Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Energy News Digest for April 17, 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

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Supreme Court Rejects Ex-Enron CEO Skilling's Second Appeal (USA Today)

Gorst, Belfair Transportation Projects Get Top Priority – Top Two: Belfair Bypass & Highway 3-Johns Prairie Road Intersection (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Amazon, Microsoft Low on Greenpeace Clean-Energy 'Cloud' Index “…Quincy is a good place to go…They have access to electricity that's renewably powered, from hydroelectricity” (Seattle Times)

Apple Promises “Dozens” of Prineville Jobs When Data Center Opens, Hundreds of Construction Jobs in the Interim (Oregonian, Portland)

At Sixty Dollars - New Energy-Efficient Light Bulb Goes on Sale Sunday (USA Today)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Supreme Court Rejects Ex-Enron CEO Skilling's Second Appeal
  • Eugene Water & Electric Board Commissioners to Discuss Smart Meters
  • Bonneville Power Administration Looks Back at 75 Years
  • Army Corps Getting Ready for 'Big Water' in Northwest
  • NW Natural Gas Eyes $4 Million Credit for Washington State Customers
  • Grays Harbor PUD Honored Nationally as "Reliable Public Power Provider"
  • Chelan County PUD’s Janney Accepts Six-Year Contract
  • Bonneville Power Administration Electrical Engineers Head Back To College
  • Orcas Power & Light Cooperative Celebrates 75 Years, May 5
  • Smith Seeks Reelection to Chelan PUD Commission
  • Pacific Power Utility Bill Struggles: "They Got Irate & Threatened Me"
  • Southern Montana Electric Co-op's Interim Manager Fired
  • US Has a Natural Gas Problem: Too Much of It
  • Oregon Salmon Ballot Measure Nets $250,000 Contribution
  • Canada - Salmon Virus Claim Disputed
  • City of Shelton Gets Favorable Settlement for Satellite Sewer Plant Damage
  • First Solar Lays Off 2,000 as Europe Demand Wanes
  • Vermonters Fight Mountaintop Wind Farm
  • Wind’s ‘Modular’ Advantage over Power Plants
  • At Sixty Dollars - New Energy-Efficient Light Bulb Goes on Sale Sunday
  • Rebates to Cut Price of $60 LED Bulb
  • Cascade Energy Partners with Puget Sound Energy to Offer Industrial Electricity Savings
  • Amazon, Microsoft Low on Greenpeace Clean-Energy 'Cloud' Index
  • Greenpeace Slams Apple Despite Its Clean Power Data Center Plans
  • Apple Promises “Dozens” of Prineville Jobs When Data Center Opens
  • Chelan County PUD Commissioners Unanimously Approve Fiber Plan
  • Companies Try to Reserve Wi-Fi Bandwidth for Work, Not Play
  • The Strange New World Washington State’s First Congressional District
  • Washington State Dems to Kucinich: Get Lost
  • Gorst, Belfair Transportation Projects Get Top Priority
  • Facebook Fugitive Caught in Port Angeles
  • Accused Funeral Burglars Arrested in Snohomish County
  • Washington State Workers Leaving Liquor Stores before Handoff
  • Audit Finds Eatonville Uses Donations for Operating Expenses
WORD OF THE DAY

Nebbish • \NEBB-bish\ • Noun - A timid, meek, or ineffectual person

Bronson was a “cipher” in the company’s employee directory; so unremarkable was he that his image did not register on the digital camera during the “photo day.” As the nebbish of the office pool, his image in the directory was one of those “missing image” pictures you see on Facebook or in unfinished web profiles on obscure web forums about niche creatures from “Dungeons & Dragons.”

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Supreme Court Rejects Ex-Enron CEO Skilling's Second Appeal (USA Today)

Eugene Water & Electric Board Commissioners to Discuss Smart Meters - The utility is on the cusp of key decisions about overhauling how it measures consumption (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

Bonneville Power Administration Looks Back at 75 Years - Administrator discusses history, mission at annual forum (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Army Corps Getting Ready for 'Big Water' in Northwest (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

NW Natural Gas Eyes $4 Million Credit for Washington State Customers (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Grays Harbor PUD Honored Nationally as "Reliable Public Power Provider" (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

Chelan County PUD’s Janney Accepts Six-Year Contract (Wenatchee World, WA)

Bonneville Power Administration Electrical Engineers Head Back To College - This Time to Teach (Bonneville Power Administration)

Orcas Power & Light Cooperative Celebrates 75 Years, May 5 (Islands Sounder, Eastsound, WA)

Smith Seeks Reelection to Chelan PUD Commission (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)

Pacific Power Utility Bill Struggles: "They Got Irate & Threatened Me" (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Southern Montana Electric Co-op's Interim Manager Fired (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

US Has a Natural Gas Problem: Too Much of It (National Public Radio)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Oregon Salmon Ballot Measure Nets $250,000 Contribution (Willamette Week, OR)

Canada - Salmon Virus Claim Disputed: Fish farm and government officials reject industry foe's findings (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

City of Shelton Gets Favorable Settlement for Satellite Sewer Plant Damage (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

First Solar Lays Off 2,000 as Europe Demand Wanes (Associated Press)

Vermonters Fight Mountaintop Wind Farm (Courthouse News Service)

Wind’s ‘Modular’ Advantage over Power Plants (Midwest Energy News)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

At Sixty Dollars - New Energy-Efficient Light Bulb Goes on Sale Sunday (USA Today)

Rebates to Cut Price of $60 LED Bulb (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Cascade Energy Partners with Puget Sound Energy to Offer Industrial Electricity Savings (MarketWatch)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Amazon, Microsoft Low on Greenpeace Clean-Energy 'Cloud' Index “…Quincy is a good place to go…They have access to electricity that's renewably powered, from hydroelectricity” (Seattle Times)

Greenpeace Slams Apple Despite Its Clean Power Data Center Plans (GigaOM)

Apple Promises “Dozens” of Prineville Jobs When Data Center Opens, Hundreds of Construction Jobs in the Interim (Oregonian, Portland)

Chelan County PUD Commissioners Unanimously Approve Fiber Plan (Wenatchee World, WA)

Companies Try to Reserve Wi-Fi Bandwidth for Work, Not Play (USA Today)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

The Strange New World Washington State’s First Congressional District (Crosscut Seattle)

Washington State Dems to Kucinich: Get Lost (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

GENERAL NEWS

Gorst, Belfair Transportation Projects Get Top Priority – Top Two: Belfair Bypass & Highway 3-Johns Prairie Road Intersection (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Facebook Fugitive Caught in Port Angeles (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

Accused Funeral Burglars Arrested in Snohomish County (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

Washington State Workers Leaving Liquor Stores before Handoff (Associated Press)

Audit Finds Eatonville Uses Donations for Operating Expenses (Associated Press)

DIVERSIONS

iSmell? Fragrance Mimics Scent of New MacBook

Sleepy Air Canada Pilot Thought Venus Was a Plane

More Americans Freezing Than Sleeping on Assets: Poll

Dutch Bug Cookbook Launched to Stir Taste for Insects

SONG OF THE DAY

Blondie - The Dream's Lost On Me