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
Covington Vault Fire Sends Electrical Surge through
Entire Neighborhood (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
Editorial - Judge of the River: James Redden was
more than a “salmon judge,” but his biggest legacy is the fight that he’s waged
to force the government to recover wild fish (Oregonian,
Portland)
California
Takes Big Step toward Greenhouse Gas Limits (National Public Radio)
Frito-Lay
Seeks $585,000 Break on City of Vancouver Water Bills (Vancouver Columbian, WA)
Customers Rate Seattle City Light Among Best Values
in US (Electric Energy Online)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Covington Vault Fire Sends Electrical Surge through Entire Neighborhood
- Customers Rate Seattle City Light Among Best Values in US
- Settlement Results in Rate Reduction for Idaho Utility Customers
- Asotin County PUD Pays Off Bond Early
- Montana - Mid-Yellowstone Electric Lowers Rates
- Oregon Asks Feds to Revoke License for Coos Bay Liquefied Natural Gas Project
- Rat Causes Power Outage at Olympic High School
- Free Mason County PUD 3 Calendars for 2012 Now Available
- Alabama - Co-Op Line Worker Injured by High-Voltage Power Line
- California Energy Consultant Sues Sacramento City Unified for $1.5 Million in Unpaid Fees
- Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative to Delay Smart Meter Install
- How to Build a Better Electric Grid
- Tips for Safe Decorating
- Editorial - Judge of the River: James Redden Was More Than A “Salmon Judge”
- Frito-Lay Seeks $585,000 Break on City of Vancouver Water Bills
- Portland Faces Lawsuit over Water Utility Spending & Questionable Projects
- Critics Want Water Code Issues Addressed by 2012 Legislature
- Washington State Ecology Projects Criticized
- POWER Magazine Announces Renewable Top Plants - Includes Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric Project in Oregon
- Olympia City Council to Vote on Solar Panels
- Solar panels installed at Lake Stevens High School
- Alaska - Bernie Karl’s Biomass Electric Generator Nearly Ready To Go
- US Senator Bingaman to Float ‘Clean Energy Standard’ Early Next Year
- Grassley Pushes for Extension of Renewable Energy Tax Incentives
- Cleveland Company Sees Energy Potential in Great Lakes Waves
- Dutch Coastal Community that Has Been Home to Offshore Wind Farm Shares Lessons with West Michigan
- Wind Farm Project in Oklahoma Clashes with Land’s Other Energy Use
- Unlikely Bedfellows: Biomass & the Southeastern US
- Indian Country Welcomes Renewable Energy
- Op/Ed - Add Insulation & Other Energy Saving Measures for a Lower Bill
- Otter Tail Power Company Suggests Giving Gift of Energy Savings
- California Takes Big Step toward Greenhouse Gas Limits
- British Columbia - Why the Pacific Carbon Trust Draws Political Heat
- Back-Room Negotiations Begin on Climate Intentions
- Climate Models Yield Confidence Question
- Jefferson County International Airport to Go Green with Solar Power
- Ban Plastic Bags in Seattle? Fight Heats Up
- Montana - Missoula Defends Sustainability Group Membership; Critics Say Liberty at Risk
- Those Romantic Wood Stoves
- Taking the Tiny House Movement Tinier
- Clark County Cable TV Groups in Line for Grants
- Washington State Budget Director Urges State Cuts
- GOP’s Bill Finkbeiner to Run against Lt. Governor Brad Owen
- Jay Inslee Calls for Six Gubernatorial Debates with Rob McKenna
- Environmental Activist Gerry Pollet Tapped for Washington State House Seat
- Washington State Republicans: $490K for a Viaduct Museum?
- Reaction Mixed to Olympic Peninsula Wilderness Plan
- 166 Tacoma Police, Fire, City Employees Laid Off
- Washington State Paid $3.8 Million for Doctor Appointments that Never Happened
- Deck the Halls with Stolen Boughs
- Man’s Face Catches Fire during Routine Surgery
WORD OF THE DAY
Genuflect • \JEN-yuh-flekt\ • Verb - 1a: to bend the knee b: to touch
the knee to the floor or ground especially in worship 2: to be servilely
obedient or respectful.
Wilbur stood, like a marble statue, before the gates of Graceland. Like
the other pilgrims, he physically had to fight off an unconscious urge to
genuflect before the elaborately decorated iron gates.
SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Covington Vault Fire Sends Electrical Surge through
Entire Neighborhood (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
Customers Rate Seattle City Light Among Best Values
in US (Electric Energy Online)
Settlement Results in Rate Reduction for Idaho
Utility Customers (Renew Grid – Public Utilities are expecting a nice Christmas
card for this….)
