinook Salmon at Risk of Catastrophe Due to Climate Change, UBC Researcher Warns
12. Storms Bring Massive Amounts of Elwha River Sediment Downstream
13. Every River in the U-S, Colored According to the Way It Flows
14. City of Kittitas Wins Solar Project Funding Grant
15. The Rise & Fall of Wind Power in America
16. Solar & Wind Provide 70 Percent of New US Generating Capacity in November 2014
17. Energy-Storage Plans Gain Ground in California
18. Are Virtual Power Plants the Future of European Utilities?
19. Lawmakers Voice Concerns about Solar Leasing Marketing Strategies in Letter to FTC Chair
20. Lawsuits Could ‘Destroy’ Recreational Cannabis in Washington State
21. Pierce County Pot Ban Upheld by Judge
22. Medical Pot Grower Burglarized Twice in Two Months
23. Tribes Tread Carefully into Marijuana Discussions
24. Nebraska Wants Only Mexican Weed; Suit Means Washington Needs Homegrown
25. Chart of the Week: The Impact of a Holiday on Washington State Marijuana Sales
26. Businesses: Carbon Tax Would Impact Citizens
27. California: Punitive Protest - Will State Gas Prices Soar in Protest of 2015 Environmental Law?
28. Losing Paradise: Climate Change is Changing Mount Rainier
29. Electric Cars Hurt Most among Renewables on Oil’s Slump
30. Composting Requirements, Penalty Fines to Begin in Seattle
31. North Korea’s Internet Links Restored amid U-S Hacking Dispute
32. Downing North Korea’s Internet Not Much of a Scalp
33. The Man Who Can See the Internet
34. “In House” Network Operations Center System Saves PUD $80,000
35. The New ‘Obamaphone’ is Broadband
36. Twitter Shares Jump on Analyst Speculation That Its CEO Won’t Last the Year
37. Please Never Leave Coca-Cola a Voice Mail Again
38. This Infographic Shows How Worried Digital Advertisers Are About Viewability
39. Shelton HS Teacher/Coach Pleads Guilty to Sex Charges
40. Mason County Safeway Stores to Become Haggen
41. Ski Areas Barely Open for Christmas
42. Seattle Unsettled By Massive Drill Tunneling through Downtown
43. Keurig Recalls 6.6 Million Popular Home Brewing Machines
44. Egg Prices Rise as New California Regulations Kick In
45. Do E-Readers Really Harm Sleep? Depends What You Call an E-Reader
46. Sony Announces Limited Release for ‘The Interview’

WORD OF THE DAY

Jostle • \JOSS-sull\ • verb - 1a: to come in contact or into collision b: to make one’s way by pushing & shoving c: to exist in close proximity 2: to vie in gaining an objective: contend

In “A Christmas Carol” the Spirit of Christmas Present used his torch to sprinkle food with the Christmas spirit and dispensed drops of water to restore good humor. This ministration included those who, in the hustle and bustle of the holiday, jostled each other in the humming crowds and became angry about their physical encounters.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Lawsuit against U-S Army Corps of Engineers Complicates Oregon Liquefied Natural Gas Plans in Warrenton (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2014/12/lawsuit_againts_army_corps_of.html

Natural Gas Falls to Two-Year Low with No Cold in Sight (Bloomberg News)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-22/natural-gas-tops-commodity-losers-as-inventory-surplus-emerges.html

Editorial: Could British Columbia’s Peace River Dam’s ‘Clean’ Power Actually Fuel Dirty Energy? (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/could-b-c-s-site-c-dam-s-clean-power-actually-fuel-dirty-energy-1.2879785?cmp=rss

Nuclear: Carbon Free, but Not Free of Unease (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/23/science/nuclear-carbon-free-but-not-free-of-unease-.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Update: Power Restored - Outage on North Shore Rd West of Belfair (Mason PUD 3, Shelton, WA)

http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?NewsID=1467

Snohomish PUD Offers Safety Reminders for Winter Storms (North County Outlook, Marysville, WA)

http://www.northcountyoutlook.com/story/2014/12/24/news/pud-offers-safety-reminders-for-winter-storms/7393.html

