Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Energy News Digest for May 22, 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

Energy Northwest’s Nuclear Power Plant to Receive License Renewal (Associated Press)

Jaczko Resigns from Nuclear Regulatory Commission (American Public Power Association)

Summer Fishing: Managers Predict Best Summer Chinook Run since 1980, Record-Breaking Sockeye Return (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

A Viable Clean-Energy Bill at Last? (Washington Post)

Editorial – California: Shouldn’t Hydro Count Against the Carbon Reduction Mandate? (Sacramento Bee, CA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Energy Northwest’s Nuclear Power Plant to Receive License Renewal
  • Jaczko Resigns from Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  • Why Jaczko Leaving the NRC Is Good for America
  • Fights Brewing over Massive Coal-Export Plans for the Pacific Northwest
  • FERC Forecasts Low Gas Prices, Power Problems in California, Texas, Boston
  • Pacific Power Warns Against Scam Targeting Customers
  • Winning Members Over to Smart Meters
  • Summer Fishing: Managers Predict Best Summer Chinook Run since 1980, Record-Breaking Sockeye Return
  • Lonesome Larry’s Legacy Lives on in Sockeye Runs
  • Sea Lions Find Their Way Above Bonneville Dam; ‘Raising Hell’ in Tribal Subsistence Fishery
  • Editorial - Protecting Nature: Twin Milestones Illustrate Importance of Endangered Species Act
  • Op/Ed – Congressman Hastings: Time to Improve the Endangered Species Act
  • Feeding Salmon Bycatch to the Hungry
  • Goodbye Dart, Kiwi, Cutie & Bob - Release of Smolts Bittersweet for East Olympia Elementary Students Who Studied Their Life Cycle
  • Water Rights Rule Change Coming to Yakima Valley
  • Seattle Residents Will Foot the Bill for New Anti-Pollution Plan
  • Op/Ed - The Columbia River’s Worrisome Chemistry
  • Op/Ed - Washington View: Data Needed Before Making Decisions about Our Water
  • A Viable Clean-Energy Bill at Last?
  • Solar Installers Caught In Cross Fire of Escalating China Trade War
  • California’s Utilities Should End Their War on Solar Net Meeting
  • Net Metering a Cost to Utilities, Or a Benefit?
  • New Jersey Solar Installers Seek “Endless Summer” at Ratepayer Expense
  • Wisconsin - Wind Turbine Opponents Sue Town of Morrison over Sign Ordinance
  • Including School in Bothell - Three US Public High Schools Win Sustainable Energy Award
  • Editorial – California: Shouldn’t Hydro Count Against the Carbon Reduction Mandate?
  • Portland Air Pollution Activists Expand Their Campaign Statewide
  • Study: Seagrass Stores More Carbon than Forests
  • Vancouver Island Tree Poachers Steal 800-Year-Old Red Cedar
  • Apple Says Prineville Data Center Will Open with ‘Green’ Energy
  • Liberty Lake’s TierPoint Data Center Sold
  • Google Delays Its Schedule for Kansas City’s High-Speed Service
  • Facebook Stock Drops Again, De-Friended by Investors
  • Wall Street Got the Facebook IPO it Deserved
  • Comcast Raises Its Internet Data Limit
  • Lengthy Prison Terms for Five Convicted in Scary North Mason Robbery
  • Bail Set at $500,000 for Thurston County Woman Accused of Stabbing Mother
  • Yakima Listed As Second Worst in Washington State Air Pollution - Tacoma Is Number One
  • Shelton Area Trestle Work to Extend Highway 3 Lane Closure in June
  • Even at 33 Hours, Seattle Drivers Spent Less Time in Traffic Last Year
WORD OF THE DAY

Hypnagogic • \hipp-nuh-GAW-jick\ • Adjective - Of, relating to, or occurring in the period of drowsiness immediately preceding sleep

Jim Barrie was stuck. As an author of books for children, he wanted to be grammatically correct, but he didn’t want to write over his readers’ heads. For some reason, the penultimate sentence in his masterwork just didn’t feel right: “You know that hypnagogic place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you, Peter Pan. That’s where I’ll be waiting.” Not to mention the fact that it would be backwards to its original meaning.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Energy Northwest’s Nuclear Power Plant to Receive License Renewal (Associated Press)

