Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Energy News Digest for January 13, 2016

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for January 13, 2016

Flood Warning for Skokomish River

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Quincy Named Country’s Top Data Center Location (PR Newswire)

Starvation Suspected in Massive Die-Off of Alaska Seabirds (Associated Press)

Klamath Falls: Renewed Fight over Bid Oregon Town’s Bid for Public Power Brewing (Utility Dive)

Port Townsend Paper Mill Already Below Carbon Cap Proposed by State (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Mason County: Growth Industry – Suspended On Leading Edge of Pot Business (Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Klamath Falls: Renewed Fight over Bid Oregon Town’s Bid for Public Power Brewing
  • Grant PUD General Manager Announces He’s Stepping Down
  • Cowlitz PUD Commissioners Vote to Hire Steve Kern as New General Manager
  • Oregon LNG Withdraws Lawsuit against U-S Army Corps of Engineers
  • BC Hydro Boss Apologizes for Inaccurate Testimony – Utility misled oversight agency about IT project
  • Small Modular Reactor Startup with Molten Salt Nuclear Design Wins $8 Million in Funding
  • Puerto Rico Utility’s Debt Plan Not a Sure Thing, House Is Told
  • How a New Business Model Could Get the Puerto Rico Public Utility Out of Debt
  • Vermont Regulators Approve New Line to Bring Canadian Renewables to New England
  • Phillip Moeller, FERC Regulator Becomes Electric Utility Lobbyist
  • Starvation Suspected in Massive Die-Off of Alaska Seabirds
  • Washington State Considering End to Hatchery Steelhead on Rivers West of Longview
  • Pacific Shellfish Set for Price Hike as Ocean Acidity Keeps Rising
  • Columbia River Water Plan Unlikely to Pass, Say Locals
  • Victoria B-C Sewer: Revisit Building Sewage Plant in Esquimalt, Oak Bay Mayor Urges
  • Propelling a New Profitability Model for Hydro Generation
  • Rents Due Ranch Goes Solar
  • British Columbia: Peace River Regional District Mulls New Zoning Rules for Wind Farms
  • Oregon: Bend Ranks Eleventh So Far in Energy Competition
  • Did MIT Just Save the Incandescent Lightbulb?
  • First Mention: The Arrival of Electric Light
  • Mason County: Growth Industry – Suspended On Leading Edge of Pot Business
  • Tacoma City Council Approves Moratorium for New Pot Stores
  • Washington State Bill Would Exempt Some Legal-Pot Info from Public Disclosure 
  • Port Townsend Paper Mill Already Below Carbon Cap Proposed by State
  • Giant Melting Icebergs Could Be Slowing Climate Change by Absorbing Carbon: Researchers
  • Sidewalk Zamboni: Poopmaster 6000 Clears Downtown Portland Sidewalks of Crow Excrement
  • Quincy Named Country’s Top Data Center Location
  • Washington State to Consider Upping CenturyLink Fine over 911 Outage
  • New Ways to Get Cable without an Ugly Cable Box
  • If You Think Drones Are a Passing Fad, Better Think Again
  • Comcast Appears to Be Injecting Browser Pop-Ups to Upsell Crappy Modem Deals
  • Supporters Must Raise $7 Million to Save KPLU
  • How to Develop a Social Media Reporting System
  • Sen. Sheldon Opposes Mason County Hiring of Lobbying Firm
  • Washington State Governor Inslee Pushes for Education Funding Framework in Speech
  • Obama Touts Clean Energy Growth, Promises Fossil Fuel Extraction Reform in State of the Union
  • Powerball Jackpot Increases to Historic $1.5 Billion
  • Armed Oregon Occupiers to Reveal “Departure” Plans
  • Public Invited to Graduation Matters Shelton Pep Rally
  • Rainier Beer to be Brewed in Washington State Again
  • Founder of Dick’s Drive-In Dies at 92
WORD OF THE DAY

Fictioneer • \fik-shuh-NEER\ • Noun – One who writes fiction especially in quantity & without high standards.

