The Energy News Digest: 03/24/15

Seattle City Light’s Ethics Fight with Union Heats Up as Whistleblower Left Cold
Snohomish County PUD Rates to Increase in April
Phone Scam Warning Signs
Corps Delays Toutle River Sediment Study Due to Endangered Salmon
Idaho May Serve as a ‘Noah’s Ark’ for Trout
Homeowners’ Payments at Stake in Olympia Solar Debate
Oregon DOJ Launches Investigations of Tax Credits for University Solar Projects
Leased Solar Panels Can Complicate – Or Kill – A Home Sale
California: Alameda County Supervisors to Hear Appeal on Controversial Altamont Wind Turbines
California First State to Generate More Than 5% of Electricity from Utility-Scale Solar
Kansas Utility Targets Solar Customers for Higher Rate
Kansas Lawmakers Debate Axing Wind Energy Tax Exemptions to Fill Budget Hole
LED Streetlights in Brooklyn Are Saving Energy but Exhausting Residents
Solar Water Heaters
Rivers’ Bill on Washington State Medical Marijuana Draws Heat
Three Things to Understand about the Grow-Your-Own Marijuana Bill in Washington State
Truckers, Fuel Manufacturers Sue to Stop Oregon’s Clean Fuels Law
How the California Drought Became Ammunition in Climate Policy Debate
Amazon Forest Becoming Less of a Climate Change Safety Net
Will the Supreme Court Strike Down Obama’s Green Legacy?
Sabey Breaks Ground on New Quincy Data Center Building
Oregon Lawmakers Scramble to Fix Google Fiber Tax Law
Latest Click! Cable Contracts Show More Big Increases in Broadcaster Fees
FCC Sued by Broadband Companies over Net Neutrality Rules
Tennessee Sues FCC for Dismantling Its Muni-Broadband Ban
Did the National Broadband Plan Spur Innovation?
This Should Go Well – Comcast to Take More Complaints via Facebook & Twitter
Twitch Warns Users of Possible Data Breach
The Network Effect at the Center of the Twitter Gender Discrimination Lawsuit
NFL Suspending TV Blackout Rule for 2015 Season
Duke Energy Mounts New Advertising Campaign
FBI Sought Troy Kelley Records from Washington State Public Disclosure Commission
Mystery Figure in Scandal Has Long Ties to Washington State Auditor
Shelton Woman Dies in Crash on John’s Prairie Road
Swanson Group Purchases Olympic Panel Products – To Relocate Assets to Oregon
It’s the End of the Line for Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad
Snow in Mountains May Give Brief Hope to Skiers
As Silence Falls on Chicago Trading Pits, a Working-Class Portal Also Closes

WORD OF THE DAY

Bowdlerize • \BOWD-ler-ize\ • Verb – 1: to expurgate by omitting or modifying parts considered vulgar *2: to modify by abridging, simplifying, or distorting in style or content

“Call it ‘editing for clarity’ or protecting young minds from overexposure to egg references,” grumbled Winston Smith. “Bowdlerizing ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ will not protect anyone from egg-related cholesterol ingestion!”

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Seattle City Light’s Ethics Fight with Union Heats Up as Whistleblower Left Cold (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Seattle-City-Light-s-ethics-fight-with-union-6151940.php

Snohomish County PUD Rates to Increase in April (My Edmonds News, WA)

http://myedmondsnews.com/2015/03/snohomish-county-pud-rates-to-increase-in-april/

Phone Scam Warning Signs (KNDO/KNDU-TV, Tri Cities, WA)

http://www.nbcrightnow.com/story/28595714/phone-scam-warning-signs

FISH & WILDLIFE

Corps Delays Toutle River Sediment Study Due to Endangered Salmon (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/corps-delays-toutle-river-sediment-study-due-to-endangered-salmon/article_586c5ca4-d0ec-11e4-a6f2-7744bc2f1414.html

Idaho May Serve as a ‘Noah’s Ark’ for Trout (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/03/21/3710028_idaho-may-serve-asnoahs-arkfor.html?rh=1

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Homeowners’ Payments at Stake in Olympia Solar Debate (Investigate West)

http://www.invw.org/article/solar-payments-at-stake-1512

Oregon DOJ Launches Investigations of Tax Credits for University Solar Projects (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/03/department_of_justice_launches.html

Leased Solar Panels Can Complicate – Or Kill – A Home Sale (Los Angeles Times, CA)

http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-harney-20150322-story.html

California: Alameda County Supervisors to Hear Appeal on Controversial Altamont Wind Turbines (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/green-energy/ci_27766851/alameda-county-supervisors-hear-appeal-controversial-altamont-wind

California First State to Generate More Than 5% of Electricity from Utility-Scale Solar (U-S Energy Information Administration)

http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=20492

Kansas Utility Targets Solar Customers for Higher Rate (Midwest Energy News)

http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2015/03/24/kansas-utility-targets-solar-customers-for-higher-rate/

Kansas Lawmakers Debate Axing Wind Energy Tax Exemptions to Fill Budget Hole (Utility Dive)

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/kansas-lawmakers-debate-axing-wind-energy-tax-exemptions-to-fill-budget-hol/378567/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