Jaczko Resigns from Nuclear Regulatory Commission (American Public Power Association)

Why Jaczko Leaving the NRC Is Good for America (Forbes Magazine)

Fights Brewing over Massive Coal-Export Plans for the Pacific Northwest (Seattle Times)

FERC Forecasts Low Gas Prices, Power Problems in California, Texas, Boston (Electric Light & Power)

Pacific Power Warns Against Scam Targeting Customers (Oregonian, Portland)

Winning Members Over to Smart Meters (Electric Co-op Today)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Summer Fishing: Managers Predict Best Summer Chinook Run since 1980, Record-Breaking Sockeye Return (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Lonesome Larry’s Legacy Lives on in Sockeye Runs (Associated Press)

Sea Lions Find Their Way Above Bonneville Dam; ‘Raising Hell’ in Tribal Subsistence Fishery (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Editorial - Protecting Nature: Twin Milestones Illustrate Importance of Endangered Species Act (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Op/Ed – Congressman Hastings: Time to Improve the Endangered Species Act - Too much money spent on lawyers rather than on threatened wildlife (Washington Times, DC)

Feeding Salmon Bycatch to the Hungry (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Goodbye Dart, Kiwi, Cutie & Bob - Release of Smolts Bittersweet for East Olympia Elementary Students Who Studied Their Life Cycle (Olympian, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Water Rights Rule Change Coming to Yakima Valley (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Seattle Residents Will Foot the Bill for New Anti-Pollution Plan (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

Op/Ed - The Columbia River’s Worrisome Chemistry (Oregonian, Portland)

Op/Ed - Washington View: Data Needed Before Making Decisions about Our Water (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

A Viable Clean-Energy Bill at Last? (Washington Post)

Solar Installers Caught In Cross Fire of Escalating China Trade War (Forbes Magazine)

California’s Utilities Should End Their War on Solar Net Meeting (Capitol Weekly, Sacramento, CA)

Net Metering a Cost to Utilities, Or a Benefit? (Grist Online)

New Jersey Solar Installers Seek “Endless Summer” at Ratepayer Expense (The Energy Collective)

Wisconsin - Wind Turbine Opponents Sue Town of Morrison over Sign Ordinance (Green Bay Press Gazette, WI)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Including School in Bothell - Three US Public High Schools Win Sustainable Energy Award (MarketWatch)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Editorial – California: Shouldn’t Hydro Count Against the Carbon Reduction Mandate? (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Portland Air Pollution Activists Expand Their Campaign Statewide (Oregonian, Portland)

Study: Seagrass Stores More Carbon than Forests (Reuters)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Vancouver Island Tree Poachers Steal 800-Year-Old Red Cedar (Grist Online)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Apple Says Prineville Data Center Will Open with ‘Green’ Energy (Oregonian, Portland)

Liberty Lake’s TierPoint Data Center Sold (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Google Delays Its Schedule for Kansas City’s High-Speed Service - Search company now says it will make an announcement in the summer, pushing back its end-of-June pledge (Kansas City Star, MO)

Facebook Stock Drops Again, De-Friended by Investors (Oregonian, Portland)

Wall Street Got the Facebook IPO it Deserved (GigaOm)

Comcast Raises Its Internet Data Limit (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Lengthy Prison Terms for Five Convicted in Scary North Mason Robbery (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Bail Set at $500,000 for Thurston County Woman Accused of Stabbing Mother (Olympian, WA)

Yakima Listed As Second Worst in Washington State Air Pollution - Tacoma Is Number One (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Link to Washington State Dept. of Ecology Air Pollution Chart (PDF File - Department of Ecology)

Shelton Area Trestle Work to Extend Highway 3 Lane Closure in June (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Even at 33 Hours, Seattle Drivers Spent Less Time in Traffic Last Year (KING-TV, Seattle)

DIVERSIONS

Bee Gee Robin Gibb, 62, dies

Oklahoma City Company Ignites Anger with Shirt Thanking Seattle for the Thunder

Man with Underwear on His Head Breaks into Coffee Shop

Ashes of Star Trek’s ‘Scotty’ on Board Private Spaceship

SONG OF THE DAY

Robin Gibb - Oh, Darling!