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.
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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Stage Two Burn Ban in Effect for Thurston County - NO Burning Allowed (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
January-July Early Water Supply Forecast: Will It be First Above Average Runoff Since 2006? (Columbia Basin Bulletin)
BPA Seeks Input on New Power Line Project - Draft EIS weighs impacts of three alternatives between Goldendale, WA & The Dalles, OR (Bonneville Power Administration)
Too Much Power in the Northwest? BPA declines to allow wind farms ‘negative pricing,’ for times of overgeneration between water, wind (East Oregonian, Pendleton, OR)
Can Washington State Meet Its Mandate to Find Alternative Energy Sources? (Crosscut Seattle)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
· BPA Seeks Input on New Power Line Project
· Grays Harbor County - Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant Closer to Expansion
· Nuclear Power Remains Elusive in Idaho
· Still No Decision on Hydropower at White River Falls
· Too Much Power in the Northwest? BPA declines to allow wind farms ‘negative pricing’
· Clallam County PUD Cool on Automated Meters Like Those Coming to Port Angeles
· California - Women Arrested in Marin Blockade of Smart Meter Truck
· Pot Bust Nets Teacher - Power Diversion Discovered by Lewis County PUD
· Montana - NorthWestern Electric, Gas Customers Will See Rate Increases in January
· Indiana - E-Mails Reveal Duke’s Rising Worries
· Another Setback for a West Coast Coal Port
· Coal’s Burnout
· Suquamish Tribe Pulls Together $1.7 Million to Remove Chico Creek Culvert
· Tulalip Tribes Restore Creek for Salmon
· California - Chinook Salmon Run Coming Back in Valley
· More Than 1,000 Dead Birds Fall from Sky in Arkansas
· Up to 100,000 Fish Found Dead Along Arkansas River
· Air Cannons Will Start Scaring Birds on I-5 Bridge over Columbia River Monday
· January-July Early Water Supply Forecast: Will It be First Above Average Runoff Since 2006? (Columbia Basin Bulletin)
· Columbia Basin Starts with Healthy Snowpack
· State Cuts to Environment Programs ‘Heartbreaking’
· Snoqualmie Valley Farmers Fight Floods with Lawsuit
· California - Winter Releases from Folsom Dam Change Rivers’ Character
· Can Washington State Meet Its Mandate to Find Alternative Energy Sources?
· Port Angeles City Council Gives Final Approval to Nippon Paper Biomass Plant Permit
· New Year’s Greenhouse Regulations Could Affect Peninsula Biomass Projects
· New EPA Rule Could Delay Longview Fibre Biomass Boiler
· Iberdrola Opens First US Co-Generation Biomass Plant in Oregon
· Oregon - LaPine City Wants the Biomass Project
· Can Wind Power Both Portland & Seattle?
· Idaho Wind Company Proposes Unusual Sale
· Neighbors Split over Oregon Wind Farm
· Idaho – Community College Students Catch the Wind
· Paine Field Whirligigs Pack a Lot of Power
· Feds Wind Plan May Zap Massachusetts - Ratepayers Could See Double-Digit Increases
· Wind Turbines ‘Less Efficient Than Claimed’
· Wind Farms in Great Britain Becalmed Just When Needed the Most
· Credit for Puget Sound Energy Customers Via Wind Power
· On Our Radar: Bird Species at Risk from Wind Development, Group Says
· Environmentalists Throw Another Wrench into Solar Energy from Desert
· Oregon Energy Tax Credits Return, But with New Restrictions
· Energy from Ocean, But What’s the Cost? Scientists wonder if technology could hinder marine life navigation
· Congress’ Budget Delay Postpones Washington Tidal Plan
· CFL Fire Hazard a Misconception
· California - Kiss Your 100-Watt Light Bulb Goodbye
· LEED Looks Ahead to a Year of Change
· EPA to Enforce New Emission Rules on Power Plants
· Chicago Climate Exchange Closes but Keeps Eye to the Future
· Climate Change Cost-Benefit: What’s the Upside to Global Warming?
· Kill Your Old Woodstove – Oregon Woodstove Rules Changing with End of Year
· Squirrels, Not Snow, Are Solar Panel Risks
· More US Cities Dimming the Lights – For Environmental Reasons
· A Diet for an Invaded Planet: Invasive Species
· Solar-Powered Drone Stays Aloft a Record 2 Weeks
· What’s the Greenest Way to Shave?
