Friday, June 15, 2012

Energy News Digest for June 15, 2012


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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices:

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

U-S Proposal Would Tighten Soot Standards (Reuters)

California Scrambling to Stave Off Summer Blackouts (Reuters)

U-S Urges Markets to Pull Shellfish from South Korea (USA Today)

Amazon, Microsoft Waging a Cloud Pricing Battle (Investor’s Business Daily)

Green Homes Increase as LEED Certifies 20,000-Plus (USA Today)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • California Scrambling to Stave Off Summer Blackouts
  • U-S Natural Gas Supplies Grew Last Week
  • Republicans, Democrats at Odds on Energy Issues
  • Contractor Selected for Mason County PUD 3 Substation Reconstruction
  • Mason County PUD 3 Commission Report for June 12, 2012
  • Washington State Gubernatorial Candidates Speak on Energy & Construction at Summit
  • Obama Choice to Lead Nuclear Regulatory Commission Pledges Collegiality
  • Ohio - FirstEnergy Corp. Has Restarted the Davis-Besse Nuclear Reactor
  • Duke, Progress Merger Filings Concede Additional Costs
  • Elwha River Dam Removal Project Brings New Warning
  • Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife to Accept Public Comments on Hatchery Program
  • U-S Proposal Would Tighten Soot Standards
  • Clallam County & Clallam PUD Take Aim at Sewer Project
  • APNewsBreak: FAA Felt Offshore Wind Farm Pressure
  • U-S Biomass: Where Do All the Wood Pellets Go?
  • Phillies Go Green with Ballpark Energy
  • Green Homes Increase as LEED Certifies 20,000-Plus
  • Survey: More Commercial Building Owners Want to be Energy Efficient
  • Improper Insulating Tied to Fires
  • Extra Rooms Lying Empty? Close Them Off & Save Money
  • Global Warming's Evil Twin Threatens West Coast Fishing Grounds
  • NOAA: Second Hottest May on Record Globally, Hottest for Northern Hemisphere
  • Australia Says 294 Polluters to Pay Carbon Tax
  • unced in Seattle
  • On Our Radar: A Global Wind Day
  • Amazon, Microsoft Waging a Cloud Pricing Battle
  • Will Amazon Outage Ding Cloud Confidence?
  • UTOPIA Joins the 1Gbps Club - Starts Offering 1 Gbps for $300 in Utah
  • Comcast Asked to Stop Calling Xfinity 'Fastest in the Nation'
  • Cleveland Selected Among 25 Cities to Get Support for High-Speed Broadband Networks
  • Yahoo Email Users Spend More on Energy than Gmail Users
  • Washington Education Association Challenges Charter School Initiative in Court
  • Ex-Skamania Auditor's Criminal Case Delayed - Document Shredding Alleged
  • Americans Want to Cut the Deficit, But They’re Loath To Give Up Much to Do It
  • U-S Urges Markets to Pull Shellfish from South Korea
  • Tumwater Man Wrongly Accused in Montana Shooting of Hitchhiker
  • Pacific Northwest Counties in Line for Federal Aid, But Will There Be More?
  • Are Cool, Showery Springs Set to Become the Seattle Norm?
  • Man Likely Sickened by Plague in Critical Condition in Bend
  • Americans Think Their Local Economy is Okay - And Everywhere Else is Terrible
  • Longview Council Wants City's 1,000 Birch Trees Removed in Next 10 to 15 Years
WORD OF THE DAY

Exigent • \EX-uh-junt\ • Adjective - 1: requiring immediate aid or action 2: requiring or calling for much: demanding

The annual company jalapeño pepper eating contest was heating up. Barty had piled up ten peppers in 20 seconds, beads of sweat bursting from the top of his bald pate. Only the application of cold milk in an exigent fashion would provide his rescue…unfortunately, there was no milkfat on the frosted glass of “skim milk” in front of his heaping plate of green gut bombs. It was not a pretty end to an exciting competition.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

California Scrambling to Stave Off Summer Blackouts (Reuters)

U-S Natural Gas Supplies Grew Last Week (Associated Press)

Republicans, Democrats at Odds on Energy Issues (Associated Press – Really?)

