Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Energy News Digest for November 15, 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

Special Weather Statement - A Vigorous Frontal System Will Bring Windy Conditions to Most of Western Washington Wednesday through Wednesday Night (National Weather Service, Seattle)

SolarWorld’s Stock Plunges after the German Company, Which Makes Solar Products in Hillsboro, Reports Losses (Oregonian, Portland)

Solyndra: Energy Dept. Pushed Firm to Keep Layoffs Quiet until after Midterms (Washington Post)

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Funding to Expand & Improve Broadband Services in Rural Areas - Inland Telephone Company & Toledo Telephone Co. Get Funds (USDA)
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2011/11/0485.xml&navid=NEWS_RELEASE&navtype=RT&parentnav=LATEST_RELEASES&edeployment_action=retrievecontent

Biofuel Flights are Off the Ground, But Can the Industry Get Enough? (KING-TV, Seattle)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Spokane Heating Assistance Program Expects Less Federal Aid
  • Editorial - What’s Next for Troubled Southern Montana Electric & Its Co-Ops?
  • Keystone Pipeline Will Be Rerouted
  • Illinois - Coal Power Project Hits Snag as a Partner Backs Off
  • Michigan Coalition Calls Energy Surcharge for Transmission a Bad Deal
  • Ameren Offers Hotline for Lake of the Ozarks Property Owners
  • Op/Ed - Pricing of Electricity Could Use a Jolt
  • Germany Faces Sticker Shock as It Looks to Replace Nuclear With Renewables
  • Department of Energy Funding Debuts Another Success: Fish-Friendly Hydropower
  • California Birds Mysteriously Growing Bigger Since Hitchcock’s Film
  • Columbia River Gorge Air Quality Focus of Lawsuit
  • City of Shelton Considering Sewer Rate Increase
  • Dog Waste Plagues Nisqually Reach, Henderson Inlet
  • SolarWorld’s Stock Plunges after the German Company, Which Makes Solar Products in Hillsboro, Reports Losses
  • Solyndra: Energy Dept. Pushed Firm to Keep Layoffs Quiet until after Midterms
  • California Ratepayer Advocate Complains of High Solar Power Costs
  • California – Pacific Gas & Electric Solar Projects Concern Fresno County Leaders
  • Editorial - Jumbo-Sized Solar is a Jumbo-Sized Mistake
  • Montana - Flathead Electric Cooperative to Begin Exploratory Geothermal Drilling
  • Gold Rush of Federal Subsidies for Clean Energy
  • Alaska - Kodiak Electric Association Touts Wind Power
  • Wind Electricity to be Fully Competitive with Natural Gas by 2016
  • Wisconsin - Oneida Biomass Plant Gets Final Approval
  • Wood Use Mitigates Climate Change
  • Two Homes at PNNL to Compare Energy Efficiency
  • Fluorescent Lights to Save More Energy
  • Michigan - City Of Flint Appealing Termination of $1.1-Million Energy Grant & Demand for Repayment
  • Energy Efficiency: The New “First Fuel”
  • Let’s Have an Energy ‘Black Friday’
  • How to Save on Christmas Lights
  • PNNL Confirms Air Pollution Impacts Climate
  • BBC: Climate Change Episode of Frozen Planet Won’t Be Shown in the US as Viewers Don’t Believe in Global Warming
  • Closeup: Climate Extremes & Global Warming
  • Biofuel Flights are Off the Ground, But Can the Industry Get Enough?
  • How to Choose the Right Woodstove
  • Gas Inserts Can Turn a Fireplace into an Efficient Source of Comfort
  • Empty Green Promises
  • Lessons from America’s Surprising No. 1 Bike Town – No, it’s not Portland, OR
  • Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Funding to Expand & Improve Broadband Services in Rural Areas - Inland Telephone Company & Toledo Telephone Co. Get Funds
  • Seattle, UW, Bringing High-Speed Internet to UW Neighborhoods
  • Google Says Gmail & Google+ are Keys to its Strategy on the Cloud
  • Will Cloud Computing Make Everything (and Everyone) Work Harder?
  • Q&A: Finding Fonts for All
  • Former Washington State Senator Joins Secretary of State Race
  • Special Weather Statement - A Vigorous Frontal System Will Bring Windy Conditions to Most of Western Washington Wednesday
  • Another La NiƱa Winter May Mean another Epic Ski Season
  • Belfair Home Invasion Robbery Suspects Held On $500,000 Bail
  • Shelton Development Incentives Discussed
  • Starbucks Drops “Hidden” Bean Surcharge
WORD OF THE DAY

Hoosegow • \HOOS-gow (as in cow)\ • Noun – Jail

“Time for a rest in the gray-bar motel, the hoosegow, the big house, up river…” drawled the small town sheriff to his struggling prisoner. “I get the idea,” whined the two-bit hustler. “You’re putting me in jail.”

