The Energy News Digest: 02/06/15

Employees Sue Seattle Public Utilities
New U-S Senate Chairman Vows Push on Nuke Waste, Yucca
California: Not All Democrats Oppose Fracking
Potential to Expand Hydropower in Maine Dries Up
Op/ED: Whither Power Markets? FERC’s Moment of Truth
U-S Army Corps of Engineers Set to Release Final Cormorant Kill Plan
Shellfish Growers Support Effort to Reduce ‘Bad Oyster’ Illness
California: Drought? That Was So January – Here Comes the February Flood
Views of ‘Waters of the US’ Rule Are Mixed at U-S House-Senate Hearing – Committee Leaders Call for Withdrawal
Utility Business Not as Usual
Your Home is Full of Devices That Never Turn Off – They’re Costing You a Lot of Money
Over 100 Tribes Exploring Marijuana Business Opportunities
Inslee’s Climate Plan Would Cost Jobs, Business-Backed Study Says
Idaho Officials Protest Carbon Reduction Plan
Do Electric Cars Still Need Support from Taxpayers?
Editorial: The Right Path Forward for the Internet is Public Utility Classification
Everything You Need to Know about Net Neutrality Now, In Plain English
Lawmakers Leery of Otter Admin’s Answers on Idaho Education Network
Verizon Selling $10 Billion Worth of Lines to Frontier
Google Is Serious about Taking on Telecom. Here’s Why It’ll Win
CenturyLink Works to Prevent another 911 Outage
Twitter Promises Return to User Growth
Report: Twitter CEO Says ‘We Suck’ at Policing Trolls
Oregon Attorney General Calls Allegations against John Kitzhaber, Cylvia Hayes ‘Very Serious & Troubling’
The Politically Toxic Relationship between Oregon’s Governor & His Fiancée
Pineapple Express Promises Stormy Weekend
Mild, Wet Weather Raises Landslide Danger in Western Washington State
Video: 1980’s Computers Plague Government Agencies
This Is a Great Jobs Report across the Board
So Long: Radio Shack Officially Goes Bankrupt

WORD OF THE DAY

Tussle • \TUSS-ull\ • Noun - 1: a physical contest or struggle: scuffle 2: an intense argument, controversy, or struggle

“Don’t go in there!” shouted the disheveled employee stumbling from the boardroom into a growing crowd of curious, yet strangely calm cubicle-dwellers. “A tussle over the last maple bar went horribly wrong…and the CEO did not come out the winner.”

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Employees Sue Seattle Public Utilities – “…disciplined, terminated or threatened…for making adjustments to family, friends or personal accounts…” (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/seattle/2015/02/05/employees-sue-seattle-public-utilities/22953725/

New U-S Senate Chairman Vows Push on Nuke Waste, Yucca (Las Vega Review-Journal, NV)

http://www.reviewjournal.com/politics/government/new-senate-chairman-vows-push-nuke-waste-yucca

California: Not All Democrats Oppose Fracking – California governor, once environmental hero, harshly criticized for refusing to ban fracking (Associated Press)

http://www.usnews.com/news/science/news/articles/2015/02/06/fracking-puts-california-governor-environmentalists-at-odds

Potential to Expand Hydropower in Maine Dries Up (Portland Press-Herald, ME)

http://www.pressherald.com/2015/02/06/potential-to-expand-hydropower-in-maine-dries-up/

Op/ED: Whither Power Markets? FERC’s Moment of Truth (Forbes Magazine)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2015/02/05/whither-power-markets-fercs-moment-of-truth/?ss=energy

FISH & WILDLIFE

U-S Army Corps of Engineers Set to Release Final Cormorant Kill Plan (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/02/army_corps_of_engineers_set_to.html

Shellfish Growers Support Effort to Reduce ‘Bad Oyster’ Illness (Skagit Valley Herald, Mt Vernon, WA)

http://www.goskagit.com/all_access/shellfish-growers-support-effort-to-reduce-bad-oyster-illness/article_59a8fbcd-e929-5797-af3c-1f91bfcd94bb.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

California: Drought? That Was So January – Here Comes the February Flood (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_27469551/drought-that-was-january-here-comes-february-flood

Views of ‘Waters of the US’ Rule Are Mixed at U-S House-Senate Hearing – Committee Leaders Call for Withdrawal (American Public Power Association)

http://www.publicpower.org/Media/daily/ArticleDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=43115

