Friday, November 4, 2011

Energy News Digest for November 4, 2011


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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THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Return of Standard Time Means Getting Back That Hour of Sleep Lost Last Spring (Washington Post)

Biggest Jump Ever Seen in Global Warming Gases (Associated Press)

Idaho - Activists: Wind Energy Projects Mean Power Bill Hikes (KIFI-TV, Idaho Falls, ID)

Study: Toxics in Puget Sound Come from All of Us (Associated Press)

Unable to Pay Bill, Michigan City Turns Off Lights “…elected officials not only turned off 1,000 streetlights. They had them ripped out - bulbs, poles and all…” (Associated Press)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Unable to Pay Bill, Michigan City Turns Off Lights
  • A Smart Pacific Northwest Power Grid? The Potential vs. Reality
  • Op/Ed - Shale Gas Revolution
  • Part of Sun Turns into Stormy ‘Benevolent Monster’
  • Saber-Toothed Squirrel from Age of Dinosaurs Discovered
  • Debris Fills White Salmon River After Dam Breach
  • Let the Learning Begin: Elwha Restoration a Living Laboratory
  • A Thousand Rainbow Trout Arrive at Kamiakin High School
  • California Farmers Face Off over Water Proposals Some Believe Would Hurt Delta Area to Help South
  • Asian Carp Invasion: Can We Fish Our Way Out of the Problem?
  • Study: Toxics in Puget Sound Come from All of Us
  • Japan’s Tsunami Debris Headed for Washington, Likely to Hit in Late ‘13
  • EPA to Probe ‘Fracking’s’ Toll on Drinking Water
  • Fatal Sewer Line Accident in North Texas
  • America’s Greatest Outdoor Spots? Obama Picks 100- Includes Spots in the Pacific Northwest
  • Idaho - Activists: Wind Energy Projects Mean Power Bill Hikes
  • Beacon Power: We’re Broke, But We’re No Solyndra
  • First Solar Brings German Solar Plant to Full Production
  • California Utilities Worry Biogas Won’t Qualify as Renewable
  • Solar Intermittency: How Big is the Problem?
  • Lightning Is Nemesis of Windmills, Threatening Japan’s Renewable Energy Campaign
  • Winner of Northwest ENERGY STAR® Homes’ $25,000 Welcome Home Campaign Prize Announced – Clark Public Utilities Customer
  • China to Phase Out Energy-Inefficient Light Bulbs
  • Biggest Jump Ever Seen in Global Warming Gases
  • Birds Fly in the Face of Climate Change Expectations
  • NASA Sees Giant Crack Forming in Antarctic Glacier
  • Global Carbon Markets in Doldrums
  • Report Outlines Oregon's Clean Energy Economy Leadership
  • Welsh: Recycling Meets Green Building
  • Facebook Getting Friendly with Seattle, Ready to Expand
  • Colorado - Comcast, CenturyLink Fail to Stop Longmont Fibe
  • Amazingly, AOL Still Has 3.5 Million Dialup Subscribers
  • 115 Washington State Mayors (Including Shelton’s Tarrant) Call Budget Cuts ‘Intolerable’
  • PDF of Washington Mayors’ letter
  • Washington State - Representative Hudgins to Run for Secretary of State, Senator Pridemore for State Auditor
  • Autumn’s Gloomy Days Are Washington State AG McKenna’s Springtime
  • Return of Standard Time Means Getting Back That Hour of Sleep Lost Last Spring
  • Possible Fire Bombing Investigated in Satsop
  • Boys & Girls Club Curtailing Some North Mason Programs
  • Shelton School District Bond Refinance Saves Taxpayers
  • Son of Missing Mom Gets Ransom Note Demanding $250,000
  • Gregoire Sends Inmates to Help Amid Washington State Apple-Picker Shortage
  • Redmond Rejects Red-Light Ticketing Cameras
  • Family Sued After Second Serious Injury from Buried Grape Residue
WORD OF THE DAY

Onomatopoeia • \awn-uh-mah-tuh-PEE-yuh\ • Noun - 1: the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (as buzz, hiss) 2: the use of words whose sound suggests the sense

Fred was the company’s resident Onomatopoeian. He had trouble describing things with words, so he instead communicated through clicks, flabby mouth noises and other bodily actions or “sounds” which represented the information he needed to convey. Surprisingly, it worked rather well.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Unable to Pay Bill, Michigan City Turns Off Lights “…elected officials not only turned off 1,000 streetlights. They had them ripped out - bulbs, poles and all…” (Associated Press)

