The Energy News Digest: Energy News Digest for April 1, 2015

Wanapum Dam Pool Back to Normal Level
Mason PUD 3 Looking into Remote Meter Reading
Pacific Power: Oregon Jumping the Gun on Coal
Montana: Interior Department Announces Plans to Partner with Crow Tribe on Yellowtail Afterbay Hydropower
Lawyer Who Helped Reorganize Bonneville Power, & Craft State Pot Rules, Named BPA General Counsel
Beginning April 6 – Oak Park Underground Power Line Replacement Project
Haven Energy Rejection Raises Questions about Possible Land Crunch at Port of Longview
State Senator Tim Sheldon to Receive Northwest Public Power Association Public Service Award
News Release: Smith Bill Would Investigate Unknown Costs to Washington Ratepayers from Montana Coal Plant Closure
GE Makes Once-a-Decade Bet on Big Turbines as Energy Use Surges
Texas Debates Bill to Eliminate Utility Fees for Low Demand Customers
The Doctor is In at Virginia Co-op
Fish Hatcheries: A 19th Century Fix That Won’t Die
Hatcheries Flow On Despite Evidence They Harm Salmon Recovery
Judge Tells Fisheries Service to Open Up over Central California Coast Steelhead
Op/Ed: Shining the Light on Solar Subsidies
A Biomass Mountain Rises
These States Are Early Leaders in U-S Energy Storage Market
Snohomish County PUD Offers Advice, Assistance
Oregon: Head of High-Profile Energy Efficiency Program, Clean Energy Works, Steps Down
Lawsuits against Legal Marijuana Point to Grand Failure of National Leadership
Colorado Marijuana Welfare Measure Heads to Governor’s Desk
March Was the Warmest on SeaTac Record
Are We Tired of Talking about Climate Change?
Could the Earth be Getting Greener? Satellite Data Say Yes
Forget “Bans” on Talking about Climate. These Florida Republicans Are Too Busy Protecting Their Coasts
New Tesla Offering Expected to be Home Battery Storage
Tacoma Public Utilities Looks to Lease Click! to Wave Broadband
Proposal to Lease Click! Merits Serious Consideration
Manweller, Washington State Representative, Pushes Tax Break for Quincy Server Farms
Poll Results: Yes, Oregonians Want Google Fiber
Alibaba 'Likely' To Choose Seattle for U-S Headquarters
Meerkat & Periscope Can Really Chew through Your Precious Data
Dueling State Budgets on the Table Now in Olympia
Five Mason County Schools Struggling – State Pledges Help
Kitsap County Starts Text-To-911 Service
Electrical Fault Corrected, 'Big Bang' Collider to Restart Soon
Road Hazard: Plastic Wrap Prank Hits Post Falls

WORD OF THE DAY

Angst • \ANG-st\ • Noun - A feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity.

There once was a feeling called angst

Over a gun that shot only blanks

The chamber was showing

The tension was growing

Over one of the new workers pranks

Whoo! There’s a stinker of a limerick.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Wanapum Dam Pool Back to Normal Level (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/news/wanapum-dam-pool-back-to-normal-level/article_a3cabab2-d7fc-11e4-8503-f7beb2c95eb2.html

Mason PUD 3 Looking into Remote Meter Reading (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/14895

Pacific Power: Oregon Jumping the Gun on Coal (Portland Business Journal, OR)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2015/04/pacific-power-oregon-jumping-gun-on-coal.html

Montana: Interior Department Announces Plans to Partner with Crow Tribe on Yellowtail Afterbay Hydropower (PR Web)

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/04/prweb12623040.htm

Lawyer Who Helped Reorganize Bonneville Power, & Craft State Pot Rules, Named BPA General Counsel (Portland Business Journal, OR)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2015/03/lawyer-who-helped-reorganize-bpa-and-craft-state.html

Beginning April 6 – Oak Park Underground Power Line Replacement Project (Mason PUD 3, Shelton, WA)

http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?NewsID=1499

Haven Energy Rejection Raises Questions about Possible Land Crunch at Port of Longview (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/haven-energy-rejection-raises-questions-about-possible-land-crunch-at/article_14ad9db0-d5d9-11e4-8ee5-9f385eb42d41.html

State Senator Tim Sheldon to Receive Northwest Public Power Association Public Service Award (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/14893

News Release: Smith Bill Would Investigate Unknown Costs to Washington Ratepayers from Montana Coal Plant Closure (Washington State House Republicans)

http://houserepublicans.wa.gov/news/smith-bill-would-investigate-unknown-costs-to-washington-ratepayers-from-montana-plant-closure/

GE Makes Once-a-Decade Bet on Big Turbines as Energy Use Surges (Bloomberg News)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-01/ge-makes-once-a-decade-bet-on-big-turbines-as-energy-use-surges

Texas Debates Bill to Eliminate Utility Fees for Low Demand Customers (Utility Dive)

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/texas-debates-bill-to-eliminate-utility-fees-for-low-demand-customers/381827/

The Doctor is In at Virginia Co-op (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/newsmakers/local-initiatives/the-doctor-is-in-at-northern-virginia-electric-cooperativ/79487