Origin of HOOSEGOW - Spanish juzgado panel of judges, courtroom, from past participle of juzgar to judge, from Latin judicare

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Spokane Heating Assistance Program Expects Less Federal Aid (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Editorial - What’s Next for Troubled Southern Montana Electric & Its Co-Ops? (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

Keystone Pipeline Will Be Rerouted (NY Times)

Illinois - Coal Power Project Hits Snag as a Partner Backs Off (NY Times)

Michigan Coalition Calls Energy Surcharge for Transmission a Bad Deal (Detroit News, MI)
http://www.detnews.com/article/20111115/BIZ/111150323/1001/biz

Ameren Offers Hotline for Lake of the Ozarks Property Owners (Kansas City Business Journal, MO)

Op/Ed - Pricing of Electricity Could Use a Jolt (Los Angeles Times, CA)

Germany Faces Sticker Shock as It Looks to Replace Nuclear With Renewables (Minyanville)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Department of Energy Funding Debuts Another Success: Fish-Friendly Hydropower (Clean Technica)

California Birds Mysteriously Growing Bigger Since Hitchcock’s Film (Mother Nature Network)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Columbia River Gorge Air Quality Focus of Lawsuit - Friends says panel’s approval of strategy fails to protect area (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

City of Shelton Considering Sewer Rate Increase (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Dog Waste Plagues Nisqually Reach, Henderson Inlet (Olympian, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

SolarWorld’s Stock Plunges after the German Company, Which Makes Solar Products in Hillsboro, Reports Losses (Oregonian, Portland)

Solyndra: Energy Dept. Pushed Firm to Keep Layoffs Quiet until after Midterms (Washington Post)

California Ratepayer Advocate Complains of High Solar Power Costs (Los Angeles Times, CA)

California – Pacific Gas & Electric Solar Projects Concern Fresno County Leaders: PG&E undoes contracts to use ag lands for alt energy (Fresno Bee, CA)
http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/11/12/2612682/solar-projects-in-fresno-county.html

Editorial - Jumbo-Sized Solar is a Jumbo-Sized Mistake (GigaOM)

Montana - Flathead Electric Cooperative to Begin Exploratory Geothermal Drilling (Flathead Beacon, MT)

Gold Rush of Federal Subsidies for Clean Energy (Seattle Times)

Alaska - Kodiak Electric Association Touts Wind Power (Electric Co-op Today)

Wind Electricity to be Fully Competitive with Natural Gas by 2016, Says Bloomberg New Energy Finance (Renewable Energy World)

Wisconsin - Oneida Biomass Plant Gets Final Approval: Dept. of Energy says study isn’t needed (Green Bay Press-Gazette, WI)

Wood Use Mitigates Climate Change (Renewable Energy World)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Two Homes at PNNL to Compare Energy Efficiency (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Fluorescent Lights to Save More Energy (Courthouse News Service)

Michigan - City Of Flint Appealing Termination of $1.1-Million Energy Grant & Demand for Repayment – Feds claim “serious mismanagement & misuse” of the funds (Flint Journal, MI)
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2011/11/city_of_flint_appealing_termin.html

Energy Efficiency: The New “First Fuel” (Huffington Post)

Let’s Have an Energy ‘Black Friday’ (Everett Herald, WA)

How to Save on Christmas Lights - Energy-efficient LED lights will save you money over time, but you should buy them after the holidays (Christian Science Monitor)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

PNNL Confirms Air Pollution Impacts Climate (Sustainable Business Oregon)

BBC: Climate Change Episode of Frozen Planet Won’t Be Shown in the US as Viewers Don’t Believe in Global Warming (The Daily Mail, UK)

Closeup: Climate Extremes & Global Warming (NY Times)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Biofuel Flights are Off the Ground, But Can the Industry Get Enough? (KING-TV, Seattle)

How to Choose the Right Woodstove (Mother Earth News)

Gas Inserts Can Turn a Fireplace into an Efficient Source of Comfort (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Empty Green Promises - Why government attempts to encourage a “green economy” are almost always a bad idea (Slate Magazine)

Lessons from America’s Surprising No. 1 Bike Town – No, it’s not Portland, OR (Christian Science Monitor)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Funding to Expand & Improve Broadband Services in Rural Areas - Inland Telephone Company & Toledo Telephone Co. Get Funds (USDA)
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2011/11/0485.xml&navid=NEWS_RELEASE&navtype=RT&parentnav=LATEST_RELEASES&edeployment_action=retrievecontent

Seattle, UW, Bringing High-Speed Internet to UW Neighborhoods (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2011/11/14/seattle-uw-bringing-high-speed.html

Google Says Gmail & Google+ are Keys to its Strategy on the Cloud (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

Will Cloud Computing Make Everything (and Everyone) Work Harder? (NY Times)

Q&A: Finding Fonts for All (NY Times)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Former Washington State Senator Joins Secretary of State Race (Associated Press)

GENERAL NEWS

Special Weather Statement - A Vigorous Frontal System Will Bring Windy Conditions to Most of Western Washington Wednesday through Wednesday Night (National Weather Service, Seattle)

Another La NiƱa Winter May Mean another Epic Ski Season (Olympian, WA)

Belfair Home Invasion Robbery Suspects Held On $500,000 Bail (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Shelton Development Incentives Discussed (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Starbucks Drops “Hidden” Bean Surcharge (Associated Press)

DIVERSIONS

Oregon Man’s Iraq Lawn-Chair Flight Grounded

New Way to Mourn in South Korea: Cremated Remains Become Gemlike Beads

The Most Expensive Photograph Ever Sold

World’s Most Expensive Tea Made with Panda Dung

SONG OF THE DAY

Ringo Starr – Photograph