Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Energy News Digest for September 9, 2015

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

Weather Forecast for September 9, 2015

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

When the Lights Go Out – Threatened by massive solar storms, terrorists, and climate change, how safe is the U-S electrical grid, really? (The Atlantic)

Big Eddy-Knight 500 kV Line Nears Completion with Columbia River Crossing (Bonneville Power Administration)

Finding Creatures that Wreck Hydropower Systems (Electric Co-op Today)

Cowlitz PUD to Launch Community Solar Project (Longview Daily News, WA)

Study: Klickitat County Is First in Per-Capita Pot Sales; Clark County Is Second (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • When the Lights Go Out
  • Big Eddy-Knight 500 kV Line Nears Completion with Columbia River Crossing
  • FERC Asked for Stance on Pacific Northwest Power Market
  • Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative Rates Hike $4 a Month
  • McNary, Ice Harbor Dam Locks to Close Wednesday
  • Video Shows Puget Sound Energy Workers Rappelling Down Massive Dam
  • Clatskanie PUD Employees, Board Members Help Food Banks Stock Up
  • Op/Ed: Nuclear Energy Is Clean, Safe Energy
  • Michigan Hydro Generators Fear Shutdown as Utilities Plan to Cut Payments
  • Finding Creatures that Wreck Hydropower Systems
  • A Western Showdown with Mussels
  • Study: Habitat Restoration Projects Often Fail to Target Highest Priority Needs for Ecosystem, Salmon
  • Baby Orca Born to Endangered Pod Off Washington State Coast – 5th birth in area since December
  • Yakima Farmers Say Water Flow or Lack of It Added to Crop Woes
  • With El Niño Threatening to Turn California's Drought into Drenching Winter, Worries Mount
  • Cowlitz PUD to Launch Community Solar Project
  • Solar Power Capacity Growing Exponentially in Washington State
  • Powerful Environmental Group Takes on PacifiCorp, Joins Renewable Energy Fray
  • Wyoming Wind Held Back by Transmission Backlog, Avian Deaths
  • Solar Industry Admits Green Energy Only Exists Thanks to Government Subsidies
  • Massachusetts Has a Bunch of New Roadside Solar Panels. Too Bad They’re So Ugly
  • Study: Klickitat County Is First in Per-Capita Pot Sales; Clark County Is Second
  • I-502 Impact Report: Washington Marijuana Sales Ranked by County
  • These Clean Energy Investments Could Save the World’s Cities Trillions of Dollars
  • Aspen Becomes Third U-S City to Achieve 100% Renewable Energy
  • Comcast's Annual Rate Hike Defies Competition, Streaming Video
  • Average Cable Bill Now $100, Up 39% since 2010
  • This City Just Rolled Out America’s Fastest Internet Service Yet
  • AT&T Wants to Turn Your Car into a Wi-Fi Hotspot
  • Facebook's Business Pages Are Getting a Mobile-Centric Overhaul
  • Six Tips to Improve Your Facebook Posts
  • Instagram Expands Marketing Reach for Businesses
  • Energy Bill’s Plan B: The Portman-Shaheen Bill
  • Green Diamond Opens Washington State Lands for Hunting
  • Two Dead in Chelan County Shooting
WORD OF THE DAY

Imprecate • \IM-prih-kayt\ • Verb – To invoke evil on: curse.

“Bubble, bubble, toilet trouble,” intoned the three witches over their steaming cauldron. They weren’t really evil, just annoying. They never did imprecate anyone seriously. The worst they ever did was to place a curse on the Coca Cola executive who thought coming up with a “new Coke” campaign was an outstanding idea.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

When the Lights Go Out – Threatened by massive solar storms, terrorists, and climate change, how safe is the U-S electrical grid, really? (The Atlantic)

Big Eddy-Knight 500 kV Line Nears Completion with Columbia River Crossing (Bonneville Power Administration)

FERC Asked for Stance on Pacific Northwest Power Market (Platts)

Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative Rates Hike $4 a Month (Blue Mountain Eagle, John Day, OR – Paywall Advisory)

McNary, Ice Harbor Dam Locks to Close Wednesday (Walla Walla Union Bulletin, WA)

Video Shows Puget Sound Energy Workers Rappelling Down Massive Dam (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Clatskanie PUD Employees, Board Members Help Food Banks Stock Up (The Chieftain, Clatskanie, OR)
http://www.thechiefnews.com/news/article_e7408eec-5363-11e5-b10c-0312b2d8b8c5.html

Op/Ed: Nuclear Energy Is Clean, Safe Energy (Miami Herald, FL)

Michigan Hydro Generators Fear Shutdown as Utilities Plan to Cut Payments (Utility Dive)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Finding Creatures that Wreck Hydropower Systems (Electric Co-op Today)

A Western Showdown with Mussels (NY Times)

Study: Habitat Restoration Projects Often Fail to Target Highest Priority Needs for Ecosystem, Salmon (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Baby Orca Born to Endangered Pod Off Washington State Coast – 5th birth in area since December (Associated Press)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Yakima Farmers Say Water Flow or Lack of It Added to Crop Woes (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

With El Niño Threatening to Turn California's Drought into Drenching Winter, Worries Mount (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Cowlitz PUD to Launch Community Solar Project (Longview Daily News, WA)

Solar Power Capacity Growing Exponentially in Washington State (KNDO/KNDU-TV, Tri Cities, WA)

Powerful Environmental Group Takes on PacifiCorp, Joins Renewable Energy Fray (Portland Business Journal, OR)

Wyoming Wind Held Back by Transmission Backlog, Avian Deaths (Utility Dive)

Solar Industry Admits Green Energy Only Exists Thanks to Government Subsidies (Forbes Magazine)

Massachusetts Has a Bunch of New Roadside Solar Panels. Too Bad They’re So Ugly (Grist Online)

KILOWATTS FOR CANNABIS

Study: Klickitat County Is First in Per-Capita Pot Sales; Clark County Is Second (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

I-502 Impact Report: Washington Marijuana Sales Ranked by County (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

These Clean Energy Investments Could Save the World’s Cities Trillions of Dollars (Washington Post)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Aspen Becomes Third U-S City to Achieve 100% Renewable Energy (Epoch Times)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Comcast's Annual Rate Hike Defies Competition, Streaming Video (Oregonian, Portland)

Average Cable Bill Now $100, Up 39% since 2010 (Broadband Reports)

This City Just Rolled Out America’s Fastest Internet Service Yet (Washington Post)

AT&T Wants to Turn Your Car into a Wi-Fi Hotspot (Washington Post)

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook's Business Pages Are Getting a Mobile-Centric Overhaul (AdWeek)

Six Tips to Improve Your Facebook Posts (Social Media Examiner)

Instagram Expands Marketing Reach for Businesses (Associated Press)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Energy Bill’s Plan B: The Portman-Shaheen Bill (Morning Consult)

GENERAL NEWS

Green Diamond Opens Washington State Lands for Hunting (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Two Dead in Chelan County Shooting (Associated Press)

DIVERSIONS

Stonehenge Researchers 'May Have Found Largest Neolithic Site'

How Telephone Etiquette Has Changed

Police: Stuck on Elevator, Burglar Forced to Call 911

Trucker Choking On Soft Drink Crashes into 23 New Cars

SONG OF THE DAY

Harry Chapin – 30,000 Pounds of Bananas

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.