Friday, October 23, 2015

Energy News Digest for October 23, 2015

After communing with communicators this week, its back to the grind for the Energy News Digest

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for October 23, 2015

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Final Clean Power Plan Rule Published; 24 States Sue EPA (Utility Dive)

The Electricity Innovation So Controversial That It’s Now before the Supreme Court (Washington Post)

Cowlitz PUD Community Solar Buy-In Starts (Longview Daily News, WA)

Seattle City Light Plans Utility Meter Upgrade, But Safety Concerns Raised (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

The Atmospheric Rain Switch Is About to Be Flipped (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • The Electricity Innovation So Controversial That It’s Now before the Supreme Court
  • Seattle City Light Plans Utility Meter Upgrade, But Safety Concerns Raised
  • Oregon: Will Millersburg Electric Utility Vote Mean Power to the People?
  • Wahkiakum PUD to Hike All Rates by 5 Percent
  • Little Used Montana Natural Gas Plant Being Dismantled
  • Critically Injured Priest Rapids Dam Employee Improves
  • Oregon: Columbia River PUD Manager Retires
  • Bear Cub's Risky Walk through Washington State Power Substation
  • Oregon: Central Lincoln PUD Celebrates with Contest, Food Drive
  • BC Hydro to Partner with Clean-Energy Industry to Find New Projects
  • California Utility Gets $400 Million Settlement Tied to Closed Nuclear Power Plant
  • Columbia River: Sea Lions Step Up Endangered Salmon Feast
  • Alaska’s 2015 Commercial Salmon Harvest Second Largest on Record: 263.5 Million Fish
  • Biologists Use Drone to Study Health of Pacific Northwest Orcas
  • Bonneville Power Administration Improves Hundreds of Acres of Habitat on Sauvie Island
  • Company Aims to Sell Groundwater from Mojave Desert
  • Cowlitz PUD Community Solar Buy-In Starts
  • California Solar Advocates Fight Proposed Utility Changes
  • California: Solar Panels Get Cool Reception from Homeowners Associations
  • Remote Alaskan Villages Move from Diesel to Wind Power
  • Wind Industry Installed over 1,600 MW of Capacity in Q3 2015
  • Washington Ranks 8th for Energy Efficiency in 2015 Scorecard Report
  • Oregon Businesses Switch to LED Lighting at a Record Pace
  • Everett Begins Replacing Street Lights with LEDs
  • Seattle City Light Proposes Higher Energy Savings Goal
  • Jennifer Light Will Lead Pacific Northwest Regional Technical Forum
  • Final Clean Power Plan Rule Published; 24 States Sue EPA
  • Groups Plan Ballot Initiatives to Battle Climate Change in Washington and Oregon
  • Point: State Senator Tim Sheldon – Opposing Inslee’s Climate Proposals is a Bipartisan Affair
  • Counterpoint: State Representative Joe Fitzgibbon – Tackling Climate Change Is a Moral & Economic Imperative
  • Climate Scientists Say 2015 on Track to be Warmest Year on Record
  • Climate Change (Rising Sea Levels) Could Be Bad News for Lower Columbia Restoration
  • FCC Offers Eye-Popping Initial Bids for Pacific Northwest TV Airwaves
  • CenturyLink Penalized for San Juan Islands Outage
  • Dig Once: This Simple Idea Could Make Internet Cheaper & Faster & It’s Gaining Steam on Capitol Hill
  • Co-Ops Tackle Broadband, Overcome State Network Restrictions
  • Huge Hack Hits 4 Million British Broadband Customers
  • Trillions of Facebook Posts Added to Search Results
  • ESPN is Cutting About 4 Percent of Staff
  • YouTube Hides Most ESPN Content – Network Failed To Negotiate Paid Subscription Service Deal
  • Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
  • Email Scandal Uncovered a Culture of 'Delete, Delete, Delete' in British Columbia Government
  • Washington State’s 19th Legislative District Appoints JD Rossetti to Fill Takko’s Seat
  • Mexico Braces for Strongest Hurricane Recorded in Western Hemisphere
  • The Atmospheric Rain Switch Is About to Be Flipped
  • Latest El Nino Forecast Provides Warm Winter Outlook for Pacific Northwest
  • Cleared for takeoff: Sea-Tac flights to Moses Lake, Port Angeles
  • Every Big Oregon Coast Earthquake Since 7845 B.C., Charted. Hint: We're Due
  • Shelton to Conduct Hazardous Waste Study of Landfill
  • KMAS Uses New Frequency to Reach North Mason County
WORD OF THE DAY

Bohemian • \bo-HEE-mee-un\ • Noun – 1a: a native or inhabitant of Bohemia b: the group of Czech dialects used in Bohemia 2a: vagabond, wanderer; especially: gypsy b: a person (as a writer or an artist) living an unconventional life usually in a colony with others.

Barnabas thought he was living life to the Bohemian fullest: rooming with four guys; drinking Jagermeister each night with wild abandon; blogging incoherently about anything and everything that popped into his febrile mind; rolling out of bed, bleary-eyed the following morning to raise the dough for rent ant Top Ramen. His distraught mother put his it more succinctly: “My son? He’s living like a bum.”

