Thursday, March 15, 2012

Energy News Digest for March 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

NERC Bulk System Definition Revised - Would specifically exclude facilities used for electricity distribution. It also addresses assets such as radial lines and local networks, among others (Electric Co-op Today)

Congresswoman Herrera Beutler to Pursue 'Renewable Energy' Classification for Hydroelectric Sources (Longview Daily News, WA)

Canadian Hydro Producers Eye Growing US Market for Low Carbon Electricity Supply (Midwest Energy News)

Army Corps of Engineers Looks to Save Salmon from Caspian Terns (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Two Main Sticking Points Stalling Progress on Washington State Budget (Associated Press)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • NERC Bulk System Definition Revised - Would specifically exclude facilities used for electricity distribution
  • Congresswoman Herrera Beutler to Pursue 'Renewable Energy' Classification for Hydroelectric Sources
  • Canadian Hydro Producers Eye Growing US Market for Low Carbon Electricity Supply
  • Public Meeting Set to Discuss Puget Sound Energy Response to January Storms
  • Fitch Rates Energy Northwest’s Revenue & Refunding Bonds 'AA'; Outlook Stable
  • USEC Officials Say 2012 Will Be Key to Company's Uranium Supply Future
  • American Public Power Association Passes Grays Harbor PUD Resolution
  • Reviewing Near-Miss Safety Incidents - Interview with Bruce Meaker, Snohomish County PUD
  • Former Columbian Newspaper Business Editor to Run for Clark PUD Board
  • A Drill to Replace Crucial Transformers - Not the Hollywood Kind
  • Feds Probe Equipment Failure at California Nuclear Power Plant
  • Pennsylvania - Record Fine for Alleged Manipulation of Electricity Market
  • US Natural Gas Supplies Shrank Last Week
  • Line Relocation - AT&T Asks Wisconsin to Make Milwaukee Pay for Streetcar Utility Costs
  • Army Corps of Engineers Looks to Save Salmon from Caspian Terns
  • Reports Show More Lower Columbia Spring Chinook Action & Excellent for Walleye in the Dalles & John Day Pools
  • Feds Say Wyoming Tribe's Bald Eagle Hunting Permit a First
  • That's Fishy: Feds Fight Fraud in Seafood Sizes
  • Insecticides in Bird Seed - Scotts Miracle-Gro Pleads Guilty to Breaking Federal Pesticide Law
  • Groups Criticize Yakima Basin Water Plan Proposal
  • Portland Won't Have to Build $70M Water Treatment Plant
  • British Columbia, US States to Co-Ordinate Response to Tsunami Debris
  • Study Sees More Wood Fuel in Washington State Forests
  • Hydropower to Maintain Majority Share of Renewable Capacity through 2020
  • How Sustainable is Wind Power?
  • US Solar & Wind Industries Expand
  • Solar Industry More than Doubles Capacity
  • Werkhoven Dairy's Green Efforts are Rewarded
  • Seattle’s LED Streetlights as Much about Safety as Savings
  • Landlord Pitches Energy Savings to Tenants & Saves $1.7 Million
  • How Much Energy Do Your Appliances Use?
  • Sea Level Studies: US Coasts Even More Vulnerable than Previously Thought
  • West Coast Governors Predict Massive Uptick in 'Clean Economy' Jobs
  • Study: Young People Not So 'Green' After All
  • Clearwire, Leap Ink Wholesale Contract
  • Bloom Energy Launches Data Center Focus for Its Fuel Cells
  • Flush a Toilet & Cool Google’s Data Center
  • Repeat after Me: Business is Always About the Customer
  • Two Main Sticking Points Stalling Progress on Washington State Budget
  • Budget Centric? Range Of Bills to Get New Life in Washington State’s Special Session
  • Washington State Supreme Court Authorizes Redistricting Boundaries for 2012 Elections
  • Jay Inslee Defends Resignation from Congress for Gubernatorial Run
  • Gay Marriage Opponents Revving Up Petitions for Referendum 74
  • Flood Watch for Skokomish River in Mason County
  • Death of Washington State Boy Third Gun Accident in Three Weeks
  • Allyn Couple Charged with Assault in Armin Jahr Shooting to Appear in Court
  • Bill Shouldn’t Affect Olympic Peninsula Wood Stoves
  • Washington State’s Work-Related Deaths at All-Time Low
  • Mason County Commissioner Races Starting to Fill Up
  • Karma - Goldman Stunned by Op-Ed Loses $2.2 Billion for Shareholders
  • US Wholesale Prices Tame Outside Costlier Gas
WORD OF THE DAY

Ambivalence • \am-BIV-uh-lunt\ • Noun - 1: simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action 2a: continual fluctuation (as between one thing and its opposite) b: uncertainty as to which approach to follow.