· CenturyLink, Qwest Deal Moves Forward - Washington State agreement includes $80 million in investment
· Nearly 90 Percent of Washington State Residents Have Access to Broadband, Report Finds
· Pew Study Hints at What Web Users Will Pay For
· Clearwire Chairman Craig McCaw Stepping Down
· Some Hotmail Users Report Missing E-Mails
· Wi-Fi Overload: A Signal of Problems at High-Tech Meetings
· Rewired - Fiber to the Home
· Port Orchard Hires Lobbyist to Push Its Wish List in Olympia – Tab is $20,000
· Green Skeletons Lurk in GOP Closets
· Town Spends $17,000 to Defend $5 Fee It Charged Resident, Loses
· Stage Two Burn Ban in Effect for Thurston County - NO Burning Allowed
· Possible Shelton Gas Leak Causes Precautionary 3-Block Evacuation
· US-Canadian Lumber Trade Dispute Heats Up Again
· As Gas Prices Top $3, Worry Rises over Effect on Recovery
· Rain on Your Parade: It Rained on Every Holiday in 2010
· In Budget Crunch, Science Fairs Struggle to Survive
WORD OF THE DAY
Flummox • \FLUM-uks\ • Verb - Confuse
Groucho Marx had the unique talent in his films to totally flummox his comic foils. As in this quote from “Animal Crackers:” Well, Art is Art, isn’t it? Still, on the other hand, water is water. And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now you tell me what you know.
SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
BPA Seeks Input on New Power Line Project - Draft EIS weighs impacts of three alternatives between Goldendale, WA & The Dalles, OR (Bonneville Power Administration)
Grays Harbor County - Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant Closer to Expansion (Associated Press)
Nuclear Power Remains Elusive in Idaho (Twin Falls Times-News, ID)
Still No Decision on Hydropower at White River Falls (The Dalles Chronicle, OR)
Too Much Power in the Northwest? BPA declines to allow wind farms ‘negative pricing,’ for times of overgeneration between water, wind (East Oregonian, Pendleton, OR)
Clallam County PUD Cool on Automated Meters Like Those Coming to Port Angeles, Used in East Jefferson (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
California - Women Arrested in Marin Blockade of Smart Meter Trucks: Opponents…have raised questions about radiation from the devices & their accuracy. (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
Pot Bust Nets Teacher - Power Diversion Discovered by Lewis County PUD (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
Montana - NorthWestern Electric, Gas Customers Will See Rate Increases in January (Billings Gazette, MT)
Indiana - E-Mails Reveal Duke’s Rising Worries: Critics compare saga of cost overruns, setbacks to 1980s nuclear plant fiasco (Indianapolis Star, IN)
Another Setback for a West Coast Coal Port (NY Times)
Coal’s Burnout (Washington Post)
FISH & WILDLIFE
Suquamish Tribe Pulls Together $1.7 Million to Remove Chico Creek Culvert (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
Tulalip Tribes Restore Creek for Salmon (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
California - Chinook Salmon Run Coming Back in Valley (Fresno Bee, CA)
More Than 1,000 Dead Birds Fall from Sky in Arkansas (Associated Press)
Up to 100,000 Fish Found Dead Along Arkansas River (Associated Press)
Air Cannons Will Start Scaring Birds on I-5 Bridge over Columbia River Monday (Vancouver Columbian, WA)
WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT
January-July Early Water Supply Forecast: Will It be First Above Average Runoff Since 2006? (Columbia Basin Bulletin)
Columbia Basin Starts with Healthy Snowpack (Vancouver Columbian, WA)
State Cuts to Environment Programs ‘Heartbreaking’ - But others say reductions needed to help balance broken budget (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
Snoqualmie Valley Farmers Fight Floods with Lawsuit (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
California - Winter Releases from Folsom Dam Change Rivers’ Character (Sacramento Bee, CA)
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Can Washington State Meet Its Mandate to Find Alternative Energy Sources? (Crosscut Seattle)
Port Angeles City Council Gives Final Approval to Nippon Paper Biomass Plant Permit (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
New Year’s Greenhouse Regulations Could Affect Peninsula Biomass Projects (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
New EPA Rule Could Delay Longview Fibre Biomass Boiler (Longview Daily News, WA)
Iberdrola Opens First US Co-Generation Biomass Plant in Oregon (Clean Technica)