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

The Electricity Innovation So Controversial That It’s Now before the Supreme Court (Washington Post)

Seattle City Light Plans Utility Meter Upgrade, But Safety Concerns Raised (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

Oregon: Will Millersburg Electric Utility Vote Mean Power to the People? (Albany Herald Democrat, OR)

Wahkiakum PUD to Hike All Rates by 5 Percent (Wahkiakum Eagle, WA)

Little Used Montana Natural Gas Plant Being Dismantled (Associated Press)

Critically Injured Priest Rapids Dam Employee Improves (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Oregon: Columbia River PUD Manager Retires (St Helens Chronicle OR)

Bear Cub's Risky Walk through Washington State Power Substation (WMAZ-TV, Macon, GA)

Oregon: Central Lincoln PUD Celebrates with Contest, Food Drive (Umpquah Post, OR)

BC Hydro to Partner with Clean-Energy Industry to Find New Projects (Globe & Mail, Canada)

California Utility Gets $400 Million Settlement Tied to Closed Nuclear Power Plant (Associated Press)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Columbia River: Sea Lions Step Up Endangered Salmon Feast (Electric Co-Op Today)

Alaska’s 2015 Commercial Salmon Harvest Second Largest on Record: 263.5 Million Fish (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Biologists Use Drone to Study Health of Pacific Northwest Orcas (Associated Press)

Bonneville Power Administration Improves Hundreds of Acres of Habitat on Sauvie Island (Bonneville Power Administration)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Company Aims to Sell Groundwater from Mojave Desert (Desert Sun, Palm Desert, CA)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Cowlitz PUD Community Solar Buy-In Starts (Longview Daily News, WA)

California Solar Advocates Fight Proposed Utility Changes (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

California: Solar Panels Get Cool Reception from Homeowners Associations (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

Remote Alaskan Villages Move from Diesel to Wind Power (Grist Online)

Wind Industry Installed over 1,600 MW of Capacity in Q3 2015 (Utility Dive)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Washington Ranks 8th for Energy Efficiency in 2015 Scorecard Report (Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA)

Oregon Businesses Switch to LED Lighting at a Record Pace (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Everett Begins Replacing Street Lights with LEDs (Everett Herald, WA)

Seattle City Light Proposes Higher Energy Savings Goal (American Public Power Association)

Jennifer Light Will Lead Pacific Northwest Regional Technical Forum (Northwest Power & Conservation Council)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Final Clean Power Plan Rule Published; 24 States Sue EPA (Utility Dive)

Groups Plan Ballot Initiatives to Battle Climate Change in Washington and Oregon (EcoWatch)

Point: State Senator Tim Sheldon – Opposing Inslee’s Climate Proposals is a Bipartisan Affair (Crosscut Seattle)

Counterpoint: State Representative Joe Fitzgibbon – Tackling Climate Change Is a Moral & Economic Imperative (Crosscut Seattle)

Climate Scientists Say 2015 on Track to be Warmest Year on Record (The Guardian, UK)
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/21/climate-scientists-say-2015-on-track-to-be-warmest-year-on-record


Climate Change (Rising Sea Levels) Could Be Bad News for Lower Columbia Restoration (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC Offers Eye-Popping Initial Bids for Pacific Northwest TV Airwaves (Northwest Public Radio)

CenturyLink Penalized for San Juan Islands Outage (Associated Press)

Dig Once: This Simple Idea Could Make Internet Cheaper & Faster & It’s Gaining Steam on Capitol Hill (Washington Post)

Co-Ops Tackle Broadband, Overcome State Network Restrictions (The Daily Yonder)

Huge Hack Hits 4 Million British Broadband Customers (Gizmodo)

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Trillions of Facebook Posts Added to Search Results (British Broadcasting Corporation)

ESPN is Cutting About 4 Percent of Staff (Associated Press)

YouTube Hides Most ESPN Content – Network Failed To Negotiate Paid Subscription Service Deal (Consumerist)

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds (Consumerist)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Email Scandal Uncovered a Culture of 'Delete, Delete, Delete' in British Columbia Government (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

Washington State’s 19th Legislative District Appoints JD Rossetti to Fill Takko’s Seat (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Mexico Braces for Strongest Hurricane Recorded in Western Hemisphere (Associated Press)

The Atmospheric Rain Switch Is About to Be Flipped (Cliff Mass Weather Blog)

Latest El Nino Forecast Provides Warm Winter Outlook for Pacific Northwest (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Cleared for takeoff: Sea-Tac flights to Moses Lake, Port Angeles (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

Every Big Oregon Coast Earthquake Since 7845 B.C., Charted. Hint: We're Due (Oregonian, Portland)

Shelton to Conduct Hazardous Waste Study of Landfill (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

KMAS Uses New Frequency to Reach North Mason County (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Watch These Parachuting Beavers Spread Across Idaho

Montana Cops Can't Shake Off Specter of Paranormal

Manchester United Footballer Suing Toymakers for Making Lookalike Nazi Doll with His Name

Friendly Wager Leads to 41 Tons of Potatoes for Food Banks

SONG OF THE DAY

Jimmy Buffet – The Weather is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful

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.