Friday, April 5, 2019

Energy News Digest for April 5, 2019


Programming Note:

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THE ENERGY NEWS DIGEST ONLINE

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SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS





HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Experimental Spring Water Spills Start at Dams on Snake, Columbia Rivers (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA)

Southwest Power Pool Considers Launching Alternative to California ISO Energy Imbalance Market (Utility Dive)

Winter Steelhead Stage Comeback on Willamette after Lethal Removal of Sea Lions, Officials Say (Oregonian, Portland)

Methownew Gets Okanogan County’s OK to Install Fiber Internet Lines in Valley (Methow Valley News, Twisp, WA)

Is a Low-Carbon Fuel Standard for Washington State Running Out of Political Gas? (Everett Herald, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

1.      Southwest Power Pool Considers Launching Alternative to California ISO Energy Imbalance Market
2.      Grant PUD Worker Injured in Priest Rapids Dam Accident
3.      More Than 80% of Idaho’s In-State Electricity Generation Comes from Renewables
4.      British Columbia Premier Says Final Pieces of Massive Liquefied Natural Gas Canada Project Now in Place
5.      Pacific County PUD Looking for Children’s Poster Designs
6.      Experimental Spring Water Spills Start at Dams on Snake, Columbia Rivers
7.      Winter Steelhead Stage Comeback on Willamette after Lethal Removal of Sea Lions, Officials Say
8.      Willamette River - Groups Lobby Judge for Immediate Fixes to Salmon-Killing Dams
9.      Chinook Closures in British Columbia Waters Anger Anglers
10.   Feds Propose Allowing Makah Tribe to Hunt Gray Whales Again
11.   Supporters of Orca Whale Recovery Put Pressure on the Washington State Legislature to Pass Protection Bills
12.   Onalaska High School Students Release 25,000 Steelhead Headed to Chehalis River
13.   A Virtual Solar Power Plant for L.A.? ‘It Will Happen’
14.   Texas Lessons for the Green New Deal
15.   U.S. Senator Grassley Schools President on ‘Idiotic’ Wind Turbines & Cancer Comment
16.   Op/Ed: Will FERC Trample State & Local Authorities in Distributed Energy Resources Rulemaking?
17.   New Mexico Efficiency Bill Ensures Utilities Don’t Take Hit from Lower Energy Use
18.   Methownew Gets Okanogan County’s OK to Install Fiber Internet Lines in Valley
19.   Bozeman’s Top Priorities Include Art, Gender Pay, Broadband
20.   Telecom Lobbyists Crushed San Francisco’s Quest for Better Broadband
21.   North Carolina: Republicans Reversing Course on Government Role in Rural Broadband?
22.   Amazon Cloud Storage Dilemma Exposed in Facebook’s Latest Leak
23.   Is a Low-Carbon Fuel Standard for Washington State Running Out of Political Gas?
24.   Earth’s Carbon Dioxide Levels Highest in Three Million Years Study Says
25.   California’s Next Frontier in Fighting Climate Change: Your Kitchen Stove
26.   Inaugural Hearing of House Climate Group Gathers Young Voices
27.   Vaccine Wars: Social Media Sites Battle Outbreak of Bogus Claims
28.   Watch Two Eclipses on Mars, Recorded by NASA’s Curiosity Rover
29.   Washington State Senate Passes $52.2 Billion Budget Proposal
30.   Washington State Transportation Budget Clears Senate
31.   Mason County Studies the Feasibility of a New Jail
32.   Governor Inslee Declares Drought Emergency in Central Washington State
33.   Boeing CEO Apologizes for Deadly 737 MAX Crashes
34.   State Reduces Speed Limit to 50 MPH on Interstate 5 in Tacoma

WORD OF THE DAY

Brummagem \BRUM-uh-jum\ Adjective – Not genuine: spurious; also: cheaply showy: tawdry.

