The Energy News Digest: 01/05/15

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant Begins Slow Process of Closing
Study: Spending On Outage Management Systems to Reach $1.3 Billion in 2023
California: Governor Brown Names Commissioner Michael Picker President of PUC
Small Seabirds Washing Up Dead on Pacific Northwest Beaches
Op/Ed: Public Can’t Afford to Subsidize New Water Projects
States Work to Meet New Renewable Energy Standards
California Public Utility Chooses Storage over New Gas Plant
Nest Continues Quest for Smart Home Domination
What You Need to Know about Organic Light Emitting Diode Lighting
Yakima County Considers Broader License System to Discourage Pot Businesses
Unhooking Users from Pushers: Black Market Cuts into Peninsula’s Legal Retail Profit
'They Don't Think It's a Crime': Yellowstone Sees Rise in Pot Cases
Colorado Colleges Ask Feds for Permission to Grow Marijuana for Research Purposes
Feds Stick to Court Argument That Marijuana is Dangerous
California Gas Prices Rise for First Time in Weeks - Cap-And-Trade Effect Cited
California’s Cap-And-Trade Program Now Covers Cars
Car Charging Network Stuck in Idle - Federally Funded Car Recharging Stations Get Little Use
Report: FCC to Vote on New Net Neutrality Proposal in February
Up to Speed: GOP Prepping to Challenge FCC's Impending Net Neutrality Rules
The Town without Wi-Fi - The town is a magnet for technophobes
Beer Wars: Portland Plans to Sue Pabst Brewing Company for Trademark Violation
Oregon U-S Senator Wyden Ends Portland Town Hall after Protesters Take Over
Suicidal Shelton-Area Man Dies after Confrontation with Deputies
Mason County: Island Lake Structure Fire
Rough Flu Season in Full Swing
Two Kennewick Fires on Saturday Caused by Electric Blanket, Hot Stove Burner
Historic Kalakala Ferry to Be Destroyed Later This Month

WORD OF THE DAY

Eleemosynary • \ell-ih-MAWS-uhn-nair-ee\ • adjective – Of, relating to, or supported by charity

“Ye shall be sentenced to violating the ‘Poor Laws’ and placed in a workhouse until rehabilitated,” pronounced the pinch-faced, bewigged judge to the trembling boy. The “Great London Waif Crisis” of the Victorian age was in full sway, and without a wide range of eleemosynary institutions, the workhouse, poor farm or prison were about the only options available to the poor little tyke. (Yeesh, this is pretty dark for an example sentence. I’ll blame it all on Charles Dickens.)

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Grays Harbor Hit Hard by Flooding, Landslides (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://thedailyworld.com/news/local/harbor-hit-hard-flooding-landslides

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant Begins Slow Process of Closing (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/05/us/vermont-yankee-nuclear-plant-begins-slow-process-of-closing.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

Study: Spending On Outage Management Systems to Reach $1.3 Billion in 2023 (Utility Dive)

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/study-spending-on-outage-managment-systems-to-reach-13b-in-2023/348315/

California: Governor Brown Names Commissioner Michael Picker President of PUC (Los Angeles Times, CA)

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-puc-appointments-20141224-story.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Small Seabirds Washing Up Dead on Pacific Northwest Beaches (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwpr.org/post/small-seabirds-washing-dead-northwest-beaches

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Op/Ed: Public Can’t Afford to Subsidize New Water Projects (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jan/04/guest-opinion-public-cant-afford-to-subsidize-new/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

States Work to Meet New Renewable Energy Standards (Associated Press)

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/article5328741.html

California Public Utility Chooses Storage over New Gas Plant (Utility Dive)

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/california-public-utility-chooses-storage-over-new-gas-plant/348398/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Nest Continues Quest for Smart Home Domination (Mashable)

http://mashable.com/2015/01/05/nest-developer-partnerships/

What You Need to Know about Organic Light Emitting Diode Lighting (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2015/01/05/what-you-need-to-know-about-oled-lighting/

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Yakima County Considers Broader License System to Discourage Pot Businesses (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/yhr/sunday/2758992-8/yakima-county-considers-broader-license-system-to-discourage

Unhooking Users from Pushers: Black Market Cuts into Peninsula’s Legal Retail Profit (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20150105/news/301059986/unhooking-users-from-pushers-black-market-cuts-into

'They Don't Think It's a Crime': Yellowstone Sees Rise in Pot Cases (Associated Press)

http://www.katu.com/news/local/They-dont-think-its-a-crime-Yellowstone-sees-rise-in-pot-cases-287453781.html

Colorado Colleges Ask Feds for Permission to Grow Marijuana for Research Purposes (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2015/01/marijuana_news_colorado_colleg.html

Feds Stick to Court Argument That Marijuana is Dangerous (Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2015/01/04/feds-stick-to-court-argument-that-marijuana-is-dangerous/#29488101=0

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

California Gas Prices Rise for First Time in Weeks - Cap-And-Trade Effect Cited (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article5365401.html

California’s Cap-And-Trade Program Now Covers Cars (Grist Online)

http://grist.org/news/californias-cap-and-trade-program-now-covers-cars/

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Car Charging Network Stuck in Idle - Federally Funded Car Recharging Stations Get Little Use (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/32533942-75/story.csp

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Report: FCC to Vote on New Net Neutrality Proposal in February (Consumerist)

http://consumerist.com/2015/01/02/report-fcc-to-vote-on-new-net-neutrality-proposal-in-february/

Up to Speed: GOP Prepping to Challenge FCC's Impending Net Neutrality Rules (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/morning_call/2015/01/gop-prepping-challenge-fcc-net-neutrality-rules.html

The Town without Wi-Fi - The town is a magnet for technophobes, and the locals aren’t thrilled to have them (Washingtonian Magazine)

http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/the-town-without-wi-fi/

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Beer Wars: Portland Plans to Sue Pabst Brewing Company for Trademark Violation (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/01/portland_plans_to_sue_pabst_br.html

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Oregon U-S Senator Wyden Ends Portland Town Hall after Protesters Take Over (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.opb.org/news/article/senator-wyden-ends-portland-town-hall-after-protesters-take-over/

GENERAL NEWS

Suicidal Shelton-Area Man Dies after Confrontation with Deputies (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/14067

Mason County: Island Lake Structure Fire (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/14072

Rough Flu Season in Full Swing (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.keprtv.com/Flu-season-in-full-swing-287385251.html

Two Kennewick Fires on Saturday Caused by Electric Blanket, Hot Stove Burner (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2015/01/04/3341681_two-kennewick-fires-on-saturday.html?rh=1

Historic Kalakala Ferry to Be Destroyed Later This Month (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/morning_call/2015/01/historic-kalakala-ferry-to-be-destroyed-later-this.html

DIVERSIONS

Watch What Happens When Disney World’s Gaston Gets Challenged to a Push-Up Contest

http://time.com/3653473/gaston-push-up-contest-disney-world/

Woman Faces Up to a Month in Jail for Mailing Her Neighbors Cow Poop

http://time.com/3652606/woman-jail-mail-neighbor-cow-poop/

Wisconsin Police Find Wedding Ring on Their Christmas Tree

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/05/us-usa-wisconsin-ring-idUSKBN0KE01Z20150105

Naked Woman Rescued from Chimney of Estranged Boyfriend

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/national/naked-woman-found-chimney/njgQF/

SONG OF THE DAY

Gary Lewis & the Playboys - This Diamond Ring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKTOizdhan8

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

Monday, January 5, 2015

Energy News Digest for January 5, 2015

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