Asotin County PUD Pays Off Bond Early (Lewiston
Tribune, ID)
Montana - Mid-Yellowstone Electric Lowers Rates
(Billings Examiner, MT)
http://www.examiner.com/economy-in-billings/mid-yellowstone-electric-lowers-rates
http://www.examiner.com/economy-in-billings/mid-yellowstone-electric-lowers-rates
Oregon Asks Feds to Revoke License for Coos Bay
Liquefied Natural Gas Project (Oregonian, Portland)
Rat Causes Power Outage at Olympic High School (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
Free Mason County PUD 3 Calendars for 2012 Now
Available (Mason County PUD No. 3)
Alabama - Co-Op Line Worker Injured by High-Voltage
Power Line (Cullman Times, AL)
http://www.cullmantimes.com/local/x1760885018/Co-op-line-worker-injured-by-high-voltage-power-line
http://www.cullmantimes.com/local/x1760885018/Co-op-line-worker-injured-by-high-voltage-power-line
California Energy Consultant Sues Sacramento City
Unified for $1.5 Million in Unpaid Fees (Sacramento Bee, CA)
Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative to Delay Smart
Meter Install (The Garden island, Kaua’I, HI)
How to Build a Better Electric Grid (GigaOM)
Tips for Safe Decorating (Stewart Houston Times, TN)
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20111206/STEWART01/112060314
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20111206/STEWART01/112060314
FISH & WILDLIFE
Editorial - Judge of the River: James Redden was
more than a “salmon judge,” but his biggest legacy is the fight that he’s waged
to force the government to recover wild fish (Oregonian,
Portland)
WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT
Frito-Lay
Seeks $585,000 Break on City of Vancouver Water Bills (Vancouver Columbian, WA)
Portland
Faces Lawsuit over Water Utility Spending & Questionable Projects (Oregonian, Portland)
Critics
want water code issues addressed by 2012 Legislature (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)
Washington
State Ecology Projects Criticized (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities,
WA)
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
POWER
Magazine Announces Renewable Top Plants - Includes Pelton Round Butte
Hydroelectric Project in Oregon (Owners: Portland General Electric & the
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon) (Your Industry
News Magazine)
Olympia
City Council to Vote on Solar Panels (Olympian, WA)
Solar
panels installed at Lake Stevens High School (Lake Stevens Journal, WA)
Alaska
- Bernie Karl’s Biomass Electric Generator Nearly Ready To Go (Anchorage News
Miner, AK)
US
Senator Bingaman to Float ‘Clean Energy Standard’ Early Next Year (The Hill)
Grassley
Pushes for Extension of Renewable Energy Tax Incentives (Radio Iowa)
Cleveland
Company Sees Energy Potential in Great Lakes Waves (Midwest Energy News)
Dutch
Coastal Community that Has Been Home to Offshore Wind Farm Shares Lessons with West
Michigan (Muskegon Chronicle, MI)
Wind
Farm Project in Oklahoma Clashes with Land’s Other Energy Use (St Louis
Dispatch, MO)
Unlikely
Bedfellows: Biomass & the Southeastern US (AOL News)
Indian
Country Welcomes Renewable Energy (CNET News)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
Op/Ed
- Add Insulation & Other Energy Saving Measures for a Lower Bill (Longview
Daily News, WA)
Otter Tail Power Company Suggests Giving Gift of
Energy Savings (Echo Press, Alexandria, MN)
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
California
Takes Big Step toward Greenhouse Gas Limits (National Public Radio)
British
Columbia - Why the Pacific Carbon Trust Draws Political Heat (Tyee, BC)
Back-Room
Negotiations Begin on Climate Intentions (Associated Press)
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Back-room-negotiations-begin-on-climate-intentions-2344855.php
Climate
Models Yield Confidence Question (British Broadcasting Corporation)
BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI
Jefferson
County International Airport to Go Green with Solar Power for Runway Lights,
Navigational Beacon (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
Ban
Plastic Bags in Seattle? Fight Heats Up (Seattle Times)
Montana
- Missoula Defends Sustainability Group Membership; Critics Say Liberty at Risk
(The Missoulian, MT)
Those
Romantic Wood Stoves (NY Times)
Taking
the Tiny House Movement Tinier (NY Times)
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Clark County Cable TV Groups in Line for Grants (Vancouver
Columbian, WA)
POLITICS & GOVERNANCE
Washington State Budget Director Urges State Cuts (Spokesman
Review, Spokane, WA)
GOP’s Bill Finkbeiner to Run against Lt. Governor
Brad Owen (Olympian, WA)
Jay Inslee Calls for Six Gubernatorial Debates with
Rob McKenna (Everett Herald, WA)
Environmental Activist Gerry Pollet Tapped for Washington
State House Seat (Seattle Times)
Washington State Republicans: $490K for a Viaduct
Museum? (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
GENERAL NEWS
Reaction Mixed to Olympic Peninsula Wilderness Plan
(KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
166 Tacoma Police, Fire, City Employees Laid Off (KING-TV,
Seattle)
Washington State Paid $3.8 Million for Doctor
Appointments that Never Happened (KING-TV, Seattle)
Deck the Halls with Stolen Boughs (Longview Daily
News, WA)
Man’s Face Catches Fire during Routine Surgery (Associated
Press)
DIVERSIONS
Diamond Ring Dropped in Spokane Red Kettle
World’s Most Expensive Accident? Eight Ferraris, a Lamborghini,
and Two Mercedes
Old Kalakala Ferry Up for Sale – For Just $1
Biologists Monitor Crocodiles at Nuclear Plant
SONG OF THE DAY
Gerry
& The Pacemakers - Ferry ‘Cross the Mersey