Telephone Scam Targets Vera Water & Power Customers (KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA)

http://www.khq.com/story/27674425/telephone-scam-targets-vera-water-and-power-customers

Op/ED: Counting Our Many Blessings at Year’s End “…Sufficient water supplies kept our electric rates…among the lowest in the world, while providing migrating salmon with ample stream flows…” (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2014/dec/23/brunell-counting-our-many-blessings-at-years-end/

Power Giant Alstom to Pay Record $772 Million to Settle Bribery Charges (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/power-giant-alstom-to-pay-record-772-million-to-settle-bribery-charges/2014/12/22/a864a68e-89f8-11e4-a085-34e9b9f09a58_story.html?wprss=rss_business

Construction of Central America’s Biggest Hydroelectric Dam is Nearly Finished in Costa Rica (Tico Times, San José, Costa Rica)

http://www.ticotimes.net/2014/12/19/construction-of-central-americas-biggest-hydroelectric-dam-is-nearly-finished-in-costa-rica

FISH & WILDLIFE

Chinook Salmon at Risk of Catastrophe Due to Climate Change, UBC Researcher Warns (The Province, Vancouver, BC)
http://www.theprovince.com/technology/environment/Chinook+salmon+risk+catastrophe+climate+change/10673760/story.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Storms Bring Massive Amounts of Elwha River Sediment Downstream (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20141223/NEWS/312239990/storms-bring-massive-amounts-of-elwha-river-sediment-downstream

Every River in the U-S, Colored According to the Way It Flows (Gizmodo)

http://gizmodo.com/every-river-in-the-u-s-colored-according-to-the-way-i-1674447918

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

City of Kittitas Wins Solar Project Funding Grant (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)

http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/inbrief/city-of-kittitas-wins-solar-project-funding-grant/article_8789d9f6-87a6-11e4-ab5e-8fb126313556.html

The Rise & Fall of Wind Power in America (Vox)

http://www.vox.com/2014/12/22/7432407/wind-power-tax-credit

Solar & Wind Provide 70 Percent of New US Generating Capacity in November 2014 (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/12/solar-and-wind-provide-70-percent-of-new-us-generating-capacity-in-november-2014?cmpid=rss

Energy-Storage Plans Gain Ground in California (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/22/business/energy-environment/california-picks-energy-storage-over-some-new-power-plant-bids.html?ref=energy-environment&_r=1

Are Virtual Power Plants the Future of European Utilities? (Intelligent Utilities)

http://www.intelligentutility.com/article/14/12/are-virtual-power-plants-future-european-utilities

Lawmakers Voice Concerns about Solar Leasing Marketing Strategies in Letter to FTC Chair (American Public Power Association)

http://www.naylornetwork.com/app-ppd/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=300951&issueID=44400

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Lawsuits Could ‘Destroy’ Recreational Cannabis in Washington State (Marijuana Business Daily)

http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/lawsuits-could-destroy-rec-marijuana-in-washington-state/

Pierce County Pot Ban Upheld by Judge (South Sound Business Examiner)

http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/December-2014/Pierce-pot-ban-upheld-by-judge/

Medical Pot Grower Burglarized Twice in Two Months (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/medical-pot-grower-burglarized-twice-2-months/njYTg/

Tribes Tread Carefully into Marijuana Discussions (Associated Press)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20141222/BIZ02/141229739

Nebraska Wants Only Mexican Weed; Suit Means Washington Needs Homegrown (Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2014/12/19/nebraska-wants-only-mexican-weed-suit-means-washington-needs-homegrown/#13522103=0&29340101=0

Chart of the Week: The Impact of a Holiday on Washington State Marijuana Sales (Marijuana Business Daily)

http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/chart-of-the-week-the-impact-of-holidays-on-recreational-marijuana-sales-in-wa/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Businesses: Carbon Tax Would Impact Citizens (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/2014/12/22/businesses-carbon-tax-would-impact-citizens/20788185/

California: Punitive Protest - Will State Gas Prices Soar in Protest of 2015 Environmental Law? (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Will-state-gas-prices-soar-in-protest-of-2015-5974297.php

