The Energy News Digest: Energy News Digest for September 6, 2013

Mason County Thunderstorms Knock Out Power
Why Washington State Could Become a Major Global Fuel Supplier
Sierra Club Ramps Up Climate Fight against Gas-Fired Power Plants
Why Don't We "Mothball" Shutdown Nuclear Energy Plants?
Meeting North Dakota’s Increased Need for Electricity
Police: Convicted Thief Electrocuted While Stealing Copper
Federal Judge Rules in Favor of Threatened Seabird
Lower Columbia River Sees Record High Chinook Catch, And Buoy 10 Is Best since 1988
California: Drakes Bay Oyster Co. Will Challenge Federal Ruling
Washington State DNR: It's a Banner Year for Yellow Jackets
Nippon Paper Performs Testing and Commissioning on New Biomass Cogen in Washington State
Washington State's Wind Power Industry Surges
Energy Update: Renewables, Coal & Gas, By the Numbers
Germany's Energy Poverty: How Electricity Became a Luxury Good
Snohomish PUD Offers Small Businesses No-Cost Measures to Save Energy
Being Monitored Motivates Less Electricity Use
Ohio: FirstEnergy Boycott Targets Utility’s Stance on Energy Efficiency Standards (
Bay Bridge: Cutting Edge LED Lights Create Unique Night Landscape
Hundreds Gather In Portland for Conference on Climate Change Science
Boat's Voyage a Shining Example of Solar Potential
Google to Double Size of Kirkland Campus
Idaho Wi-Fi Project Logs On First School District
Boston’s Need for Internet Speed Holds Tech Firms in Check
Curry County Leader Says He's Not Interested in Secession
Lightning Zaps Trees, A Shelton School, Knocks Out Power … But Starts a Car
Massive Storm Hits Western Washington; Mudslides, Flooding Reported
More Rain Friday; Flood Watch in Effect
Yosemite Rim Fire Cause: Hunter's Illegal Campfire
As Washington State Unemployment Goes, So Goes the Nation

WORD OF THE DAY

Heuristic • \hyur-RIST-tick\ • Adjective - Involving or serving as an aid to learning, discovery, or problem-solving by experimental and especially trial-and-error methods also: of or relating to exploratory problem-solving techniques that utilize self-educating techniques (as the evaluation of feedback) to improve performance

Fran’s heuristic approach to breaking down the brick wall between her kitchen and tiny breakfast nook had not been going well. She had hoped that by starting small she would be able to find the best tool to demolish the wall, without creating dust or large piles of bricks throughout the apartment. The shop vac was working…but at glacial pace. After two years of constant application, a single row of removed grout was the fruit of her labors. The jackhammer approach was looking much more attractive.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/mapclick.php?textfield1=47.213805&textfield2=-123.113412&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=shelton%2c%20wa%2c%20usa

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Mason County Thunderstorms Knock Out Power (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/11080

Why Washington State Could Become a Major Global Fuel Supplier (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2013/09/05/opening-the-spigot-why-washingtons.html

Sierra Club Ramps Up Climate Fight against Gas-Fired Power Plants (SNL Financial)

http://www.snl.com/Interactivex/article.aspx?CdId=A-24746474-10544

Why Don't We "Mothball" Shutdown Nuclear Energy Plants? (The Energy Collective)

http://theenergycollective.com/ansorg/268086/why-don-t-we-mothball-shutdown-nuclear-plants

Meeting North Dakota’s Increased Need for Electricity (Minot Daily News, ND)

http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/577968/Meeting-N-D--s-increased-need-for-electricity.html?nav=5010

Police: Convicted Thief Electrocuted While Stealing Copper (WBBM, Chicago, IL)

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/09/04/police-convicted-thief-electrocuted-while-stealing-copper/

FISH & WILDLIFE

Federal Judge Rules in Favor of Threatened Seabird (Associated Press)

http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Federal-judge-rules-in-favor-of-threatened-seabird-4790633.php

Lower Columbia River Sees Record High Chinook Catch, And Buoy 10 Is Best since 1988 (Seattle Times - Paywall Advisory)

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/reeltimenorthwest/2013/09/05/lower-columbia-river-sees-record-high-chinook-catch/?syndication=rss

California: Drakes Bay Oyster Co. Will Challenge Federal Ruling (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_24023200