Oregon - LaPine City Wants the Biomass Project (KBND Radio, Bend, OR)
Can Wind Power Both Portland & Seattle? (Associated Press)
Idaho Wind Company Proposes Unusual Sale (Twin Falls Times-News, ID)
Neighbors Split over Oregon Wind Farm (Tri-City Herald, WA)
Idaho – Community College Students Catch the Wind (iStock Analyst – 25 cent royalty payment to Donovan Philips Leitch)
Paine Field Whirligigs Pack a Lot of Power - Energy Ball wind turbines are planned for the Future of Flight museum (Everett Herald, WA)
Feds Wind Plan May Zap Massachusetts - Ratepayers Could See Double-Digit Increases (Boston Herald, MA)
Wind Turbines ‘Less Efficient Than Claimed’ - Wind turbines are 25 per cent less effective than the renewable energy industry claims, according to research (The Telegraph, United Kingdom)
Wind Farms in Great Britain Becalmed Just When Needed the Most (The Telegraph, United Kingdom)
Credit for Puget Sound Energy Customers Via Wind Power (Associated Press)
On Our Radar: Bird Species at Risk from Wind Development, Group Says (NY Times)
Environmentalists Throw Another Wrench into Solar Energy from Desert (Courthouse News Service)
Oregon Energy Tax Credits Return, But with New Restrictions (Oregon Public Radio)
Energy from Ocean, But What’s the Cost? Scientists wonder if technology could hinder marine life navigation (Olympian, WA)
Congress’ Budget Delay Postpones Washington Tidal Plan (Daily Astorian, OR)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
CFL Fire Hazard a Misconception - Fluorescent Bulbs Have Safety Measures Built in (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)
California - Kiss Your 100-Watt Light Bulb Goodbye (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
LEED Looks Ahead to a Year of Change (Portland Business Journal)
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
EPA to Enforce New Emission Rules on Power Plants (National Public Radio)
Chicago Climate Exchange Closes but Keeps Eye to the Future (NY Times)
Climate Change Cost-Benefit: What’s the Upside to Global Warming? (Christian Science Monitor)
BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI
Kill Your Old Woodstove – Oregon Woodstove Rules Changing with End of Year (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Squirrels, Not Snow, Are Solar Panel Risks (Everett Herald, WA)
More US Cities Dimming the Lights – For Environmental Reasons (USA Today)
A Diet for an Invaded Planet: Invasive Species (NY Times)
Solar-Powered Drone Stays Aloft a Record 2 Weeks (Seattle Times)
What’s the Greenest Way to Shave? (Slate Magazine)
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
CenturyLink, Qwest Deal Moves Forward - Washington State agreement includes $80 million in investment (Broadband Reports)
Nearly 90 Percent of Washington State Residents Have Access to Broadband, Report Finds (Seattle Times)
Pew Study Hints at What Web Users Will Pay For (Associated Press)
Clearwire Chairman Craig McCaw Stepping Down - In November, Clearwire said it may run out of cash as early as mid-2011 (The Oregonian, Portland)
Some Hotmail Users Report Missing E-Mails (Seattle Times)
Wi-Fi Overload: A Signal of Problems at High-Tech Meetings (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
Rewired - Fiber to the Home (NY Times)
POLITICS & GOVERNANCE
Port Orchard Hires Lobbyist to Push Its Wish List in Olympia – Tab is $20,000 (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
Green Skeletons Lurk in GOP Closets (Politico)
Town Spends $17,000 to Defend $5 Fee It Charged Resident, Loses (Consumerist)
GENERAL NEWS
Stage Two Burn Ban in Effect for Thurston County - NO Burning Allowed (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
Possible Shelton Gas Leak Causes Precautionary 3-Block Evacuation (KIRO-TV, Seattle)
US-Canadian Lumber Trade Dispute Heats Up Again (Associated Press)
As Gas Prices Top $3, Worry Rises over Effect on Recovery (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013808751_gasprices31.html?syndication=rss
Rain on Your Parade: It Rained on Every Holiday in 2010 (Seattle Times)
In Budget Crunch, Science Fairs Struggle to Survive (NY Times)
DIVERSIONS
NYC Jumper Saved by Trash Uncollected Since Storm
Word Warriors Vanquish ‘Viral,’ Eradicate ‘Epic’ - Other Banished Words: ‘Refudiate,’ ‘Fail’
Perennially Cool Dave Brubeck - Jazz Legend Dave Brubeck Roars into His 90th Year Like a Young Lion
Cool Photos - The Day Niagara Falls Ran Dry
SONG OF THE DAY
Dave Brubeck – Stardust
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3JcuEA0IrM
