Monday, December 31, 2012

Energy News Digest for December 31, 2012


The energy news digest will be relaxing from its New Year’s Eve repast January 1, so no newsy tidbits until Wednesday. Meanwhile, best wishes to all for a most excellent 2013.

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

Hurricane Sandy Alters Utilities’ Calculus on Upgrades “…it is typically far cheaper for the company, & its customers, to skip the prevention measures & just clean up the mess afterward…” (NY Times)

Washington State Representative Wants State to Recognize Hydropower as Renewable Energy Resource (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Record Count - Sockeye Salmon by the Numbers (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Miles of Fish Recovery Fences in Northeastern Oregon Taking Toll on Wildlife, Critics Say (Oregonian, Portland)

Netflix Blames Amazon for Christmas Eve Outage (Reuters)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Hurricane Sandy Alters Utilities’ Calculus on Upgrades
  • Op/Ed - SMUD: Tax-Exempt Municipal Bonds Shouldn’t Be in ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Talks
  • Mason County PUD 3’s Mason Substation Rebuild Project continues in Downtown Shelton
  • Cowlitz PUD Employees Give Local Food Banks a Major Boost
  • Avista Warns of Employee Imposters
  • Texas - Drizzle Mixing With Dust Leads to Power Outages across Area
  • Maine - Brookfield Buying 19 Hydroelectric Dams
  • Tennessee Valley Authority Says Nuke Plant is on Schedule
  • Japan’s New Leader Endorses Nuclear Plants
  • U-S Sailors Sue Japanese Utility over Radiation
  • In Brazil, A River Dam Collides with the Past
  • Record Count - Sockeye Salmon by the Numbers
  • Miles of Fish Recovery Fences in Northeastern Oregon Taking Toll on Wildlife, Critics Say
  • Dozens of Birds Killed at Long Beach – Beach Drivers Suspected
  • Fish Stories - Just One Record in Ample Year
  • Scarce Water Fuels Conflict over Future
  • Ireland Has Some Awesome-Looking Water Towers
  • Washington State Representative Wants State to Recognize Hydropower as Renewable Energy Resource
  • Editorial - The Cost of Too Much Wind Rises
  • Op/Ed - Biomass a Good Source of Renewable Energy
  • Vermont Utility Calls for Moratorium on Renewable Energy Mandates
  • North Carolina - Freeze Green-Energy Law, A GOP Leader Says
  • Why Solar Costs More in the U-S than in Germany
  • Greens Fight Power Line from Baja California Wind Farm
  • Great Britain’s Wind Farm Turbines Wear Sooner Than Expected, Says Study
  • 2013: A Tipping Year for Climate Change?
  • Editorial - California’s Climate-Change Experiment
  • Netflix Blames Amazon for Christmas Eve Outage
  • Goliath Vs Goliath...Amazon Takes on Apple & Google
  • FCC Paves the Way for Better In-Flight Broadband
  • Google Fiber is Tech News Site’s Top Story of 2012
  • Congressman Norm Dicks Busy in Last Days of 36-Year Career
  • Headhunters for Hire - Inslee Hires Area Agency to Help Fill Cabinet
  • Internal Review Says Washington State’s 911 Agency Wasted $700,000
  • Nine Die When Bus Plunges Off Icy Oregon Highway
  • Air Quality Concerns; Residents Asked to Reduce Burning
  • Privatizing Liquor in Washington State Hasn’t Brought Price Down
  • Op/Ed - Op-ed: Protect the Olympic Peninsula with the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act
  • Newspaper on Cape Cod Apologizes for a Veteran Reporter’s Fabrications
  • Approaching Comet May Outshine the Moon

WORD OF THE DAY

Gustatory • \GUSS-tuh-tore-ee\ • Adjective - Relating to or associated with eating or the sense of taste.

