Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Energy News Digest for July 31, 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

Pacific Northwest Utilities Exceed Green Power Minimum (Northwest Public Radio)

Half of India Crippled by Second Day of Power Failures (NY Times)

Power Marketing Administration Changes? Federal Energy Officials Hear Local Utilities’ Concerns about Proposed Electrical Grid Improvements (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Montana Wildfires Plague Electric Cooperatives (Electric Co-op Today)

Avista’s Low-Cost Energy Audits to End (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Half of India Crippled by Second Day of Power Failures
  • Power Marketing Administration Changes? Federal Energy Officials Hear Local Utilities’ Concerns about Proposed Electrical Grid Improvements
  • Montana Wildfires Plague Electric Cooperatives
  • Douglas County PUD Sells $76.1 Million in Bonds
  • Montana - Setbacks Cloud Future of NorthWestern’s Proposed $1 Billion Power Line
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Declines to Vacate Clean Air Credits for California Power Plant
  • August 10 - Early Morning Planned Power Outage for Lake Cushman area to Accommodate BPA Substation Maintenance
  • Williams Plans to Double Natural Gas Volume in Lewis County Pipeline
  • General Electric Says Nuclear Power Hard To Justify in Cheap Gas World
  • How Much Cyber Security is Enough? Companies Wary as U-S Senate Weighs Bill
  • Fun at the Just Completed Mason Area Fair - PUD 3 Drawing Winners Announced
  • British Columbia’s Southern Okanagan Sees Record Sockeye Returns
  • Ribbon Cutting at Belfair Sewer Plant
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Approves Oregon Forest Thinning Project
  • Pacific Northwest Utilities Exceed Green Power Minimum
  • Gresham’s Wastewater Treatment Plant Leading Way in Power Production, Alternative Energies
  • Fuel Cell Maker Neah Power Signs Defense Contract
  • On the Edge of the Subsidy Cliff: Will the U-S Production Tax Credit Expire?
  • Lines Now Drawn on Wind Tax Credit: Romney Opposes It, Obama Favors It
  • Avista’s Low-Cost Energy Audits to End (Spokesman Review,
  • Toyota Center in Kennewick Using New Cost Saving Light Bulbs
  • Starbucks to Add a Shot of Energy Efficiency to Its Coffee Shops
  • California’s Carbon Caps are Contentious but Coming
  • Seattle City Light Builds Solar Canopy at Park
  • Seattle City Council Approves Skanska’s ‘Deep Green’ Building
  • Local ISPs Say Chelan PUD Fiber Plan’s Costs Squeeze Small Service Providers
  • Olympic Officials Ask Spectators to Go Easy on Texts, Tweets
  • Municipal Bond Rates Examined for Signs of Rigging
  • Woman Bites Shelton Attacker, Escapes – Suspect Arrested
  • Innocent Plea from Teen Accused of Washington State Corrections Officer’s Murder
  • Paddle to Squaxin - The End of Tribal Journeys is Only the Beginning
  • Postal Service’s Woes Persist as $5.5 Billion Bill Comes Due
  • King-Snohomish Counties’ Trash Strike Starts to Smell Bad to Waste Management Customers
WORD OF THE DAY

Beguine • \bih-GEEN\ • Noun - A vigorous popular dance of the islands of Saint Lucia and Martinique that somewhat resembles the rumba

Begin the beguine
Dancers shimmy to the beat
Tropic moon shines bright

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Half of India Crippled by Second Day of Power Failures (NY Times)

Power Marketing Administration Changes? Federal Energy Officials Hear Local Utilities’ Concerns about Proposed Electrical Grid Improvements (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Montana Wildfires Plague Electric Cooperatives (Electric Co-op Today)

Douglas County PUD Sells $76.1 Million in Bonds (Wenatchee World, WA)

Montana - Setbacks Cloud Future of NorthWestern’s Proposed $1 Billion Power Line (Billings Gazette, MT)

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Declines to Vacate Clean Air Credits for California Power Plant (Courthouse News Service)

August 10 - Early Morning Planned Power Outage for Lake Cushman area to Accommodate BPA Substation Maintenance (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Williams Plans to Double Natural Gas Volume in Lewis County Pipeline (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

General Electric Says Nuclear Power Hard To Justify in Cheap Gas World (Reuters)

How Much Cyber Security is Enough? Companies Wary as U-S Senate Weighs Bill (Christian Science Monitor)

Fun at the Just Completed Mason Area Fair - PUD 3 Drawing Winners Announced (Mason County PUD No. 3)

FISH & WILDLIFE

British Columbia’s Southern Okanagan Sees Record Sockeye Returns (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Ribbon Cutting at Belfair Sewer Plant (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Approves Oregon Forest Thinning Project (Courthouse News Service)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Pacific Northwest Utilities Exceed Green Power Minimum (Northwest Public Radio)

Gresham’s Wastewater Treatment Plant Leading Way in Power Production, Alternative Energies (Oregonian, Portland)

