The Energy News Digest: 01/27/15

Nantucket without Power as Outages Hit Massachusetts
Richland Eyes Electric Rate Increase
Oregon Department of Energy Announces Meeting on Jordan Cove Power Plant
Bonneville Power Administration Hosts Nation’s Largest Regional Science Bowl
The Clean Power Plan’s Dirty Secret – Obama plans to put the bungling EPA in charge of the nation’s electricity
Minnesota: Three Hydro Projects Competing to Install in Minneapolis
Engaging Co-op Members in Challenging Times
Upper Columbia Tribes Seek To Restore River’s Salmon Runs
Montana: Bull Trout Redd Counts Bring No Surprises for Biologists
Yakima Basin Short on Snow, But Season Is Still Young
Warm Temps Are Bad for Oregon’s Snowpack
An Increasingly Rare Type of Solar Farm Goes Online in California
Hawaii Utility Seeks End to Popular Rooftop Solar Incentive; Does It Signal Industry’s Future?
Wave Power Could Supply Half the U-S with Cheap Electricity – Here’s Why It Doesn’t
Oregon: Distributed Generation Whiz Joins Energy Trust Board
The Light Bulb Freedom Movement Comes to Olympia
Xcel’s Proposed Rate Hike Would Cost Colorado Customers $1.57 a Month “…forecasting more power sales than…predicted. A surge in marijuana cultivation is one of the reasons…sales are rising…”
Sick Kids Should Only Get Medical Marijuana When Other Treatments Fail, Pediatrics Group Says
Social Media, App Sites Take Hard Line against Cannabis Businesses
In Contrast to California, Washington State Eyes Tougher, More Expensive Cap-and-Trade Program
Cities May Be Leaking More Heat-Trapping Methane than Previously Thought
Human Composting Possible Option as Kelowna Cemetery Fills Up
Idaho Waiting on Court before Making $3 Million in Broadband Payments
The Switchboard: Are These the Next Four Google Fiber Cities?
Comcast Ghost-Wrote Politicians’ Letters Supporting Time-Warner Deal – Including One from Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown
Business Shift to Cloud Services Hits Traditional Microsoft Cash Cows
Cable Industry Asks FCC to Continue Using Outdated “Broadband” Definition
Sling TV Could Be Cable-Cutter’s Dream
Facebook Blames Internal Glitch for Hour-Long Global Outage
Twitter Introduces Group Direct Messages & Native Video Sharing
Five Big New Trends That Marketers Need to Know Before Sunday’s Game
Tips & Tricks for Taking the Best Cat Photos
Pilot Presumed Dead after Small Plane Crashes into Hood Canal near Seabeck
Oregon, Washington State Propose $12 State Minimum Wages
Washington State Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Abolish Death Penalty
Bye, Bye Low Gas Prices? Union Signals U-S Refinery Workers May Have to Go on Strike

WORD OF THE DAY

Force majeure • \force MA-zhoor\ • noun – 1: superior or irresistible force 2: an event or effect that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled -- compare ACT OF GOD

“God should have been keeping a closer eye on the maintenance of our Cheetos corn slurry pipeline, following a disastrous explosion that coated the nearby town with orange, tasty dust. Therefore we believe our production problems are a force majeure,” exclaimed the Frito Lay spokesman. “How could we have foreseen that the lack of maintenance could cause leaks? God is omnipotent, and we’re not. We can’t keep an eye on the price on the snack bag and the safety of our extruding pipelines at once,” the spokesman breathlessly intoned.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Nantucket without Power as Outages Hit Massachusetts (Boston Globe, MA)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/01/27/thousands-lose-power-storym/awXQFhWumraJI78tAJnEeN/story.html

Richland Eyes Electric Rate Increase (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2015/01/26/3379397_richland-eyes-electric-rate-increase.html?rh=1

Oregon Department of Energy Announces Meeting on Jordan Cove Power Plant (Coos Bay World, OR)

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/oregon-department-of-energy-announces-meeting-on-jordan-cove-power/article_8587130c-be82-5f51-bf59-69c415b0f738.html

Bonneville Power Administration Hosts Nation’s Largest Regional Science Bowl (PDF File – Bonneville Power Administration)

http://www.bpa.gov/news/newsroom/releases/Documents/20150126-PR-01-15-BPA-hosts-nations-largest-regional-science-bowl.pdf

The Clean Power Plan’s Dirty Secret – Obama plans to put the bungling EPA in charge of the nation’s electricity (U-S News & World Report)

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2015/01/26/obamas-epa-clean-power-plan-has-a-dirty-secret?int=98f508

Minnesota: Three Hydro Projects Competing to Install in Minneapolis (Utility Dive)

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/3-hydro-projects-competing-to-install-in-minneapolis/357018/

Engaging Co-op Members in Challenging Times (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/editors-pick/engaging-members-in-challenging-times/77329

FISH & WILDLIFE

Upper Columbia Tribes Seek To Restore River’s Salmon Runs (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jan/27/upper-columbia-tribes-seek-to-restore-rivers/

Montana: Bull Trout Redd Counts Bring No Surprises for Biologists (Big Fork Eagle, MT)

http://www.flatheadnewsgroup.com/bigforkeagle/bull-trout-redd-counts-bring-no-surprises-for-biologists/article_59c824ae-a192-11e4-a9bb-975768e933f0.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Yakima Basin Short on Snow, But Season Is Still Young (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/latestlocalnews/2862281-8/yakima-basin-short-on-snow-but-season-is

Warm Temps Are Bad for Oregon’s Snowpack (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://www.opb.org/news/article/warm-temps-are-bad-for-oregons-snowpack/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

