Friday, November 13, 2015

Energy News Digest for November 13, 2015

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for November 13, 2015

Flood Watch though November 15

Wind Advisory for Western Washington, Including Mason County

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Heavy Rain to Diminish Later Friday, but Linger Saturday (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Pot Power: How Utilities & Regulators Are Dealing with the Budding Marijuana Industry (Utility Dive – Hey Look, there’s little ol’ Mason PUD 3)

Closure of Three Coal-Fired Power Plants Will Shrink Pacific Northwest’s Region’s Carbon Footprint (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA – “…Coal produces about 12 to 15 percent of the electricity used in the Northwest, but it’s responsible for 85 percent of the carbon emissions…” ?? overall emissions, or just from energy production?)

These Could Be the First U-S States to Tax Carbon — And Give Their Residents a Nice Paycheck (Washington Post)

The Mojave Desert Might Be the Next Clean Energy Gold Mine (Grist Online)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Closure of Three Coal-Fired Power Plants Will Shrink Pacific Northwest’s Region’s Carbon Footprint
  • Grant PUD Approves 2016 Budget, Reducing Spending for Third Year
  • Cowlitz PUD Picks New Attorney, Narrows Search for General Manager
  • Now That Keystone is Dead, Pacific Northwest Oil Trains to be Industry’s Alternative
  • The Society of Women Engineers Recognizes Mason PUD 1 Engineer
  • New York: Massive Heating-Oil Fraud Ripped Off Customers for Years, Authorities Say
  • Illinois: Electricity Vendor Tells State to Pay Up
  • El Niño: Spanish for ‘Disrupter of Energy Markets’
  • That Certainly is a Lot of Chinook at Bonneville Dam! It’s a 77-year record, actually
  • Steelhead from Hells Canyon Dam (Idaho Power) to Be Trucked to Boise River for Holiday Fishing
  • Puget Sound Steelhead Hatchery Program Alternatives Proposed
  • Low Salmon Runs Spur British Columbia First Nations to Call for Fisheries Meeting
  • Declining Demand for Canned Salmon Sparks Closure in Prince Rupert
  • Oregon De-Lists Wolves from State ESA; Federal ESA Still Applies In Most of State
  • How Declining Snowpack Threatens Water Supplies
  • Lake Tahoe’s Blueness, Quantified
  • The Mojave Desert Might Be the Next Clean Energy Gold Mine
  • Utilities Spend $2.3M Backing Florida Solar Initiative against Third Party Sales
  • Solar Could Be at Ten Percent of U-S Generation Mix in 10-15 Years
  • Renewable Energy Credits, Which Put the “Green” in Green Electricity, Explained
  • The Renewable Energy Source That’s More Dangerous than Coal
  • Energy Apps: Customers Save Money, Utilities Get Grid Efficiency
  • From Provider to Adviser: Opower Launches Suite of Tools for Utilities
  • Pot Power: How Utilities & Regulators Are Dealing with the Budding Marijuana Industry
  • Marijuana Growing & the Energy Industry are Focus of Session at Regulator Meeting
  • These Could Be the First U-S States to Tax Carbon — And Give Their Residents a Nice Paycheck
  • A Pacific Northwest Tribe Confronts Climate Change, Sea Level Rise
  • Scientists Say Greenland Just Opened Up a Major New ‘Floodgate’ of Ice into the Ocean
  • Tug of War over Obama’s Clean Power Plan Takes Center Stage in Colorado
  • Amazon, Data Center Turn Hot Idea into Cool Technology
  • Electric Vehicles Beat Gasoline Cars in Cradle-To-Grave Emissions Study
  • A Brief History of Human Energy Use
  • Grant PUD Fiber Project Close to Meeting Goal
  • Seattle Mulls Building Its Own Gigabit Fiber Network
  • U-S Senators Mull Selling More Airwaves to Boost Broadband Access
  • This Is How Your Internet Gets Built, In Five Eye-Opening Photos
  • Feds Shut Down Phony Apple, Microsoft, Google Tech Support Scammers
  • KUOW Intends to Buy Tacoma-Based KPLU
  • Study: Spending Time on Facebook Makes People Unhappy
  • This Data Visualization Shows You Facebook’s Hottest Topics from October
  • Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
  • Talk Grows of Repealing ObamaCare ‘Cadillac Tax’
  • Heavy Rain to Diminish Later Friday, but Linger Saturday
  • Flooding & Heavy Rain
  • Mason County Commissioner Upset with Sheriff over Records Request
  • Cowlitz Tribe Submits Plan for Handling Wastewater from Planned Casino – System similar to Squaxin treatment plant
  • Hurray for Urraco: These 15 Unique Coffee Shops in Washington State Are Perfect to Wake You Up
WORD OF THE DAY

Dewy • \DOO-ee\ • Adjective – 1: moist with, affected by, or suggestive of dew 2: innocent, unsophisticated

Fresh from the country.
Young, dewy-eyed ingénue.
L-A sharks circle

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Closure of Three Coal-Fired Power Plants Will Shrink Pacific Northwest’s Region’s Carbon Footprint (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA – “…Coal produces about 12 to 15 percent of the electricity used in the Northwest, but it’s responsible for 85 percent of the carbon emissions…” ?? overall emissions, or just from energy production?)