“How do you feel about using the word ambivalence in this sentence?” asked the fresh-faced editor to his retiring, grizzled crime reporter. “I don’t know, it doesn’t really matter, whatever,” was the listless reply from the short-timer…who was gazing out the window at the shoes of the pedestrians walking by his dirty, ground floor window.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

NERC Bulk System Definition Revised - Would specifically exclude facilities used for electricity distribution. It also addresses assets such as radial lines and local networks, among others (Electric Co-op Today)

Congresswoman Herrera Beutler to Pursue 'Renewable Energy' Classification for Hydroelectric Sources (Longview Daily News, WA)

Canadian Hydro Producers Eye Growing US Market for Low Carbon Electricity Supply (Midwest Energy News)

Public Meeting Set to Discuss Puget Sound Energy Response to January Storms (Olympian, WA)

Fitch Rates Energy Northwest’s Revenue & Refunding Bonds 'AA'; Outlook Stable (Yahoo Finance)

USEC Officials Say 2012 Will Be Key to Company's Uranium Supply Future – Are in talks with the Bonneville Power Administration to supply low-enriched uranium to Energy Northwest's Columbia nuclear unit (Platts – BTW, Energy Northwest is NOT a subsidiary of BPA)

American Public Power Association Passes Grays Harbor PUD Resolution (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)

Reviewing Near-Miss Safety Incidents - Interview with Bruce Meaker, Snohomish County PUD (Water Power Magazine)

Former Columbian Newspaper Business Editor to Run for Clark PUD Board (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

A Drill to Replace Crucial Transformers - Not the Hollywood Kind (NY Times)

Feds Probe Equipment Failure at California Nuclear Power Plant (Associated Press)

Pennsylvania - Record Fine for Alleged Manipulation of Electricity Market: Some of the $245 million that Constellation Energy has agreed to pay will end up helping Pennsylvania (Allentown Morning Call, PA)

US Natural Gas Supplies Shrank Last Week (Associated Press)

Line Relocation - AT&T Asks Wisconsin to Make Milwaukee Pay for Streetcar Utility Costs (Business Journal for Greater Milwaukee, WI)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Army Corps of Engineers Looks to Save Salmon from Caspian Terns (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Reports Show More Lower Columbia Spring Chinook Action & Excellent for Walleye in the Dalles & John Day Pools (Seattle Times)

Feds Say Wyoming Tribe's Bald Eagle Hunting Permit a First (Associated Press)

That's Fishy: Feds Fight Fraud in Seafood Sizes (Associated Press)

Insecticides in Bird Seed - Scotts Miracle-Gro Pleads Guilty to Breaking Federal Pesticide Law (Environmental News Service)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Groups Criticize Yakima Basin Water Plan Proposal (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Portland Won't Have to Build $70M Water Treatment Plant (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

British Columbia, US States to Co-Ordinate Response to Tsunami Debris (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Study Sees More Wood Fuel in Washington State Forests (Associated Press)

Hydropower to Maintain Majority Share of Renewable Capacity through 2020 (Electric Light & Power)

How Sustainable is Wind Power? (Oregon Catalyst)

US Solar & Wind Industries Expand (USA Today)

Solar Industry More than Doubles Capacity (Washington Post)

Werkhoven Dairy's Green Efforts are Rewarded (Snohomish County Business Journal)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Seattle’s LED Streetlights as Much about Safety as Savings (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

Landlord Pitches Energy Savings to Tenants & Saves $1.7 Million (E&E Publishing)

How Much Energy Do Your Appliances Use? (Winter Park Observer, FL)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Sea Level Studies: US Coasts Even More Vulnerable than Previously Thought (Christian Science Monitor)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

West Coast Governors Predict Massive Uptick in 'Clean Economy' Jobs (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Study: Young People Not So 'Green' After All (Associated Press)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Clearwire, Leap Ink Wholesale Contract (Associated Press)

Bloom Energy Launches Data Center Focus for Its Fuel Cells (GigaOM)

Flush a Toilet & Cool Google’s Data Center (Gigaom)

Repeat after Me: Business is Always About the Customer (GigaOM)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Two Main Sticking Points Stalling Progress on Washington State Budget (Associated Press)

Budget Centric? Range Of Bills to Get New Life in Washington State’s Special Session (Associated Press)

Washington State Supreme Court Authorizes Redistricting Boundaries for 2012 Elections (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Jay Inslee Defends Resignation from Congress for Gubernatorial Run (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

Gay Marriage Opponents Revving Up Petitions for Referendum 74 (KING-TV, Seattle)

GENERAL NEWS

Flood Watch for Skokomish River in Mason County (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Death of Washington State Boy Third Gun Accident in Three Weeks (Associated Press)

Allyn Couple Charged with Assault in Armin Jahr Shooting to Appear in Court (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Bill Shouldn’t Affect Olympic Peninsula Wood Stoves (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Washington State’s Work-Related Deaths at All-Time Low - On-the-job motor vehicle accidents were the leading cause of workplace fatalities (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Mason County Commissioner Races Starting to Fill Up (Mason Web TV)

Karma - Goldman Stunned by Op-Ed Loses $2.2 Billion for Shareholders (Bloomberg News)

US Wholesale Prices Tame Outside Costlier Gas (Associated Press)

DIVERSIONS

Cringeworthy - Darling Celebrity Bunny Accidentally Crushed by Cameraman

Jury: New Jersey Lottery Winner Cheated Co-Workers

Pope Benedict Orders His Own Personal Fragrance

"Antiques Roadshow" Find Could Fetch $1 Million at Auction

SONG OF THE DAY

Marty Robbins - Among My Souvenirs