LED Streetlights in Brooklyn Are Saving Energy but Exhausting Residents (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/24/nyregion/new-led-streetlights-shine-too-brightly-for-some-in-brooklyn.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Solar Water Heaters (Breaking Energy)

http://breakingenergy.com/2015/03/20/solar-water-heaters/

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Rivers’ Bill on Washington State Medical Marijuana Draws Heat (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2015/mar/23/sen-ann-rivers-bill-medical-marijuana-draws-heat/

Three Things to Understand about the Grow-Your-Own Marijuana Bill in Washington State (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/2015/03/23/3-things-to-understand-about-the-grow-your-own-marijuana-bill-in-washington/#31507101=0

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Truckers, Fuel Manufacturers Sue to Stop Oregon’s Clean Fuels Law (Portland Business Journal, OR)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2015/03/truckers-fuel-manufacturers-sue-to-stop-oregons.html

How the California Drought Became Ammunition in Climate Policy Debate (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/0323/How-California-drought-became-ammunition-in-climate-policy-debate-video

Amazon Forest Becoming Less of a Climate Change Safety Net (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/24/science/earth/amazon-forest-becoming-less-of-a-climate-change-safety-net.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Will the Supreme Court Strike Down Obama’s Green Legacy? (National Journal)

http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/will-the-supreme-court-strike-down-obama-s-green-legacy-20150323

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Sabey Breaks Ground on New Quincy Data Center Building (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/business/sabey-breaks-ground-on-new-data-center-building/article_a6ee892c-d1b1-11e4-829c-fb2762b15b44.html

Oregon Lawmakers Scramble to Fix Google Fiber Tax Law (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2015/03/oregon_lawmakers_scramble_to_f.html

Latest Click! Cable Contracts Show More Big Increases in Broadcaster Fees (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA - Paywall Advisory)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/03/22/3701349_latest-click-cable-contracts-show.html?rh=1

FCC Sued by Broadband Companies over Net Neutrality Rules (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/24/us-usa-internet-neutrality-idUSKBN0MJ2DP20150324

Tennessee Sues FCC for Dismantling Its Muni-Broadband Ban (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Tennessee-Sues-FCC-For-Dismantling-Its-MuniBroadband-Ban-133085

Did the National Broadband Plan Spur Innovation? (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2015/03/23/did-the-national-broadband-plan-spur-innovation/?wprss=rss_technology

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

This Should Go Well – Comcast to Take More Complaints via Facebook & Twitter (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://q13fox.com/2015/03/23/comcast-to-take-more-complaints-via-facebook-and-twitter/

Twitch Warns Users of Possible Data Breach (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2015/03/24/twitch-warning-breach/70366310/

The Network Effect at the Center of the Twitter Gender Discrimination Lawsuit (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/03/23/the-network-effect-at-the-center-of-the-twitter-gender-discrimination-lawsuit/?wprss=rss_technology

NFL Suspending TV Blackout Rule for 2015 Season (Consumerist)

http://consumerist.com/2015/03/23/nfl-suspending-tv-blackout-rule-for-2015-season/

Duke Energy Mounts New Advertising Campaign (Charlotte Business Journal, NC)

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/energy/2015/03/duke-energy-mounts-new-advertising-campaign.html

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

FBI Sought Troy Kelley Records from Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwnewsnetwork.org/post/fbi-sought-troy-kelley-records-public-disclosure-commission

Mystery Figure in Scandal Has Long Ties to Washington State Auditor (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Figure-in-budding-scandal-has-long-ties-to-state-auditor-297378301.html

GENERAL NEWS

Shelton Woman Dies in Crash on John’s Prairie Road (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/14851

Swanson Group Purchases Olympic Panel Products – To Relocate Assets to Oregon (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://kmasnewsradio.com/news/local-state-news/22009-swanson-group-purchases-olympic-panel-products

It’s the End of the Line for Weyerhaeuser Woods Railroad (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/it-s-the-end-of-the-line-for-weyerhaeuser-woods/article_df243936-d1d4-11e4-b995-4b17113ec02a.html

Snow in Mountains May Give Brief Hope to Skiers (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/snow-pass-may-give-brief-hope-skiers/nkdRL/

As Silence Falls on Chicago Trading Pits, a Working-Class Portal Also Closes (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/25/business/dealbook/as-silence-falls-on-chicago-trading-pits-a-working-class-portal-also-closes.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

DIVERSIONS

Feces Contains Gold Worth Millions

http://news.yahoo.com/feces-contains-gold-worth-millions-224632128.html

Truck Carrying 30,000 Pounds of Lobsters Overturns – All Survive to Become Dinner

http://consumerist.com/2015/03/19/truck-carrying-30000-pounds-of-lobsters-overturns-all-survive-to-become-dinner/

Washington State Girl Completes 600 Random Acts of Kindness

http://www.kgw.com/story/news/local/outreach/making-a-difference/2015/03/23/wash-girl-completes-600-random-acts-of-kindness/70357902/

Suspect in Maine Burglary Posts Online That He’s Hiding in Cabinet; Police Find Him in Same Cabinet

http://www.usnews.com/news/offbeat/articles/2015/03/24/maine-police-track-suspect-through-social-media-messages

SONG OF THE DAY

John Stewart – Gold

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-SjdN6kuew

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, March 24, 2015

Energy News Digest for March 24, 2015

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