Alejandro bristled at being described as a fictioneer for his huge output of florid romance novels. “I prefer to be called a common hack”. “At least that provides some level of respect for my craft”.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Klamath Falls: Renewed Fight over Bid Oregon Town’s Bid for Public Power Brewing (Utility Dive)

Grant PUD General Manager Announces He’s Stepping Down (iFIBER One News, Ephrata, WA)

Cowlitz PUD Commissioners Vote to Hire Steve Kern as New General Manager (Longview Daily News, WA)

Oregon LNG Withdraws Lawsuit against U-S Army Corps of Engineers (Oregonian, Portland)

BC Hydro Boss Apologizes for Inaccurate Testimony – Utility misled oversight agency about IT project (Vancouver Sun, BC)

Small Modular Reactor Startup with Molten Salt Nuclear Design Wins $8 Million in Funding (Green Tech Media)

Puerto Rico Utility’s Debt Plan Not a Sure Thing, House Is Told (NY Times)

How a New Business Model Could Get the Puerto Rico Public Utility Out of Debt (Utility Dive)

Vermont Regulators Approve New Line to Bring Canadian Renewables to New England (Utility Dive)

Phillip Moeller, FERC Regulator Becomes Electric Utility Lobbyist (Bloomberg News)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Starvation Suspected in Massive Die-Off of Alaska Seabirds (Associated Press)

Washington State Considering End to Hatchery Steelhead on Rivers West of Longview (Longview Daily News, WA)

Pacific Shellfish Set for Price Hike as Ocean Acidity Keeps Rising (Globe & Mail, Canada)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Columbia River Water Plan Unlikely to Pass, Say Locals (Daily Sun News, Sunnyside, WA)

Victoria B-C Sewer: Revisit Building Sewage Plant in Esquimalt, Oak Bay Mayor Urges (Vancouver Sun, BC)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Propelling a New Profitability Model for Hydro Generation (Renewable Energy World)

Rents Due Ranch Goes Solar (Stanwood Camano News, WA)

British Columbia: Peace River Regional District Mulls New Zoning Rules for Wind Farms (Alaska Highway News,

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Oregon: Bend Ranks Eleventh So Far in Energy Competition (Bend Bulletin, OR)

Did MIT Just Save the Incandescent Lightbulb? (Christian Science Monitor)

First Mention: The Arrival of Electric Light (NY Times)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Mason County: Growth Industry – Suspended On Leading Edge of Pot Business (Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, WA)

Tacoma City Council Approves Moratorium for New Pot Stores (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Washington State Bill Would Exempt Some Legal-Pot Info from Public Disclosure (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Port Townsend Paper Mill Already Below Carbon Cap Proposed by State (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Giant Melting Icebergs Could Be Slowing Climate Change by Absorbing Carbon: Researchers (Australia Broadcasting Corporation)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Sidewalk Zamboni: Poopmaster 6000 Clears Downtown Portland Sidewalks of Crow Excrement (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Quincy Named Country’s Top Data Center Location (PR Newswire)

Washington State to Consider Upping CenturyLink Fine over 911 Outage (Associated Press)

New Ways to Get Cable without an Ugly Cable Box (Associated Press)

If You Think Drones Are a Passing Fad, Better Think Again (Associated Press)

MARKETING & MEDIA

Comcast Appears to Be Injecting Browser Pop-Ups to Upsell Crappy Modem Deals (Gizmodo)

Supporters Must Raise $7 Million to Save KPLU (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

How to Develop a Social Media Reporting System (Social Media Examiner)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Sen. Sheldon Opposes Mason County Hiring of Lobbying Firm (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Washington State Governor Inslee Pushes for Education Funding Framework in Speech (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

Obama Touts Clean Energy Growth, Promises Fossil Fuel Extraction Reform in State of the Union (Utility Dive)

GENERAL NEWS

Powerball Jackpot Increases to Historic $1.5 Billion (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Armed Oregon Occupiers to Reveal “Departure” Plans (USA Today)

Public Invited to Graduation Matters Shelton Pep Rally (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Rainier Beer to be Brewed in Washington State Again (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Founder of Dick’s Drive-In Dies at 92 (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Teen Girl Uses ‘Crazy Strength’ to Lift Burning Car Off Dad (USA Today)

Why You Shouldn’t Park Your Car Beside Lake Erie in the Winter

A Fugitive Hated His Mugshot, So He Sent the Police a Selfie Instead

Vinyl Collector Puts Loss in Perspective after Fire near Port Townsend Destroys 25,000 Albums

SONGS OF THE DAY

Don McLean – American Pie

A Final David Bowie Tribute:

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain – Life on Mars

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LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

All the links in today’s news digest lead to current stories. Please note that some media organizations update their websites 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.