Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Energy News Digest for February 3, 2016

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for February 3, 2016

Studying the Heart of El NiƱo, Where Its Weather Begins (NY Times)

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Washington State Lawmakers Asked to Join Call to Return Salmon to Upper Columbia River (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Obama Signs Disaster Declaration for State’s December Storms (KMAS News, Shelton, WA)

Utilities, Environmentalists Join Forces to Push Anti-Coal Plan At Oregon Legislature (Oregonian, Portland)

National Association of Utility Regulatory Commissioners Opposes King-Reid Solar Net Metering Amendment to Federal Energy Bill (Utility Dive)

Environmental Cleanup, Unpaid Bills in Odessa Biofuel Refinery Backers’ Last Venture (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Utilities, Environmentalists Join Forces to Push Anti-Coal Plan At Oregon Legislature
  • Oregon Utilities Continue Push to Back Off Coal & Promote Renewables
  • Spike in Coos-Curry Co-op Power Bills Prompts Complaints
  • Customers Raise Outcry over High Cowlitz PUD Bills
  • Inslee Secures Federal Support for Wenatchee Alcoa Workers; Parlette Lends Praise
  • California: Closing This Nuclear Plant Could Cause an Environmental Disaster
  • Scientists in Germany Switch on Nuclear Fusion Experiment
  • U-S Congress Passes ‘Electrify Africa Act’
  • Washington State Lawmakers Asked to Join Call to Return Salmon to Upper Columbia River
  • Cowlitz River Smelt Appear as Dippers Look Forward to One-Day Season
  • Ship Noise Linked to Orca Decline: Are Some Boats Safer than Others?
  • New York: Power Plant Glitch Kills over a Thousand Fish in the Susquehanna River
  • Is the End in Sight for California’s Drought?
  • National Association of Utility Regulatory Commissioners Opposes King-Reid Solar Net Metering Amendment to Federal Energy Bill
  • Ohio: Renewable Energy Charges to Show Up on AEP Bills
  • Rentricity Starts Work on Micro-Hydro Projects in Colorado, Utah
  • British Columbia: Surrey Approves City-Wide Upgrade to LED Street Lights
  • Researchers Warn Legal Marijuana Could Be Next Big Tobacco
  • Environmental Cleanup, Unpaid Bills in Odessa Biofuel Refinery Backers’ Last Venture
  • Oregon Lawmakers Consider Abandoning Wooden Pallets
  • Corn Ethanol: the Rise & Fall of a Political Force
  • Google to Test Self-Driving Cars in Kirkland
  • The Cloud Wars Are Seriously Heating Up
  • Google Fiber’s Plan to Give Free Internet to the Poor
  • Canada: ACORN Canada Report Shows Internet Costs Are Unaffordable for Low-Income Earners
  • Comcast’s Internet is about to Get A Lot Faster in These 5 Cities
  • Yahoo to Cut 1,700 Workers as CEO Tries to Save Her Own Job
  • The One Chart You Need to See about Google’s Most Ambitious Projects
  • Twitter Launches ‘Engaging’ New Homepage
  • Create an RSS Feed for Any Search Result
  • Washington State Representative Resigns over Exaggerations to Military Service Record
  • Donald Trump Says Ted Cruz Stole Iowa, Wants a New Election Caucus
  • Obama Signs Disaster Declaration for State’s December Storms
  • New Electronic Community Reader Boards for Shelton
  • Las Vegas Fans Scramble as Cable Fight Threatens Super Bowl
  • Capital High School, Shelton Joins Seven Area Schools in Newly Formed Class 3A League
WORD OF THE DAY

Eldritch • \EL-dritch\ • Adjective – Weird, eerie

Hiding under the covers, lest the closet monster see any part of  its body, the quaking child began having second thoughts about reading “Tales from the Crypt” with a flashlight under the covers at bedtime. Every eldritch creak of the house, branch against the window, or drip of the bathroom faucet conjured up images of a monster with slathering jaws waiting to pounce.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Utilities, Environmentalists Join Forces to Push Anti-Coal Plan At Oregon Legislature (Oregonian, Portland)