Fuel Cell Maker Neah Power Signs Defense Contract (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

On the Edge of the Subsidy Cliff: Will the U-S Production Tax Credit Expire? (Renewable Energy World)

Lines Now Drawn on Wind Tax Credit: Romney Opposes It, Obama Favors It (Des Moines Register, IA)
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2012/07/30/lines-now-drawn-on-wind-tax-credit-romney-opposes-it-obama-favors-it/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Avista’s Low-Cost Energy Audits to End (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Toyota Center in Kennewick Using New Cost Saving Light Bulbs (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Starbucks to Add a Shot of Energy Efficiency to Its Coffee Shops (GigaOM)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

California’s Carbon Caps are Contentious but Coming (Forbes Magazine)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Seattle City Light Builds Solar Canopy at Park (American Public Power Association)

Seattle City Council Approves Skanska’s ‘Deep Green’ Building (Seattle Times)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Local ISPs Say Chelan PUD Fiber Plan’s Costs Squeeze Small Service Providers (Wenatchee World, WA)

Olympic Officials Ask Spectators to Go Easy on Texts, Tweets (USA Today)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Municipal Bond Rates Examined for Signs of Rigging (NY Times)

GENERAL NEWS

Woman Bites Shelton Attacker, Escapes – Suspect Arrested (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Innocent Plea from Teen Accused of Washington State Corrections Officer’s Murder (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Paddle to Squaxin - The End of Tribal Journeys is Only the Beginning (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Postal Service’s Woes Persist as $5.5 Billion Bill Comes Due (Associated Press)

King-Snohomish Counties’ Trash Strike Starts to Smell Bad to Waste Management Customers (Seattle Times)

DIVERSIONS

Romantic Crooner Tony Martin Dies at 98

Firework Buttocks Party Trick Backfires – “…Alcohol was a possible factor involved in the stunt…”

Insult to Injury - Florida Boater Arrested for Feeding Gator That Bit Off His Hand

Crop Circles Appear in Eastern Washington Wheat Field

SONG OF THE DAY

Tony Martin – Begin the Beguine

Monday, July 30, 2012

Energy News Digest for July 30, 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

California Electricity Trading Probed (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Emerald People’s Utility District Prevails in Legal Dispute over Wind Power Fee (Eugene Register Guard, OR)

Power Bill Phone Scam Claims Victim; Douglas PUD Customer (Wenatchee World, WA)

Painter Touches Aberdeen Power Line, Airlifted to Harborview (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

Rates for Washington State Workers’ Compensation Program Could Skyrocket (Seattle Times)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • California Electricity Trading Probed
  • Editorial - Is a Sequel of Enron Scandal Scamming State?
  • Painter Touches Aberdeen Power Line, Airlifted to Harborview
  • Power Bill Phone Scam Claims Victim; Douglas PUD Customer
  • Pro-Con Op/Ed - Should Thurston County Switch to a Public Power System?
  • Utilities in Oregon’s Lane County Reconsidering Board Member Compensation
  • Editorial - Best Route for Idaho Power’s Boardman-to-Hemingway Power Line Project
  • Looming Coal Boom Has Montana City Searching for Rail Solutions
  • Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion Planned along Seattle’s I-5 Corridor
  • Natural Gas Resumes Three-Month Surge on Hot Weather
  • New Commander Named to Head Army Corps’ Northwestern Division
  • Grand Coulee Dam’s Light Show to be Upgraded
  • A unique collaboration: Bonneville Power Administration & Woody Guthrie
  • New Jersey - Exelon’s Oyster Creek Plant Back at Full Power, Several Days after Outage
  • Pepco’s Power Grid: The End of Business as Usual
  • 370 Million Indians Swelter in Darkness after Power Fails
  • Shocking New Idea for Sea Lion Control
  • Caspian Terns Make Home in Former Everett Paper Mill
  • Op/Ed - Giving Fish a Ride Helps Ensure Safe Passage, Electricity
  • Editorial - Restoring Two Rivers: Pacific Northwesterners Show We’re Just as Good at Taking down the Dams
  • Editorial - Biological Boomerang: Elwha River Dam Removal
  • Emerald People’s Utility District Prevails in Legal Dispute over Wind Power Fee
  • Canada’s Ballard Power Buys Bend, Oregon Fuel Cell Maker IdaTech
  • U-S Raises Tariffs on Chinese Wind-Turbine Makers
  • Bats & Blades: More Research Needed on Bat, Wind Farm Fatalities
  • U-S Navy Earns Three Energy Awards
  • Scientists Unlock Ocean Carbon Dioxide Secrets Key to Climate: Study
  • Prominent Climate-Change Denier Says He Was Wrong
  • Conservative Group Hits GOP over Energy Subsidies in Farm Bill
  • To Stay on Solid Financial Path, Chelan PUD Limits Fiber Connections until Next Year
  • CenturyLink Gets $1.9 Million for Rural Broadband in Montana
  • FCC, South Dakota Utilities Split on Broadband Fund Reforms
  • Google Shows ISPs How to Build a Superfast Network
  • Rates for Washington State Workers’ Compensation Program Could Skyrocket
  • Two Injured in Saturday Crash on 101 near Little Creek Casino
  • Canoes, Cultures, Crowds – Squaxin Tribe Welcome Visitors from Across Northwest
  • Pacific Northwest Ag Industry Cashing in on Strong Grain Prices, Yields
  • Mason County Fairground Feud - FAA Pressure Means Pending Shutdown Next Year
WORD OF THE DAY