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Utility Business Not as Usual (Breaking Energy – New word “prosumers”)

http://breakingenergy.com/2015/02/05/utility-business-not-as-usual/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Your Home is Full of Devices That Never Turn Off – They’re Costing You a Lot of Money (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/02/06/your-home-is-full-of-devices-that-never-turn-off-and-theyre-costing-you-a-lot-of-money/

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Over 100 Tribes Exploring Marijuana Business Opportunities (Marijuana Business Daily)

http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/over-100-tribes-exploring-marijuana-business-opportunities/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Inslee’s Climate Plan Would Cost Jobs, Business-Backed Study Says (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2025633805_capandtradestudyxml.html?syndication=rss

Idaho Officials Protest Carbon Reduction Plan “…hydroelectric generating capacity isn’t being treated as renewable energy, & the state is getting little credit for its large wind turbine capacity…” (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/02/06/3631135_idaho-officials-protest-carbon.html?rh=1

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Do Electric Cars Still Need Support from Taxpayers? (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwnewsnetwork.org/post/do-electric-cars-still-need-support-taxpayers

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Editorial: The Right Path Forward for the Internet is Public Utility Classification (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

http://seattletimes.com/html/editorials/2025624242_netneutralityfcctomwheelertitleiicommoncarrieredit4xml.html

Everything You Need to Know about Net Neutrality Now, In Plain English (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/02/05/everything-you-need-to-know-about-net-neutrality-now-in-plain-english/

Lawmakers Leery of Otter Admin’s Answers on Idaho Education Network (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/feb/05/lawmakers-leery-otter-admins-answers-idaho-educati/

Verizon Selling $10 Billion Worth of Lines to Frontier (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/05/verizon-sale-10-billion-landline-frontier/22945253/

Google Is Serious about Taking on Telecom. Here’s Why It’ll Win (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/02/06/google-is-serious-about-taking-on-telecom-heres-why-itll-win/

CenturyLink Works to Prevent another 911 Outage (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA)

http://union-bulletin.com/news/2015/feb/05/centurylink-works-prevent-another-911-outage/

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter Promises Return to User Growth (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/05/twitter-earnings/22933407/

Report: Twitter CEO Says ‘We Suck’ at Policing Trolls (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Report-Twitter-CEO-says-we-suck-at-policing-6065394.php

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Oregon Attorney General Calls Allegations against John Kitzhaber, Cylvia Hayes ‘Very Serious & Troubling’ (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/mapes/index.ssf/2015/02/attorney_general_ellen_rosenbl_1.html

The Politically Toxic Relationship between Oregon’s Governor & His Fiancée (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/02/06/wonkbook-the-politically-toxic-relationship-between-oregons-governor-and-his-fiancee/

GENERAL NEWS

Pineapple Express Promises Stormy Weekend (KOIN-TV, Portland, OR)

http://koin.com/2015/02/05/stormy-weekend-ahead/

Mild, Wet Weather Raises Landslide Danger in Western Washington State (Associated Press)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Mild-wet-weather-raises-landslide-danger-in-Western-Wash-291053601.html

Video: 1980’s Computers Plague Government Agencies (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/2015/02/06/old-computers-state-government-agencies/22953063/

This Is a Great Jobs Report across the Board (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/07/upshot/this-is-a-great-jobs-report-across-the-board.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&abt=0002&abg=1

So Long: Radio Shack Officially Goes Bankrupt “…like a rotting corpse being pulled apart by zombie corporations…” (Gizmodo)

http://gizmodo.com/so-long-radioshack-officially-goes-bankrupt-1683952033

DIVERSIONS

Man Loses Hat in Fourth Owl Attack at Oregon Park

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/02/06/man-loses-hat-in-fourth-owl-attack/22973227/

Missouri Parents Say They Staged 6-Year-Old’s Kidnapping to Teach Him a Lesson

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/02/06/missouri-parents-say-they-staged-6-year-olds-kidnapping-to-teach-him-a-lesson

Want a Short-Sleeve Dress Shirt Covered in Poo Emojis? Of Course You Do

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/want-short-sleeve-dress-shirt-covered-poo-emojis-course-you-do-162794

Target Workers Caught on Camera… Helping Teen Job Interviewee Tie His Tie

http://consumerist.com/2015/02/06/target-workers-caught-on-camera-helping-teen-job-interviewee-tie-his-tie/

SONG OF THE DAY

Little River Band – The Night Owls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5R40czQ-rI

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

Friday, February 6, 2015

Energy News Digest for February 6, 2015

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