Oregon Utilities Continue Push to Back Off Coal & Promote Renewables (Bend Bulletin, OR)

Spike in Coos-Curry Co-op Power Bills Prompts Complaints (Coos-Curry Pilot, Brookings, OR)

Customers Raise Outcry over High Cowlitz PUD Bills (Longview Daily News, WA)

Inslee Secures Federal Support for Wenatchee Alcoa Workers; Parlette Lends Praise (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

California: Closing This Nuclear Plant Could Cause an Environmental Disaster (Mother Jones)

Scientists in Germany Switch on Nuclear Fusion Experiment (Associated Press)

U-S Congress Passes ‘Electrify Africa Act’ (Christian Science Monitor)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Washington State Lawmakers Asked to Join Call to Return Salmon to Upper Columbia River (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Cowlitz River Smelt Appear as Dippers Look Forward to One-Day Season (Longview Daily News, WA)

Ship Noise Linked to Orca Decline: Are Some Boats Safer than Others? (Christian Science Monitor)

New York: Power Plant Glitch Kills over a Thousand Fish in the Susquehanna River (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Is the End in Sight for California’s Drought? (Christian Science Monitor)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

National Association of Utility Regulatory Commissioners Opposes King-Reid Solar Net Metering Amendment to Federal Energy Bill (Utility Dive)

Ohio: Renewable Energy Charges to Show Up on AEP Bills (Columbus Business First, OH)
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/ohio-energy-inc/2016/02/renewable-energy-charges-to-show-up-on-aep-bills.html

Rentricity Starts Work on Micro-Hydro Projects in Colorado, Utah (Renewable Energy World)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

British Columbia: Surrey Approves City-Wide Upgrade to LED Street Lights (Vancouver Sun, BC)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Researchers Warn Legal Marijuana Could Be Next Big Tobacco (Sacramento Bee, CA)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Environmental Cleanup, Unpaid Bills in Odessa Biofuel Refinery Backers’ Last Venture (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Oregon Lawmakers Consider Abandoning Wooden Pallets (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Corn Ethanol: the Rise & Fall of a Political Force (U-S News & World Report)

Google to Test Self-Driving Cars in Kirkland (Associated Press)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

The Cloud Wars Are Seriously Heating Up (Washington Post)

Google Fiber’s Plan to Give Free Internet to the Poor (Washington Post)

Canada: ACORN Canada Report Shows Internet Costs Are Unaffordable for Low-Income Earners (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

Comcast’s Internet is about to Get A Lot Faster in These 5 Cities (Washington Post)

Yahoo to Cut 1,700 Workers as CEO Tries to Save Her Own Job (Sacramento Bee, CA)

The One Chart You Need to See about Google’s Most Ambitious Projects (Washington Post)

MARKETING & MEDIA

Twitter Launches ‘Engaging’ New Homepage (British Broadcasting Corporation)

Create an RSS Feed for Any Search Result (Gizmodo)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Representative Resigns over Exaggerations to Military Service Record (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Donald Trump Says Ted Cruz Stole Iowa, Wants a New Election Caucus (Mashable)

GENERAL NEWS

Obama Signs Disaster Declaration for State’s December Storms (KMAS News, Shelton, WA)

New Electronic Community Reader Boards for Shelton (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Las Vegas Fans Scramble as Cable Fight Threatens Super Bowl (Associated Press)

Capital High School, Shelton Joins Seven Area Schools in Newly Formed Class 3A League (Thurston Talks, Olympia, WA)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop Arrested for Assaulting Evergreen Police Officer

U-S Woman Suffers ‘Electrical Storm’ in Brain, Develops Scottish Accent

Oral Roberts University Students Now Required to Wear Fitbits All the Time for A Grade

McDonald’s Customer Files Lawsuit Accusing Chain of Not Using Real Cheese in Mozzarella Sticks

SONG OF THE DAY

OK, I know this was a song of the day this week, but I couldn’t resist sharing this new acoustic version. Very Cool:

Peter Frampton - Do You Feel Like I Do

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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.

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