Washington State DNR: It's a Banner Year for Yellow Jackets (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/DNR-Its-a-banner-year-for-yellow-jackets-221894011.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Nippon Paper Performs Testing and Commissioning on New Biomass Cogen in Washington State (MarketWire)

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/nippon-paper-performs-testing-commissioning-on-new-biomass-cogen-washington-state-industrial-1828020.htm

Washington State's Wind Power Industry Surges (Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, WA)

http://kpbj.com/headlines/environment/2013-09-05/states_wind_power_industry_surges

Energy Update: Renewables, Coal & Gas, By the Numbers “…Renewables don't seem to be displacing fossil fuels as we might like them to. Instead, they're displacing one another…” (Missoula Independent, MT)

http://missoulanews.bigskypress.com/IndyBlog/archives/2013/09/05/energy-update-renewables-coal-and-gas-by-the-numbers

Germany's Energy Poverty: How Electricity Became a Luxury Good (Spiegel Online, Germany)

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/high-costs-and-errors-of-german-transition-to-renewable-energy-a-920288.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Snohomish PUD Offers Small Businesses No-Cost Measures to Save Energy (Edmonds Beacon, WA)

http://edmondsbeacon.villagesoup.com/p/pud-offers-small-businesses-no-cost-measures-to-save-energy/1052008

Being Monitored Motivates Less Electricity Use (Scientific American)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=being-monitored-motivates-less-elec-13-09-05

Ohio: FirstEnergy Boycott Targets Utility’s Stance on Energy Efficiency Standards (Colu8mbus Business First, OH)

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2013/09/firstenergy-boycott-targets-utilitys.html

Bay Bridge: Cutting Edge LED Lights Create Unique Night Landscape (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_24027833

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Hundreds Gather In Portland for Conference on Climate Change Science (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwpr.org/post/hundreds-gather-portland-conference-climate-change-science

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Boat's Voyage a Shining Example of Solar Potential (British Broadcasting Corporation)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23936775

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Google to Double Size of Kirkland Campus (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://q13fox.com/2013/09/05/google-to-double-size-of-kirkland-campus/

Idaho Wi-Fi Project Logs On First School District (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/09/06/2744877/state-wi-fi-project-logs-on-first.html

Boston’s Need for Internet Speed Holds Tech Firms in Check (Boston Herald, MA)

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/09/forum_boston_s_need_for_internet_speed_holds_tech_firms_in_check?

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Curry County Leader Says He's Not Interested in Secession (Oregonian, Portland, OR)

http://www.oregonlive.com/mapes/index.ssf/2013/09/oregon_counties_dont_seem_to_b.html

GENERAL NEWS

Lightning Zaps Trees, A Shelton School, Knocks Out Power … But Starts a Car (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://q13fox.com/2013/09/05/tens-of-thousands-left-without-power-after-day-long-thunderstorms/

Massive Storm Hits Western Washington; Mudslides, Flooding Reported (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://q13fox.com/2013/09/06/storms-pound-western-washington-mudslides-flooding-reported/

More Rain Friday; Flood Watch in Effect (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/11082

Yosemite Rim Fire Cause: Hunter's Illegal Campfire (SF Chronicle, CA)

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Rim-Fire-cause-hunter-s-illegal-campfire-4789468.php

As Washington State Unemployment Goes, So Goes the Nation (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/09/06/as-washington-state-unemployment-goes-so-goes-the-nation/?wprss=rss_politics&clsrd

DIVERSIONS

Lincoln City Burying Dollars on the Beach for Visitors to Find

http://nwpr.org/post/hundreds-gather-portland-conference-climate-change-science

Colorado Town Flooded With Applications for Drone-Hunting Permits

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/06/us-usa-colorado-drones-idUSBRE98500S20130906

UK Firm Sorry for Making Jobseekers Dance at Interview

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/05/us-dance-idUSBRE9840WX20130905

Capitol Statues Honor the Famous, Tragic & Odd

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/capitol-statues-honor-famous-tragic-odd-20150414

SONG OF THE DAY

Leo Sayer - Long Tall Glasses

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-qxCWf0SCY

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

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.

Note that as some newspapers migrate to a “paywall” system of access, some articles may not be available without forking over some cold hard credit card cash. However, some sites will allow a certain number of story accesses per month before holding out their hand. Sorry if this is an inconvenience.

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Energy News Digest for September 6, 2013

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