FISH & WILDLIFE

Fish Hatcheries: A 19th Century Fix That Won’t Die (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/2015/03/hatcheries-a-19th-century-fix-that-wont-die/

Hatcheries Flow On Despite Evidence They Harm Salmon Recovery (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/2015/03/hatcheries-part-2/

Judge Tells Fisheries Service to Open Up over Central California Coast Steelhead (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/04/01/judge-tells-fisheries-service-to-open-up.htm

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Op/Ed: Shining the Light on Solar Subsidies (The Hill, Washington, DC)

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/237404-shining-the-light-on-solar-subsidies

A Biomass Mountain Rises (Huffington Post)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/x-prize-foundation/a-biomass-mountain-rises_b_6979770.html

These States Are Early Leaders in U-S Energy Storage Market (The Energy Collective)

http://theenergycollective.com/eric-wesoff/2209866/these-states-are-early-leaders-us-energy-storage-market

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Snohomish County PUD Offers Advice, Assistance (North County Outlook, Marysville, WA)

http://www.northcountyoutlook.com/story/2015/04/01/arts-and-leisure/snohomish-county-pud-offers-advice-assistance/7792.html

Oregon: Head of High-Profile Energy Efficiency Program, Clean Energy Works, Steps Down (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2015/03/head_of_clean_energy_works_a_s.html

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Lawsuits against Legal Marijuana Point to Grand Failure of National Leadership (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2015/03/31/lawsuits-against-legal-marijuana-point-to-grand-failure-of-national-leadership/#31739101=0&29340103=0&31507105=0

Colorado Marijuana Welfare Measure Heads to Governor’s Desk (Associated Press)

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/03/31/colorado-marijuana-welfare-measure-heads-to-governors-desk/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

March Was the Warmest on SeaTac Record (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/komo/article/March-was-the-warmest-on-record-6172504.php

Are We Tired of Talking about Climate Change? (British Broadcasting Corporation)

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32131142

Could the Earth be Getting Greener? Satellite Data Say Yes (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy/2015/0331/Could-the-Earth-be-getting-greener-Satellite-data-say-yes.

Forget “Bans” on Talking about Climate. These Florida Republicans Are Too Busy Protecting Their Coasts (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/03/31/the-unlikely-group-of-republicans-who-are-preparing-florida-for-climate-change/

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

New Tesla Offering Expected to be Home Battery Storage (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_27814985/new-tesla-offering-expected-be-home-battery-storage

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Tacoma Public Utilities Looks to Lease Click! to Wave Broadband (South Sound Business Examiner)

http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/March-2015/TPU-looks-to-lease-Click-to-Wave-Broadband/

Proposal to Lease Click! Merits Serious Consideration (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA - Paywall Advisory)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/04/01/3719467/proposal-to-lease-click-merits.html

Manweller, Washington State Representative, Pushes Tax Break for Quincy Server Farms (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/politics/manweller-pushes-a-tax-break-for-quincy-server-farms/article_e2548b42-d7fb-11e4-a2a0-c3222547a0f1.html

Poll Results: Yes, Oregonians Want Google Fiber (Portland Business Journal, OR)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/morning_call/2015/04/poll-results-yes-oregonians-want-google-fiber.html

Alibaba 'Likely' To Choose Seattle for U-S Headquarters (Portland Business Journal, OR)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/morning_call/2015/04/alibaba-likely-to-choose-seattle-for-u-s.html

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Meerkat & Periscope Can Really Chew through Your Precious Data (Gizmodo)

http://gizmodo.com/meerkat-and-periscope-can-really-chew-through-your-prec-1694855170

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Dueling State Budgets on the Table Now in Olympia (Associated Press)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20150331/NEWS01/150409958

GENERAL NEWS

Five Mason County Schools Struggling – State Pledges Help (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/14891

Kitsap County Starts Text-To-911 Service (Associated Press)

http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/Kitsap-County-starts-text-to-911-service-298164801.html

Electrical Fault Corrected, 'Big Bang' Collider to Restart Soon (Reuters)

www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/31/us-science-cern-idUSKBN0MR27G20150331

Road Hazard: Plastic Wrap Prank Hits Post Falls (KXLY-TV, Spokane, WA)

http://www.kxly.com/news/north-idaho-news/plastic-wrap-prank-hits-post-falls/32119840

DIVERSIONS

Pet Rock Creator Dies at 78 in Southern Oregon

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2015/03/creator_of_pet_rock_dies_at_78.html

Moses Lake Dog Rose from the Grave to Live Again

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2015/03/31/3488408_moses-lake-dog-rose-from-the-grave.html?rh=1

Exploding Head Syndrome is Common in College Students

http://college.usatoday.com/2015/04/01/exploding-head-syndrome-is-common-in-college-students/

Joni Mitchell in Intensive Care after Being Found Unconscious at Home

http://mashable.com/2015/04/01/joni-mitchell-hospital/

SONG OF THE DAY

Joni Mitchell – Free Man in Paris

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQj6h8KpkiQ

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.

The Energy News Digest

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Energy News Digest for April 1, 2015

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