Losing Paradise: Climate Change is Changing Mount Rainier (Olympian - Paywall Advisory)

http://www.theolympian.com/2014/12/21/3488928_losing-paradise-climate-change.html?sp=/99/224/&rh=1

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Electric Cars Hurt Most among Renewables on Oil’s Slump (Bloomberg News)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-22/electric-cars-hurt-most-in-renewables-industry-from-oil-s-slump.html

Composting Requirements, Penalty Fines to Begin in Seattle (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/composting-requirements-penalty-fines-begin-seattl/njY6w/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

North Korea’s Internet Links Restored amid U-S Hacking Dispute (Reuters)

http://news.yahoo.com/north-koreas-internet-links-restored-amid-u-hacking-040510492--finance.html

Downing North Korea’s Internet Not Much of a Scalp (Reuters)

http://news.yahoo.com/downing-north-koreas-internet-not-much-scalp-081945500.html

The Man Who Can See the Internet (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/12/23/the-man-who-can-see-the-internet-2/

“In House” Network Operations Center System Saves PUD $80,000 (Grays Harbor PUD)

https://www.ghpud.org/index.php/stay-informed/news-releases/147-in-house-network-operations-center-system-saves-pud-80k

The New ‘Obamaphone’ is Broadband (Cable News Network)

http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/23/technology/innovationnation/obama-broadband-lifeline-obamaphone/

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter Shares Jump on Analyst Speculation That Its CEO Won’t Last the Year (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/12/22/twitter-shares-jump-on-analyst-speculation-that-its-ceo-wont-last-the-year/

Please Never Leave Coca-Cola a Voice Mail Again (Mashable)

http://mashable.com/2014/12/23/coca-cola-dumps-voice-mail/

This Infographic Shows How Worried Digital Advertisers Are About Viewability (AdWeek)

http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/infographic-shows-how-worried-digital-advertisers-are-about-viewability-162054

GENERAL NEWS

Shelton HS Teacher/Coach Pleads Guilty to Sex Charges (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://kmasnewsradio.com/news/local-state-news/20482-shelton-hs-teacher-coach-pleads-guilty

Mason County Safeway Stores to Become Haggen (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/14035

Ski Areas Barely Open for Christmas (Oregon Public Radio)

http://www.opb.org/news/article/ski-areas-barely-open-for-xmas/

Seattle Unsettled By Massive Drill Tunneling through Downtown (Los Angeles Times, CA)

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-seattle-sinking-20141223-story.html

Keurig Recalls 6.6 Million Popular Home Brewing Machines (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://q13fox.com/2014/12/23/keurig-recalls-6-6-million-popular-home-brewing-machines/

Egg Prices Rise as New California Regulations Kick In (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwnewsnetwork.org/post/egg-prices-rise-new-california-regulations-kick

Do E-Readers Really Harm Sleep? Depends What You Call an E-Reader (GigaOM)

https://gigaom.com/2014/12/23/do-e-readers-really-harm-sleep-depends-what-you-call-an-e-reader/

Sony Announces Limited Release for ‘The Interview’ (Associated Press)

http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/celebrities/article4865142.html

DIVERSIONS

One Person Tests 18 Different Oreo Flavors, Somehow Survives

http://consumerist.com/2014/12/23/one-person-tests-18-different-oreo-flavors-somehow-survives/

After You Return Something To A Store, Where Does It Go?

http://consumerist.com/2014/12/22/after-you-return-something-to-a-store-where-does-it-go/

Journalist Gets High While Reporting Next to Pile of Burning Drugs

http://metro.co.uk/2014/12/22/journalist-gets-high-while-reporting-next-to-pile-of-burning-drugs-4996454/

WalMart Issues Apology after Kicking Out Klamath Falls Carolers

http://www.opb.org/news/blog/newsblog/walmart-issues-apology-after-kicking-out-klamarth-falls-carolers/

SONG OF THE DAY

Final Farewell:

Joe Cocker -With A Little Help from My Friends - 1969 Woodstock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRzKUVjHkGk

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.