An Increasingly Rare Type of Solar Farm Goes Online in California (GigaOM)

https://gigaom.com/2015/01/26/an-increasingly-rare-type-of-solar-farm-goes-online-in-california/

Hawaii Utility Seeks End to Popular Rooftop Solar Incentive; Does It Signal Industry’s Future? (E&E Publishing)

http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060012232

Wave Power Could Supply Half the U-S with Cheap Electricity – Here’s Why It Doesn’t (Yahoo! News)

http://news.yahoo.com/wave-power-could-supply-half-u-cheap-electricity-233654273.html

Oregon: Distributed Generation Whiz Joins Energy Trust Board (Portland Business Journal, OR)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2015/01/distributed-generation-whiz-joins-energy-trust.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

The Light Bulb Freedom Movement Comes to Olympia (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/politicsnorthwest/2015/01/26/the-light-bulb-freedom-movement-comes-to-olympia/?syndication=rss

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Xcel’s Proposed Rate Hike Would Cost Colorado Customers $1.57 a Month “…forecasting more power sales than…predicted. A surge in marijuana cultivation is one of the reasons…sales are rising…” (Boulder Daily Camera, CO)

http://www.dailycamera.com/business/ci_27381505/xcel-colorado-customers-could-pay-almost-1-more-month

Sick Kids Should Only Get Medical Marijuana When Other Treatments Fail, Pediatrics Group Says (Associated Press)

http://www.usnews.com/news/science/news/articles/2015/01/26/medical-pot-only-ok-for-sick-kids-failed-by-other-drugs-mds

Social Media, App Sites Take Hard Line against Cannabis Businesses (Marijuana Business Daily)

http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/some-cannabis-companies-blacklisted-from-instagram-app-store/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

In Contrast to California, Washington State Eyes Tougher, More Expensive Cap-and-Trade Program (Washington State Wire, Olympia, WA)

http://washingtonstatewire.com/blog/contrast-california-washington-eyes-tougher-expensive-cap-trade-program/

Cities May Be Leaking More Heat-Trapping Methane than Previously Thought (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Global-Warming/2015/0124/Cities-may-be-leaking-more-heat-trapping-methane-than-previously-thought

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Human Composting Possible Option as Kelowna Cemetery Fills Up (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/human-composting-possible-option-as-kelowna-cemetery-fills-up-1.2919951?cmp=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Idaho Waiting on Court before Making $3 Million in Broadband Payments (Twin Falls Times-News, ID)

http://magicvalley.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/idaho-waiting-on-court-before-making-million-in-broadband-payments/article_7c560d0a-9496-5d95-8321-4edefdd9e627.html

The Switchboard: Are These the Next Four Google Fiber Cities? (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/01/27/the-switchboard-are-these-the-next-four-google-fiber-cities/

Comcast Ghost-Wrote Politicians’ Letters Supporting Time-Warner Deal – Including One from Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2015/01/comcast_ghost-wrote_politician.html

Business Shift to Cloud Services Hits Traditional Microsoft Cash Cows (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2025550639_microsoftearningsxml.html?utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=Newsline&utm_campaign=Newsline

Cable Industry Asks FCC to Continue Using Outdated “Broadband” Definition (Consumerist)

http://consumerist.com/2015/01/26/cable-industry-asks-fcc-to-continue-using-outdated-broadband-definition/

Sling TV Could Be Cable-Cutter’s Dream (National Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/2015/01/26/381529334/sling-tv-could-be-cable-cutters-dream

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook Blames Internal Glitch for Hour-Long Global Outage (Associated Press)

http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/Facebook-suffers-outage-affecting-users-worldwide-6042056.php

Twitter Introduces Group Direct Messages & Native Video Sharing (Mashable)

http://mashable.com/2015/01/27/twitter-group-dm-native-video/

Five Big New Trends That Marketers Need to Know Before Sunday’s Game (AdWeek)

http://www.adweek.com/brandshare/5-big-new-trends-marketers-need-know-sundays-game-162497

Tips & Tricks for Taking the Best Cat Photos (Reviewed.Com)

http://cameras.reviewed.com/features/tips-and-tricks-for-taking-the-best-cat-photos

GENERAL NEWS

Pilot Presumed Dead after Small Plane Crashes into Hood Canal near Seabeck (Associated Press)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Pilot-presumed-dead-after-small-plane-crash-into-Hood-Canal-289921271.html

Oregon, Washington State Propose $12 State Minimum Wages (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwnewsnetwork.org/post/oregon-washington-propose-12-state-minimum-wages

Washington State Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Abolish Death Penalty (Associated Press)

http://www.katu.com/politics/Wash-lawmakers-introduce-bill-to-abolish-death-penalty--289869781.html

Bye, Bye Low Gas Prices? Union Signals U-S Refinery Workers May Have to Go on Strike (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/27/us-refinery-labor-talks-idUSKBN0L006Y20150127

DIVERSIONS

The Science behind Brain Farts

http://mashable.com/2015/01/27/brain-fart-science/

You’re Going to Have to Spare More than a Square: Toilet Paper is Shrinking

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/01/26/youre-going-to-have-to-spare-more-than-a-square-toilet-paper-is-shrinking/

San Francisco Zoo Offers Spurned Lovers Cockroach, Scorpion Adoptions

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/27/us-usa-california-zoo-idUSKBN0L004E20150127

Blizzard 2015: Yeti Seen Prowling the Streets near Boston

http://abcnews.go.com/US/blizzard-2015-yeti-prowling-streets-boston/story?id=28507215

SONG OF THE DAY

J Geils Band - Love Stinks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyP-7ulafFQ

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

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Energy News Digest for January 27, 2015

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