Thursday, January 26, 2012

Puget Sound Energy says outages restored (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017341095_apwapugetpoweroutages.html

Energy News Digest for January 26, 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.

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THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Imperfect Timing: Puget Sound Energy Seeks to Increase Rates after Sweeping Outages (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Puget Sound Energy Recruits State Patrol to Provide Security While Crews Restore Power (Seattle Times)

FERC Ruling on Wind Power Questioned by Pacific NW Congressional Delegation (Tri-City Herald, WA)

New Lawsuit: Navy Sonar Killing Whales Off Pacific NW Coast (Associated Press)

New USDA Climate Zone Map Reflects Northward Warming Trends (USA Today)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • South Thurston Residents Get Good News about Power Outages
  • Imperfect Timing: Puget Sound Energy Seeks to Increase Rates after Sweeping Outages
  • Will Puget Sound Energy’s Performance during Last Week’s Storms Draw More Interest in Its Rate Increase Meetings Next Month?
  • Puget Sound Energy Recruits State Patrol to Provide Security While Crews Restore Power
  • Snohomish PUD Rate Increase Would Bump Up Average Residential Bill $2.56 a Month
  • Cowlitz PUD Will Give Customers Credit on October Bills
  • Bonds to Finance Grant PUD Projects
  • Op/Ed – Includes Aluminum Energy Subsidies: Larsen Outlines Keys to Northwest Economic Growth
  • Joint Transmission System Projects to Improve Puget Sound Area’s System Reliability
  • Montana - Bankruptcy Judge Considers State Agency Intervention in Southern Montana Electric Cooperative Case
  • Massachusetts - Activists Say Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant is Too Close to Drinking Water Supplies
  • US Natural Gas Supplies Shrank Last Week
  • Texas Electric Deregulation Promises Remain Unfulfilled
  • New Lawsuit: Navy Sonar Killing Whales Off Pacific NW Coast
  • Industry Lawsuit over Marbled Murrelet Follows Legal Move by Environmentalists
  • Jefferson County, Ecology Discuss Net Pens for Aquaculture
  • Runaway Scottish Salmon Stir Conservation Worries
  • FERC Ruling on Wind Power Questioned by Pacific NW Congressional Delegation
  • SolarWorld, Flagging a Surge of Chinese Solar Panel Imports, Enrages Miami Wholesaler
  • Hydro Plant Proposed for Franklin County Canal
  • Wind Energy Subsidy May Be Renewed After Election, Adviser Says
  • Wisconsin - Aid for Wind Turbine “Victims” Sough
  • Power from Hog Manure Slow to Catch on in Midwest
  • What The Heck Is A REC?
  • Dark Clouds Threaten German Clean Energy Ambitions
  • Energy Conservation Benefiting Eugene’s Economy
  • Skip the Stove, Use the Microwave
  • Energy Efficiency in the Workplace: Is Your Energy Supplier Doing Enough?
  • New USDA Climate Zone Map Reflects Northward Warming Trends
  • Presentation by Global Warming Skeptics Draws Big Crowd in Portland
  • What’s the Deal With Personal Carbon Trading?
  • Eastern Oregon Biofuel Refinery Wins $235 Million Federal Loan Backing to Make Ethanol from Poplar Trees
  • More Retail Centers Installing Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
  • Google Fiber Runs Face First Into Bureaucracy - Pole attachments? Permits? Huh?
  • Have We Lost Control of the Internet?
  • Republican Lawmakers Say Work on Washington State Budget Lags
  • Nickels Files Paperwork for Washington’s Secretary of State Campaign
  • Washington State’s First District Primary Fight Begins!
  • Sister of Mitchell Rupe Murder Victim Urges End to Death Penalty
  • Belfair Water District Manager Calls for Commissioner’s Resignation
  • Washington Ranks in Top Ten for Business-Friendly Tax Climate
WORD OF THE DAY

Loath • \LOWTH\ • adjective - Unwilling to do something contrary to one’s way of thinking: reluctant.