Contractor Selected for Mason County PUD 3 Substation Reconstruction (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Mason County PUD 3 Commission Report for June 12, 2012 (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Washington State Gubernatorial Candidates Speak on Energy & Construction at Summit (Pacific Northwest Center of Excellence)

Obama Choice to Lead Nuclear Regulatory Commission Pledges Collegiality (Associated Press)

Ohio - FirstEnergy Corp. Has Restarted the Davis-Besse Nuclear Reactor (Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH)

Duke, Progress Merger Filings Concede Additional Costs (The Greater Triad Area Business Journal)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Elwha River Dam Removal Project Brings New Warning (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)

Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife to Accept Public Comments on Hatchery Program (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

U-S Proposal Would Tighten Soot Standards (Reuters)

Clallam County & Clallam PUD Take Aim at Sewer Project (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

APNewsBreak: FAA Felt Offshore Wind Farm Pressure (Associated Press)

U-S Biomass: Where Do All the Wood Pellets Go? “…If not for the largesse of European utilities required to meet government carbon emissions standards…the U-S pellet export industry would arguably not exist…” (Renewable Energy World)

Phillies Go Green with Ballpark Energy (Philadelphia Inquirer, PA)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Green Homes Increase as LEED Certifies 20,000-Plus (USA Today)

Survey: More Commercial Building Owners Want to be Energy Efficient (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

Improper Insulating Tied to Fires - Why It’s Generally Not Safe to Insulate over Knob & Tube Wiring (Seattle Times)

Extra Rooms Lying Empty? Close Them Off & Save Money (Christian Science Monitor)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Global Warming's Evil Twin Threatens West Coast Fishing Grounds (Christian Science Monitor)

NOAA: Second Hottest May on Record Globally, Hottest for Northern Hemisphere (The Energy Collective)

Australia Says 294 Polluters to Pay Carbon Tax (Associated Press)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Northwest Cleantech Open 2012 Semifinalists Announced in Seattle (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA)

On Our Radar: A Global Wind Day (NY Times)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Amazon, Microsoft Waging a Cloud Pricing Battle (Investor’s Business Daily)

Will Amazon Outage Ding Cloud Confidence? (GigaOM)

UTOPIA Joins the 1Gbps Club - Starts Offering 1 Gbps for $300 in Utah (Broadband Reports)

Comcast Asked to Stop Calling Xfinity 'Fastest in the Nation' (Boston Business Journal, MA)

Cleveland Selected Among 25 Cities to Get Support for High-Speed Broadband Networks (Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH)

Yahoo Email Users Spend More on Energy than Gmail Users (GigaOM)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington Education Association Challenges Charter School Initiative in Court (Seattle Times)

Ex-Skamania Auditor's Criminal Case Delayed - Document Shredding Alleged (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Americans Want to Cut the Deficit, But They’re Loath To Give Up Much to Do It (Washington Post)

GENERAL NEWS

U-S Urges Markets to Pull Shellfish from South Korea (USA Today)

Tumwater Man Wrongly Accused in Montana Shooting of Hitchhiker (KING-TV, Seattle)

Pacific Northwest Counties in Line for Federal Aid, But Will There Be More? (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

You can do a “Payment in Lieu of Taxes” search by county and fiscal year here: http://www.nbc.gov/pilt/search.cfm

Are Cool, Showery Springs Set to Become the Seattle Norm? (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

Man Likely Sickened by Plague in Critical Condition in Bend - Bit while trying to get a mouse away from a stray cat (Oregonian, Portland)

Americans Think Their Local Economy is Okay - And Everywhere Else is Terrible (Washington Post)

Longview Council Wants City's 1,000 Birch Trees Removed in Next 10 to 15 Years (Longview Daily News, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Texas Sheriff’s Office Sued after Bogus Mass Grave Claim from ‘Psychic’

Spanish Cave Paintings Shown as Oldest in the World

Happy Anniversary! Couple Arrested, Hotel Damaged in Celebration

Thunder Fan? Your Money's No Good Here

SONG OF THE DAY

The Little River Band - Happy Anniversary