Grant PUD approves 2016 budget, reducing spending for third year (iFiber One News, Ephrata, WA)

Cowlitz PUD Picks New Attorney, Narrows Search for General Manager (Longview Daily News, WA)

Now That Keystone is Dead, Pacific Northwest Oil Trains to be Industry’s Alternative (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

The Society of Women Engineers Recognizes Mason PUD 1 Engineer (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

New York: Massive Heating-Oil Fraud Ripped Off Customers for Years, Authorities Say (Crain’s New York)

Illinois: Electricity Vendor Tells State to Pay Up (Illinois News Network)

El Niño: Spanish for ‘Disrupter of Energy Markets’ (Forbes Magazine)

FISH & WILDLIFE

That Certainly is a Lot of Chinook at Bonneville Dam! It’s a 77-year record, actually. (Willamette Week)

Steelhead from Hells Canyon Dam (Idaho Power) to Be Trucked to Boise River for Holiday Fishing (Columbia Basin Bulletin – You mean, these fish made their way through the fish-passages on federal dams to get stopped at a dam without fish passage. Hmmm.)

Puget Sound Steelhead Hatchery Program Alternatives Proposed (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Low Salmon Runs Spur British Columbia First Nations to Call for Fisheries Meeting (Globe & Mail, Canada)

Declining Demand for Canned Salmon Sparks Closure in Prince Rupert (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

Oregon De-Lists Wolves from State ESA; Federal ESA Still Applies In Most of State (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

How Declining Snowpack Threatens Water Supplies (Christian Science Monitor)

Lake Tahoe’s Blueness, Quantified – Scientists always thought the lake’s distinctive color came from its shocking clarity, but the data tells a different story (The Atlantic)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

The Mojave Desert Might Be the Next Clean Energy Gold Mine (Grist Online)

Utilities Spend $2.3M Backing Florida Solar Initiative against Third Party Sales (Utility Dive)

Solar Could Be at Ten Percent of U-S Generation Mix in 10-15 Years (American Public Power Association)

Renewable Energy Credits, Which Put the “Green” in Green Electricity, Explained (Vox)

The Renewable Energy Source That’s More Dangerous than Coal (Salon Magazine – Calling Duff Badgley)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Energy Apps: Customers Save Money, Utilities Get Grid Efficiency (American Public Power Association)

From Provider to Adviser: Opower Launches Suite of Tools for Utilities (Utility Dive)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Pot Power: How Utilities & Regulators Are Dealing with the Budding Marijuana Industry (Utility Dive – Hey Look, there’s little ol’ Mason PUD 3)

Marijuana Growing & the Energy Industry are Focus of Session at Regulator Meeting (Austin Statesman, TX)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

These Could Be the First U-S States to Tax Carbon — And Give Their Residents a Nice Paycheck (Washington Post)

A Pacific Northwest Tribe Confronts Climate Change, Sea Level Rise (Jefferson Public Radio, Ashland, OR)

Scientists Say Greenland Just Opened Up a Major New ‘Floodgate’ of Ice into the Ocean (Washington Post)

Tug of War over Obama’s Clean Power Plan Takes Center Stage in Colorado (National Public Radio)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Amazon, Data Center Turn Hot Idea into Cool Technology (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Electric Vehicles Beat Gasoline Cars in Cradle-To-Grave Emissions Study (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

A Brief History of Human Energy Use (The Atlantic)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Grant PUD Fiber Project Close to Meeting Goal (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Seattle Mulls Building Its Own Gigabit Fiber Network (Broadband Reports)

U-S Senators Mull Selling More Airwaves to Boost Broadband Access (Roll Call, Washington, DC)

This Is How Your Internet Gets Built, In Five Eye-Opening Photos (Washington Post)

Feds Shut Down Phony Apple, Microsoft, Google Tech Support Scammers (Consumerist)

MARKETING & THE MEDIA

KUOW Intends to Buy Tacoma-Based KPLU (Northwest Public Radio)

Study: Spending Time on Facebook Makes People Unhappy (Washington Times)

This Data Visualization Shows You Facebook’s Hottest Topics from October (AdWeek)

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds (Consumerist)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Talk Grows of Repealing ObamaCare ‘Cadillac tax’ (The Hill, Washington, DC)

GENERAL NEWS

Heavy Rain to Diminish Later Friday, but Linger Saturday (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Flooding & Heavy Rain (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

Mason County Commissioner Upset with Sheriff over Records Request (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Cowlitz Tribe Submits Plan for Handling Wastewater from Planned Casino – System similar to Squaxin treatment plant (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Hurray for Urraco: These 15 Unique Coffee Shops in Washington State Are Perfect to Wake You Up (Only In Your State)

DIVERSIONS

British Columbia Carjacking Goes Awry When Man Tries to Steal Car with Undercover Officers Inside

The Benefits of the Ukulele on Kids’ Attitudes – For certain Canadian children, music classes teach the benefits of sympathy & cooperation

This Company Will Break Up With Your Partner for You

Sandpoint Lottery Winner Puts Faith in Mail

SONG OF THE DAY

The Greg Kihn Band – The Breakup Song

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LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY


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

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