Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Energy News Digest for December 5, 2012



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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Eugene Water & Electric Board Increases Rates - At A Public Hearing, Board Members Approve Raising The Average Monthly Bill For Customers by $8.75 (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

Power Line Opponents Speak Out at Bonneville Power Administration Informal Meeting (Longview Daily News, WA)

Editorial - Idaho Salmon: The $9,000 Sockeye? There Is a Better Answer (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

Home LEDs Starting to Look More Normal (GigaOM)

Mystery: How Much Will Californians Pay for Renewable Energy? (Renewable Energy World)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Eugene Water & Electric Board Increases Rates - At A Public Hearing, Board Members Approve Raising The Average Monthly Bill For Customers by $8.75
  • Power Line Opponents Speak Out at Bonneville Power Administration Informal Meeting
  • Idaho - Black Canyon Dam Project Begins - Adding New Hydroelectric Unit
  • 2013 Budget Forecasts Stronger Bottom Line for Chelan PUD & No Electric Rate Increase
  • Seagull into Power Line Causes Ballard Power Outage
  • With a Little Help from Grant PUD - Soap Lake Adorns Town Center With 83-Year-Old Tree
  • Hundreds Attend Spokane Hearing on Coal Exports
  • Environmental Group Seeks to Curb Emissions from Existing Power Plants
  • Could Wood Biomass Help Clean Up Coal-Fired Power Plants?
  • Mystery Man Pays Georgia Power Bills for More Than a Dozen Customers
  • Editorial - Idaho Salmon: The $9,000 Sockeye? There Is a Better Answer
  • Yakima Nation Contests White Salmon River Gas Pipeline Construction in Washington State
  • Sediment, Debris Clog Equipment at Elwha River Water Treatment Plant
  • Mystery: How Much Will Californians Pay for Renewable Energy?
  • Seven Myths about the Wind Production Tax Credit
  • Can Reforming the Department of Energy Reinvigorate Clean Energy in Obama’s 2nd Term?
  • Home LEDs Starting to Look More Normal
  • Final Days for Snohomish PUD Deals on Clothes Washers & Fridge Recycling
  • New Group Opposes Oregon’s Clean Fuels Plan
  • Seattle’s Electric Vehicle Paradox
  • Amazon May Have Big Plans for DuPont
  • Google Fiber Considers, But Drops Plans to Include Phone Service
  • Seattle City Attorney Nixes Plan to Give ‘Allowance’ to Gay Employees
  • Obama Administration’s Fiscal Cliff Proposal Would Limit Tax Value of Municipal Bonds
  • Wild Olympics Backers Call Clallam Jobs Study ‘Flawed’
  • New Water Main being Constructed in Shelton
  • Guilty Plea in McCleary Utility Theft
  • Five Years After the Grays Harbor Storm - Are We Better Prepared
WORD OF THE DAY

Dundrearies • \DUNN-dreer-eeze\ • Noun - Long flowing sideburns

Bartholomew Hunting-Dance-The-Thames was well known in the upper crust circles as a leader in fashion and grooming for the “Bohemian” set. It wasn’t until after he had died (tragically in a freak cricket match involving the bale somehow getting stuck in his throat, years before the Heimlich maneuver had been invented) that the secret to his impressive dundrearies was discovered. He had tattooed various parts of his face, outlining the intricate shaving necessary for the grooming of beard & sideburns. The discovery was too late for the mortician, who after an impressive shaving job of his own on the dead noble, had no way of covering up the map-like lines in time for the open-casket ceremony in Saint Johns in London.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES


Power Line Opponents Speak Out at Bonneville Power Administration Informal Meeting (Longview Daily News, WA)

Idaho - Black Canyon Dam Project Begins - Adding New Hydroelectric Unit (Emmett Messenger-Index, ID)

2013 Budget Forecasts Stronger Bottom Line for Chelan PUD & No Electric Rate Increase (North Central Washington TV)

Seagull into Power Line Causes Ballard Power Outage (KING-TV, Seattle)

With a Little Help from Grant PUD - Soap Lake Adorns Town Center With 83-Year-Old Tree (iFiber One News, Ephrata, WA)

Hundreds Attend Spokane Hearing on Coal Exports (Associated Press)

Environmental Group Seeks to Curb Emissions from Existing Power Plants (Washington Post)

Could Wood Biomass Help Clean Up Coal-Fired Power Plants? (Midwest Energy News)

Mystery Man Pays Georgia Power Bills for More Than a Dozen Customers (Atlanta Business Journal, GA)

FISH & WILDLIFE


WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Yakima Nation Contests White Salmon River Gas Pipeline Construction In Washington State (Associated Press)

Sediment, Debris Clog Equipment at Elwha River Water Treatment Plant (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY


Seven Myths about the Wind Production Tax Credit (The Heritage Foundation)

Can Reforming the Department of Energy Reinvigorate Clean Energy in Obama’s 2nd Term? (The Energy Collective)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY


Final Days for Snohomish PUD Deals on Clothes Washers & Fridge Recycling (South Everett Beacon, WA)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

New Group Opposes Oregon’s Clean Fuels Plan (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Seattle’s Electric Vehicle Paradox - Seattle is among the nation’s hottest places for electric or hybrid vehicles, but is this really the right time to own an all-electric car? (Crosscut Seattle)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Amazon May Have Big Plans for DuPont (Olympian, WA)

Google Fiber Considers, But Drops Plans to Include Phone Service (Kansas City Business Journal, MO)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Seattle City Attorney Nixes Plan to Give ‘Allowance’ to Gay Employees (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Obama Administration’s Fiscal Cliff Proposal Would Limit Tax Value of Municipal Bonds (American Public Power Association)

GENERAL NEWS

Wild Olympics Backers Call Clallam Jobs Study ‘Flawed’ (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

New Water Main being Constructed in Shelton (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Guilty Plea in McCleary Utility Theft (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

Five Years After the Grays Harbor Storm - Are We Better Prepared? (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

DIVERSIONS

A $100 Guitar Makes a 30,000-Mile Odyssey

Decoys Catch Illegal Oregon Elk Hunters

Voyager 1 Enters Unknown Region of Solar System

SONG OF THE DAY

Electric Light Orchestra - All Over the World