Monday, June 4, 2012

Energy News Digest for June 4, 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

Will Idaho’s Solar Industry Go Dark? Oversupply has dropped prices to record lows for solar panels, which is good news for installers (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

Avista Seeks Surcharge Reduction (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Signatures Submitted for Putting Proposed Gill-Net Ban in ‘Inland Waters’ on Oregon Ballot (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Climate Change Causes Nuclear, Coal Power Plant Shutdowns (USA Today)

San Francisco Man Provides Window into Lucrative Copper Thefts (SF Chronicle)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Avista Seeks Surcharge Reduction
  • Seattle City Light's Rate-Hike Proposal Deserves Close Scrutiny
  • Mason County PUD 3 Video - PUD Service a Selling Point in Economic Development Efforts
  • Naval Research Leading Team to Reduce Noise at Hydro Plants
  • Groups Review Options for Controversial Montana Power Line Route
  • British Columbia - BC Hydro Expects Electricity Demand to Rise 50 Per Cent by 2032
  • San Francisco Man Provides Window into Lucrative Copper Thefts
  • Utility Executives Expect a 'Significant' Rise in Electric Bills
  • Texas Should Raise Power Prices to Avoid Blackouts
  • Will Supreme Court Take Up Legality of FERC's Market-Based Rate Policies?
  • Bentonite Booms in Wyoming, Montana
  • North Carolina - Some See Conspiracy in Smart Meters
  • Greece's Debt Woes Mutate into an Energy Crisis
  • Signatures Submitted for Putting Proposed Gill-Net Ban in ‘Inland Waters’ on Oregon Ballot
  • Salmon Fry Found, Spawning Taking Place in Upper Elwha River
  • Lower Skagit Set for First-Ever Sockeye Fishery
  • Salmon Ruling Limits Gold Hunt
  • Further Details Sought on Costs of Hundreds of Endangered Species Act Lawsuits and Settlements
  • Editorial - Salmon Virus Alarming
  • Scientists: Columbia River’s Needs Go Beyond Salmon Recovery
  • Good Olympic Peninsula Water Supply on Tap This Summer Thanks to Snowpack
  • Feds: No Environmental Impact Statement for Toutle River Spillway Project
  • Will Idaho’s Solar Industry Go Dark?
  • Sequim-Area Ranch Erects 100-Foot Wind Turbine to Produce Own Electricity
  • Air Quality Chief Answers Biomass Questions at Port Angeles Market
  • Sacramento Scales Back Solar Project at Sutter's Landing Park
  • The New Hydropower: Small-Scale Turbines Have Big Potential
  • ‘Low-Impact’ Hydroelectricity: A Flirt with Political Correctness?
  • United Kingdom - Microhydro Energy: Reinventing the Wheel
  • Developers Lining Up for Massachusetts Wind Farm Project
  • Editorial - Wind Power: Wind is Good, Clumsy Policy is Not
  • Op/Ed - How to Make Renewable Energy Competitive
  • Properly Used, a Programmable Thermostat Cuts Energy Costs
  • Keep Cool about Summer Cooling Costs
  • A Strategy for Using LED Light Bulbs
  • Co-op Consumers Test LED Performance
  • Bob Olsen Memorial Award - NWEC Honors BPA for Building a Cleaner Energy Future
  • Climate Change Causes Nuclear, Coal Power Plant Shutdowns
  • Global Warming Turns Tundra to Forest: Study
  • Stay or Go? Some Towns Eyeing Retreat from the Sea
  • Why We Ignore Low-Tech Fixes for the Climate
  • Nation's Biggest Rooftop Garden Opens at Seattle Center
  • Schools Need 100Mbps for Every 1,000 Users
  • Medical Data Breaches Raising Alarm
  • AT&T Considers Upgrading Rural Lines Instead of Selling Them
  • Romney Backers Sweep Final Ten Delegates at Washington State Convention
  • Democrats Endorse Kathleen Drew, Pridemore, Heck
  • Washington State Now Has Highest Gas Prices in Lower 48
  • Sequim Man Arrested in Deaths of Two Sex Offenders
  • Pilot Car for Highway 3 North of Shelton
  • Cowlitz County Copper Theft Causes Railroad Crossing to Shut Down
WORD OF THE DAY

Profligate • \PRAWF-lih-gayt\ • Adjective - 1: wildly extravagant 2: completely given up to dissipation and licentiousness.