Harvey’s Haggis Hut was all a-tremble with anticipation. The Scottish Highland Games were scheduled over the holidays in Saco, Montana. After the locals’ eschewing of the gustatory delights of the sheep-innards concoction, Harvey was hopeful that the arrival of the hale and hearty Scotsmen (and women) would turn things around…if they had the “stomach” for it. (Sorry about the double pun here)

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Hurricane Sandy Alters Utilities’ Calculus on Upgrades “…it is typically far cheaper for the company, & its customers, to skip the prevention measures & just clean up the mess afterward…” (NY Times)

Op/Ed - SMUD: Tax-Exempt Municipal Bonds Shouldn’t Be in ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Talks (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Mason County PUD 3’s Mason Substation Rebuild Project continues in Downtown Shelton (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Cowlitz PUD Employees Give Local Food Banks a Major Boost (Longview Daily News, WA)

Avista Warns of Employee Imposters (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Texas - Drizzle Mixing With Dust Leads to Power Outages across Area (Austin American-Statesman, TX)

Maine - Brookfield Buying 19 Hydroelectric Dams (Power Engineering)

Tennessee Valley Authority Says Nuke Plant is on Schedule (Electric Co-op Today)

Japan’s New Leader Endorses Nuclear Plants (NY Times)

U-S Sailors Sue Japanese Utility over Radiation (USA Today)

In Brazil, A River Dam Collides with the Past (Los Angeles Times, CA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Record Count - Sockeye Salmon by the Numbers (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Miles of Fish Recovery Fences in Northeastern Oregon Taking Toll on Wildlife, Critics Say (Oregonian, Portland)

Dozens of Birds Killed at Long Beach – Beach Drivers Suspected (Longview Daily News, WA)

Fish Stories - Just One Record in Ample Year (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Scarce Water Fuels Conflict over Future (Bloomberg News)

Ireland Has Some Awesome-Looking Water Towers (Gizmodo)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Washington State Representative Wants State to Recognize Hydropower as Renewable Energy Resource (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Editorial - The Cost of Too Much Wind Rises (Wenatchee World, WA)

Op/Ed - Biomass a Good Source of Renewable Energy (Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, WA)

Vermont Utility Calls for Moratorium on Renewable Energy Mandates (WCAX-TV, Burlington, VT)

North Carolina - Freeze Green-Energy Law, A GOP Leader Says (Charlotte Observer, NC)

Why Solar Costs More in the U-S than in Germany (Mashable)

Greens Fight Power Line from Baja California Wind Farm (Courthouse News Service)

Great Britain’s Wind Farm Turbines Wear Sooner Than Expected, Says Study (The Telegraph, UK)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

2013: A Tipping Year for Climate Change? (KPLU Radio, Tacoma, WA)

Editorial - California’s Climate-Change Experiment (Washington Post)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Netflix Blames Amazon for Christmas Eve Outage (Reuters)

Goliath Vs Goliath...Amazon Takes on Apple & Google - Amazon wants to become a fully-fledged tech company up against Google & Apple (The Telegraph, UK)

FCC Paves the Way for Better In-Flight Broadband (Christian Science Monitor)

Google Fiber is Tech News Site’s Top Story of 2012 (Kansas City Business Journal, MO)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Congressman Norm Dicks Busy in Last Days of 36-Year Career (Seattle Times)

Headhunters for Hire - Inslee Hires Area Agency to Help Fill Cabinet (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Internal Review Says Washington State’s 911 Agency Wasted $700,000 (Associated Press)

GENERAL NEWS

Nine Die When Bus Plunges Off Icy Oregon Highway (Associated Press)

Air Quality Concerns; Residents Asked to Reduce Burning (Mason Web-TV, Shelton, WA)

Privatizing Liquor in Washington State Hasn’t Brought Price Down (Everett Herald, WA)

Op/Ed - Op-ed: Protect the Olympic Peninsula with the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act (Seattle Times)

Newspaper on Cape Cod Apologizes for a Veteran Reporter’s Fabrications (NY Times)

Approaching Comet May Outshine the Moon (Reuters)

DIVERSIONS

Calling All Design Geeks - These Pantone Color Swatch Scarves Can Match Anything

Investigating the Anatomy of the Musical Earworm

Man Eats Entire ‘Hobbit’ Menu at Denny’s in 20 Minutes

Lake Superior State’s 38th List of Banished Words

SONG OF THE DAY

Dj Skeptyk - Colors of the Rainbow