Show biz brummagem: “Strip away the phony tinsel of Hollywood and you’ll find the real tinsel underneath.”
-- Oscar Levant

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

1.    Southwest Power Pool Considers Launching Alternative to California ISO Energy Imbalance Market (Utility Dive)

2.    Grant PUD Worker Injured in Priest Rapids Dam Accident (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, Wa)

3.    More Than 80% Of Idaho’s In-State Electricity Generation Comes from Renewables (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

4.    British Columbia Premier Says Final Pieces of Massive Liquefied Natural Gas Canada Project Now in Place (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

5.    Pacific County PUD Looking for Children’s Poster Designs (Chinook Observer, Long Beach, WA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

6.    Experimental Spring Water Spills Start at Dams on Snake, Columbia Rivers (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA)

7.    Winter Steelhead Stage Comeback on Willamette after Lethal Removal of Sea Lions, Officials Say (Oregonian, Portland)

8.    Willamette River - Groups Lobby Judge for Immediate Fixes to Salmon-Killing Dams (Courthouse News Service)

9.    Chinook Closures in British Columbia Waters Anger Anglers (Vancouver Is Awesome, BC)

10. Feds Propose Allowing Makah Tribe to Hunt Gray Whales Again (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

11. Supporters of Orca Whale Recovery Put Pressure on the Washington State Legislature to Pass Protection Bills (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

12. Onalaska High School Students Release 25,000 Steelhead Headed to Chehalis River (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

RENEWABLE ENERGY & SELF STORAGE

13. A Virtual Solar Power Plant for L.A.? ‘It Will Happen’ (NY Times)

14. Texas Lessons for the Green New Deal (Washington Examiner)

15. U.S. Senator Grassley Schools President on ‘Idiotic’ Wind Turbines & Cancer Comment (Politico)

16. Op/Ed: Will FERC Trample State & Local Authorities in Distributed Energy Resources Rulemaking? (Utility Dive)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

17. New Mexico Efficiency Bill Ensures Utilities Don’t Take Hit from Lower Energy Use (Utility Dive)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

18. Methownew Gets Okanogan County’s OK to Install Fiber Internet Lines in Valley (Methow Valley News, Twisp, WA)

19. Bozeman’s Top Priorities Include Art, Gender Pay, Broadband (Bozeman Daily Chronicle, MT)

20. Telecom Lobbyists Crushed San Francisco’s Quest for Better Broadband (TechDirt)

21. North Carolina: Republicans Reversing Course on Government Role in Rural Broadband? (The Laurinburg Exchange, NC)

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY

22. Amazon Cloud Storage Dilemma Exposed in Facebook’s Latest Leak (Bloomberg News)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

23. Is a Low-Carbon Fuel Standard for Washington State Running Out of Political Gas? (Everett Herald, WA)

24. Earth’s Carbon Dioxide Levels Highest in Three Million Years Study Says (USA Today)

25. California’s Next Frontier in Fighting Climate Change: Your Kitchen Stove (Los Angeles Times, CA)

26. Inaugural Hearing of House Climate Group Gathers Young Voices (Courthouse News Service)

PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING & MEDIA

27. Vaccine Wars: Social Media Sites Battle Outbreak of Bogus Claims (Associated Press)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI – SEETHING STEW OF SCIENCE

28. Watch Two Eclipses on Mars, Recorded by NASA’s Curiosity Rover (NY Times)

GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

29. Washington State Senate Passes $52.2 Billion Budget Proposal (Associated Press)

30. Washington State Transportation Budget Clears Senate (Washington State Wire, Olympia, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

31. Mason County Studies the Feasibility of a New Jail (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA – Paywall Advisory)

32. Governor Inslee Declares Drought Emergency in Central Washington State (Associated Press)

33. Boeing CEO Apologizes for Deadly 737 MAX Crashes (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

34. Washington State Reduces Speed Limit to 50 MPH on Interstate 5 in Tacoma (Associated Press – insert cynical comment about even attempting 50 MPH in that zone)

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER – DIVERSIONS

Police: ‘Beware of Goose!’ After Campus Parking Lot Attack

Scientists Have Found a ‘Fossil Graveyard’ Linked to the Asteroid That Killed Off the Dinosaurs

Scientists Solve Mystery of Pristine Weapons of China’s Terracotta Warriors

Texas Civil Court Judge Accidentally Resigns

SONG OF THE DAY

James Bond Medley - BBC Proms 2011

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

Links in the news digest lead to current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links.