Abernathy was known around the office as the corporate skinflint. The customary joke was that if he ever opened his coin purse a moth would fly out. Anyway, his common thriftiness went out the window when the ‘Monopoly’ game was wheeled out for the annual company picnic. Never was there a more flamboyant player; his profligate spending on rents and penalties was legendary…as was his playing piece: the high-heeled shoe.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Avista Seeks Surcharge Reduction (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Seattle City Light's Rate-Hike Proposal Deserves Close Scrutiny (Seattle Times)

Mason County PUD 3 Video - PUD Service a Selling Point in Economic Development Efforts (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Naval Research Leading Team to Reduce Noise at Hydro Plants (Penn Energy)

Groups Review Options for Controversial Montana Power Line Route (Billings Gazette, MT)

British Columbia - BC Hydro Expects Electricity Demand to Rise 50 Per Cent by 2032 (Vancouver Sun, BC)

San Francisco Man Provides Window into Lucrative Copper Thefts (SF Chronicle)

Utility Executives Expect a 'Significant' Rise in Electric Bills (Cable News Network)

Texas Should Raise Power Prices to Avoid Blackouts - Proposal to triple peak wholesale power prices (Bloomberg News)

Will Supreme Court Take Up Legality of FERC's Market-Based Rate Policies? (SNL Financial)

Bentonite Booms in Wyoming, Montana (Associated Press)

North Carolina - Some See Conspiracy in Smart Meters (Gaston Gazette, Gastonia, NC)

Greece's Debt Woes Mutate into an Energy Crisis - Power is regulator calling an emergency meeting next week to avert a collapse of the country's electricity and natural gas system (Reuters)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Signatures Submitted for Putting Proposed Gill-Net Ban in ‘Inland Waters’ on Oregon Ballot (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Salmon Fry Found, Spawning Taking Place in Upper Elwha River (Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission)

Lower Skagit Set for First-Ever Sockeye Fishery (Seattle Times)

Salmon Ruling Limits Gold Hunt (Associated Press)

Further Details Sought on Costs of Hundreds of Endangered Species Act Lawsuits and Settlements (US House Natural Resources Committee)

Editorial - Salmon Virus Alarming (Olympian, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Scientists: Columbia River’s Needs Go Beyond Salmon Recovery (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Good Olympic Peninsula Water Supply on Tap This Summer Thanks to Snowpack (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Feds: No Environmental Impact Statement for Toutle River Spillway Project (Longview Daily News, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Will Idaho’s Solar Industry Go Dark? Oversupply has dropped prices to record lows for solar panels, which is good news for installers (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

Sequim-Area Ranch Erects 100-Foot Wind Turbine to Produce Own Electricity (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Air Quality Chief Answers Biomass Questions at Port Angeles Market (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Sacramento Scales Back Solar Project at Sutter's Landing Park (Sacramento Bee, CA)

The New Hydropower: Small-Scale Turbines Have Big Potential – Even in Eastern Washington Irrigation Canals (Grist Online)

‘Low-Impact’ Hydroelectricity: A Flirt with Political Correctness? (Right Side News)

United Kingdom - Microhydro Energy: Reinventing the Wheel (The Guardian, UK)

Developers Lining Up for Massachusetts Wind Farm Project (Boston Globe, MA)

Editorial - Wind Power: Wind is Good, Clumsy Policy is Not (Washington Post)

Op/Ed - How to Make Renewable Energy Competitive (NY Times)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Properly Used, a Programmable Thermostat Cuts Energy Costs (Christian Science Monitor)

Keep Cool about Summer Cooling Costs (Wenatchee World, WA)

A Strategy for Using LED Light Bulbs (Christian Science Monitor)

Co-op Consumers Test LED Performance (Electric Co-op Today)

Bob Olsen Memorial Award - NWEC Honors BPA for Building a Cleaner Energy Future (Bonneville Power Administration)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Climate Change Causes Nuclear, Coal Power Plant Shutdowns (USA Today)

Global Warming Turns Tundra to Forest: Study - Shrubs have grown to trees in just a few decades (Reuters)

Stay or Go? Some Towns Eyeing Retreat from the Sea (USA Today)

Why We Ignore Low-Tech Fixes for the Climate (Washington Post)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Nation's Biggest Rooftop Garden Opens at Seattle Center (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Schools Need 100Mbps for Every 1,000 Users (Computer World)

Medical Data Breaches Raising Alarm (Washington Post)

AT&T Considers Upgrading Rural Lines Instead of Selling Them (Washington Post)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Romney Backers Sweep Final Ten Delegates at Washington State Convention (Seattle Times)

Democrats Endorse Kathleen Drew, Pridemore, Heck (Olympian, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Washington State Now Has Highest Gas Prices in Lower 48 - Prices Mostly Due to Refinery Issues (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

Sequim Man Arrested in Deaths of Two Sex Offenders (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

Pilot Car for Highway 3 North of Shelton (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Cowlitz County Copper Theft Causes Railroad Crossing to Shut Down (Longview Daily News, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Hansel & Gretel Redux - Four Arrested in La Mesa Snack Bar Caper

Black Bear Euthanized after Eating Canada Murderer

Could New Clues Solve Amelia Earhart Disappearance?

SONG OF THE DAY

Henry Hall & His Orchestra - The Teddy Bear's Picnic