It wasn’t the stink, so much as the sinking feeling afterwards that made Edward loath to take the “double dog dare” from his fellow farmhands. He knew that in the moonlight the surface of the bubbling dairy farm’s manure lagoon looked as solid as a six-inch slab of concrete…belying its utter, viscous nature. The “walks of fate” would have to wait until some other time.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

South Thurston Residents Get Good News about Power Outages (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Imperfect Timing: Puget Sound Energy Seeks to Increase Rates after Sweeping Outages (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Will Puget Sound Energy’s Performance during Last Week’s Storms Draw More Interest in Its Rate Increase Meetings Next Month? (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Puget Sound Energy Recruits State Patrol to Provide Security While Crews Restore Power (Seattle Times)

Snohomish PUD Rate Increase Would Bump Up Average Residential Bill $2.56 a Month (Everett Herald, WA)

Cowlitz PUD Will Give Customers Credit on October Bills (Longview Daily News, WA)

Bonds to Finance Grant PUD Projects (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Op/Ed – Includes Aluminum Energy Subsidies: Larsen Outlines Keys to Northwest Economic Growth (Bellingham Herald, WA)

Joint Transmission System Projects to Improve Puget Sound Area’s System Reliability - First major regional electric grid improvements in decades prepare the area for the future (Bonneville Power Administration)

Montana - Bankruptcy Judge Considers State Agency Intervention in Southern Montana Electric Cooperative Case (Billings Gazette, MT)

Massachusetts - Activists Say Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant is Too Close to Drinking Water Supplies (Brockton Enterprise, MA)

US Natural Gas Supplies Shrank Last Week (Associated Press)

Texas Electric Deregulation Promises Remain Unfulfilled (Electric Energy Online)

FISH & WILDLIFE

New Lawsuit: Navy Sonar Killing Whales Off Pacific NW Coast (Associated Press)

Industry Lawsuit over Marbled Murrelet Follows Legal Move by Environmentalists (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Jefferson County, Ecology Discuss Net Pens for Aquaculture (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Runaway Scottish Salmon Stir Conservation Worries (NY Times)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

FERC Ruling on Wind Power Questioned by Pacific NW Congressional Delegation (Tri-City Herald, WA)

SolarWorld, Flagging a Surge of Chinese Solar Panel Imports, Enrages Miami Wholesaler (Oregonian, Portland)

Hydro Plant Proposed for Franklin County Canal (Associated Press)

Wind Energy Subsidy May Be Renewed After Election, Adviser Says (Bloomberg News)

Wisconsin - Aid for Turbine Victims Sought: County says state should pay medical bills for those near wind farm (Green Bay Press-Gazette, WI)
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20120126/GPG0101/201260559

Power from Hog Manure Slow to Catch on in Midwest (Midwest Energy News)

What The Heck Is A REC? (Lynnfield Patch, MA)

Dark Clouds Threaten German Clean Energy Ambitions (Renewable Energy World)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Energy Conservation Benefiting Eugene’s Economy (Salem Statesman-Journal, OR)

Skip the Stove, Use the Microwave - For the specific tasks at which microwaves excel, they’re much more efficient than stove tops & ovens (Christian Science Monitor)

Energy Efficiency in the Workplace: Is Your Energy Supplier Doing Enough? (Greenwise)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

New USDA Climate Zone Map Reflects Northward Warming Trends (USA Today)

Presentation by Global Warming Skeptics Draws Big Crowd in Portland (Oregonian, Portland)

What’s the Deal With Personal Carbon Trading? (The Energy Collective)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Eastern Oregon Biofuel Refinery Wins $235 Million Federal Loan Backing to Make Ethanol from Poplar Trees (Oregonian, Portland)

More Retail Centers Installing Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (Los Angeles Times, CA)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Google Fiber Runs Face First Into Bureaucracy - Pole attachments? Permits? Huh? (Broadband Reports)

Have We Lost Control of the Internet? (Washington Post)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Republican Lawmakers Say Work on Washington State Budget Lags - Republican lawmakers say the Legislature isn’t focusing on its key task — closing a $1 billion budget gap (Associated Press)

Nickels Files Paperwork for Washington’s Secretary of State Campaign (KING-TV, Seattle)

Washington State’s First District Primary Fight Begins! Burner supporter hits DelBene as ‘millionaire New Dem’ (Seattle Times)

GENERAL NEWS

Sister of Mitchell Rupe Murder Victim Urges End to Death Penalty (Olympian, WA)

Belfair Water District Manager Calls for Commissioner’s Resignation (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Washington Ranks in Top Ten for Business-Friendly Tax Climate (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

DIVERSIONS

False Imprisonment? Michigan Man Locked in Ship Bathroom Loses Appeal

McDonald’s Twitter Campaign Becomes Horror Story

‘Danger, Will Robinson!’: Dick Tufeld, Voice of ‘Lost in Space’ Robot, Dies

SONG OF THE DAY

Mr Roboto – Styx