Quiddity • \KWID-uh-tee\ • Noun - 1: whatever makes something the type that it is: essence 2a: a trifling point: quibble b: an unusual personal opinion or habit: eccentricity

Bertie is a fan of Ernest Hemmingway. His devotion is so strong that it has become his defining quiddity. Unfortunately he is unable to grow a thick, distinctive beard like Papa Hemmingway, so he is reduced to purchasing surplus Santa beards & trimming them to suit. He wears the false beards until the silky strands begin to fall out, making it appear as if he has a mangy, white, long haired cat hanging below his prominent nose.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

California Electricity Trading Probed (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Editorial - Is a Sequel of Enron Scandal Scamming State? (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Painter Touches Aberdeen Power Line, Airlifted to Harborview (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

Power Bill Phone Scam Claims Victim; Douglas PUD Customer (Wenatchee World, WA)

Pro-Con Op/Ed - Should Thurston County Switch to a Public Power System? (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Utilities in Oregon’s Lane County Reconsidering Board Member Compensation (Associated Press)

Editorial - Best Route for Idaho Power’s Boardman-to-Hemingway Power Line Project (Baker City Herald, OR)

Looming Coal Boom Has Montana City Searching for Rail Solutions (Longview Daily News, WA)

Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion Planned along Seattle’s I-5 Corridor (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

Natural Gas Resumes Three-Month Surge on Hot Weather (Associated Press)

New Commander Named to Head Army Corps’ Northwestern Division (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Grand Coulee Dam’s Light Show to be Upgraded (Associated Press)

A unique collaboration: Bonneville Power Administration & Woody Guthrie (Bonneville Power Administration)

New Jersey - Exelon’s Oyster Creek Plant Back at Full Power, Several Days after Outage (Associated Press)

Pepco’s Power Grid: The End of Business as Usual (Forbes Magazine)

370 Million Indians Swelter in Darkness after Power Fails (USA Today)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Shocking New Idea for Sea Lion Control (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

Caspian Terns Make Home in Former Everett Paper Mill (KING-TV, Seattle)

Op/Ed - Giving Fish a Ride Helps Ensure Safe Passage, Electricity (Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal)

Editorial - Restoring Two Rivers: Pacific Northwesterners Show We’re Just as Good at Taking down the Dams (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Editorial - Biological Boomerang: Elwha River Dam Removal (NY Times)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Emerald People’s Utility District Prevails in Legal Dispute over Wind Power Fee (Eugene Register Guard, OR)

Canada’s Ballard Power Buys Bend, Oregon Fuel Cell Maker IdaTech (Forbes Magazine)

U-S Raises Tariffs on Chinese Wind-Turbine Makers (NY Times)

Bats & Blades: More Research Needed on Bat, Wind Farm Fatalities (Midwest Energy News)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

U-S Navy Earns Three Energy Awards (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Scientists Unlock Ocean Carbon Dioxide Secrets Key to Climate: Study (Reuters)

Prominent Climate-Change Denier Says He Was Wrong (Bend Bulletin, OR)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Conservative Group Hits GOP over Energy Subsidies in Farm Bill (The Hill, Washington, D-C)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

To Stay on Solid Financial Path, Chelan PUD Limits Fiber Connections until Next Year (North Central Washington TV)

CenturyLink Gets $1.9 Million for Rural Broadband in Montana (Associated Press)

FCC, South Dakota Utilities Split on Broadband Fund Reforms (Associated Press)

Google Shows ISPs How to Build a Superfast Network (C/NET News)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Rates for Washington State Workers’ Compensation Program Could Skyrocket (Seattle Times)

GENERAL NEWS

Two Injured in Saturday Crash on 101 near Little Creek Casino (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Canoes, Cultures, Crowds – Squaxin Tribe Welcome Visitors from Across Northwest (Olympian, WA)

Pacific Northwest Ag Industry Cashing in on Strong Grain Prices, Yields (Northwest Public Radio)

Mason County Fairground Feud - FAA Pressure Means Pending Shutdown Next Year (South Sound Business Examiner)

DIVERSIONS

Tacoma Man Could Face Charges after In-Flight Tirade over Reading Light

Disney World Tells Santa Claus Lookalike to be Less ‘Santa-Ish’

There’s a One in Ten Chance You’re Dreaming Right Now

Better Than a Reusable Coffee Cup: An Edible Coffee Cup Made Out of a Cookie

SONG OF THE DAY

Blondie – Dreaming