A Smart Pacific Northwest Power Grid? The Potential vs. Reality (Oregon Public Radio)

Op/Ed - Shale Gas Revolution (NY Times)

Part of Sun Turns into Stormy ‘Benevolent Monster’ (Associated Press)

Saber-Toothed Squirrel from Age of Dinosaurs Discovered (Christian Science Monitor)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Debris Fills White Salmon River After Dam Breach (Olympian, WA)

Let the Learning Begin: Elwha Restoration a Living Laboratory (Seattle Times)

A Thousand Rainbow Trout Arrive at Kamiakin High School (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

California Farmers Face Off over Water Proposals Some Believe Would Hurt Delta Area to Help South (Associated Press)

Asian Carp Invasion: Can We Fish Our Way Out of the Problem? (Christian Science Monitor)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Study: Toxics in Puget Sound Come from All of Us (Associated Press)

Japan’s Tsunami Debris Headed for Washington, Likely to Hit in Late ‘13 (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

EPA to Probe ‘Fracking’s’ Toll on Drinking Water (Associated Press)

Fatal Sewer Line Accident in North Texas (Associated Press)

America’s Greatest Outdoor Spots? Obama Picks 100- Includes Spots in the Pacific Northwest (USA Today)

PDF File of the Report (Department of the Interior)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Idaho - Activists: Wind Energy Projects Mean Power Bill Hikes (KIFI-TV, Idaho Falls, ID)

Beacon Power: We’re Broke, But We’re No Solyndra (CNET News)

First Solar Brings German Solar Plant to Full Production (Phoenix Business Journal, AZ)

California Utilities Worry Biogas Won’t Qualify as Renewable (Waste Business Journal)

Solar Intermittency: How Big is the Problem? (Renewable Energy World)

Lightning Is Nemesis of Windmills, Threatening Japan’s Renewable Energy Campaign (Mainichi Daily News, Japan)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Winner of Northwest ENERGY STAR® Homes’ $25,000 Welcome Home Campaign Prize Announced – Clark Public Utilities Customer (MarketWatch)

China to Phase Out Energy-Inefficient Light Bulbs (Associated Press)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Biggest Jump Ever Seen in Global Warming Gases (Associated Press)

Birds Fly in the Face of Climate Change Expectations (NY Times)

NASA Sees Giant Crack Forming in Antarctic Glacier (Associated Press)

Global Carbon Markets in Doldrums (The Daily Star)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Report outlines Oregon's clean energy economy leadership (Sustainable Business Oregon)

Welsh: Recycling Meets Green Building (Sustainable Business Oregon)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Facebook Getting Friendly with Seattle, Ready to Expand (Techflash)

Colorado - Comcast, CenturyLink Fail to Stop Longmont Fiber: City Will be Allowed to Use its Own Fiber Network (Broadband Reports)

Amazingly, AOL Still Has 3.5 Million Dialup Subscribers (Splatf)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

115 Washington State Mayors (Including Shelton’s Tarrant) Call Budget Cuts ‘Intolerable’ (Associated Press)

PDF of Washington Mayors’ letter (Association of Washington Cities)

Washington State - Representative Hudgins to Run for Secretary of State, Senator Pridemore for State Auditor (Seattle Times)

Autumn’s Gloomy Days Are Washington State AG McKenna’s Springtime (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

GENERAL NEWS

Return of Standard Time Means Getting Back That Hour of Sleep Lost Last Spring (Washington Post)

Possible Fire Bombing Investigated in Satsop (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Boys & Girls Club Curtailing Some North Mason Programs (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Shelton School District Bond Refinance Saves Taxpayers (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Son of Missing Mom Gets Ransom Note Demanding $250,000 (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

Gregoire Sends Inmates to Help Amid Washington State Apple-Picker Shortage (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Redmond Rejects Red-Light Ticketing Cameras (Associated Press)

Family Sued After Second Serious Injury from Buried Grape Residue (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Germany: Cleaning Woman Damages Sculpture

No More ‘Relaxation Brownies’ at the Pumps

Seattle Pastor Mark Driscoll Says Yoga Is Demonic

Oregon Balloonist Headed to Iraq for ‘Dream’ Flight

SONG OF THE DAY

Van Morrison - Cleaning Windows