Monday, August 5, 2013

Energy News Digest for August 5, 2013

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THE NEWS DIGEST WORD CLOUD

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for August 5, 2013

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Eugene Water & Electric Board Hydropower Turbines Facing Shutdown - The utility won’t spend $45 million on Trail Bridge Dam work (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

Shrapnel from Imploding California Power Plant Injures Five Spectators (Associated Press)

Portland General Electric Buys Development Rights to Dayton-Area Wind Farm (Renewables Biz)

Puget Sound Orcas versus California Farmers: Whales Win (Seattle Times - Paywall Advisory)

Largest Geothermal Development in America Coming to Kennewick (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Eugene Water & Electric Board Hydropower Turbines Facing Shutdown
  • Shrapnel from Imploding California Power Plant Injures Five Spectators
  • Cowlitz County Commissioners Seek Payments for Tax Revenue 'Lost' to Proposed Bonneville Power Administration Line
  • Nuclear Energy Investment Less Risky than Natural Gas
  • Fines May Not Deter Companies from Manipulating Markets
  • Tennessee Valley Authority Reports Third Quarter 2013 Results
  • Who Owns Land under the River – North Carolina Files Hydroelectric Lawsuit against ALCOA
  • Ohio: Office Wants Public Voice on American Electric Power’s Storm Bill
  • Tennessee: ‘Smart’ Meter Debate Pushes toward Vote Later this Month
  • Minneapolis Debates Getting into Electricity Business
  • Texas: Area Man Convicted in Fake Power Plant Case
  • Oklahoma: Copper Theft Suspected in Pocola Electrocution Death
  • Rising Utility Bills? Credit Rating Agencies May Be to Blame
  • Free Electricity on Saturdays? Offer Could Come to United Kingdom
  • Puget Sound Orcas versus California Farmers: Whales Win
  • Record Returns of Fall Chinook Salmon Predicted on Lower Columbia River
  • Endangered Adult Sockeye Passing Little Goose Dam Then Hitting Lower Granite’s ‘Thermal Barrier’ 
  • The Heat Is on for Salmon
  • Bonneville Power Assistance: State of Montana Considers Buying Land on Flathead Lake
  • Crazy for Carp - The ‘Trash Fish’ That’s Taking the Angling World by Storm
  • Potlatch State Park Closed to Recreational Water Use
  • U-S Senator Wyden Looking for Klamath Basin’s Solution
  • Treated Sewage Seeping into Central Oregon’s Water
  • Portland General Electric Buys Development Rights to Dayton-Area Wind Farm
  • Hastings, McClintock Applaud Senate Passage of House Bill to Expand Renewable Hydropower Production
  • Congress Can’t Agree on Most Energy Issues - But It Loves Dams
  • Co-ops Doubt Rural Utility Service Renewable Energy Project Finance Plan
  • These Clever Wind Turbines Store Energy for When the Wind’s Not Blowing
  • Largest Geothermal Development in America Coming to Kennewick
  • Kansas: Westar Energy Seeks $10 Million Reimbursement for Program Designed to Reduce Energy Usage
  • 34 Home Maintenance Myths
  • This Gamble on Carbon & the Climate Could Trigger a New Financial Crisis
  • Study: Climate Change Makes People Hotter & Angrier
  • Jump-Starting Electric Vehicle Sales with Workplace Charging Stations
  • Idaho Schools Flock to State Wireless Program
  • Vancouver, WA: Comcast Offering Cloud-Based Services Locally
  • Clark County High-Tech Firms Eye Growth amid Challenges - Cheap power, clean water and a skilled workforce brought them here
  • Phone Company Ordered to Pay Calif. $24.4 Million in Fees
  • Utah Officials Seek to Exempt NSA Data Center from Tax
  • Obama Nominates Two for Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Forget Governor? Idaho’s Labrador Touted as Next House Speaker
  • Colockum Tarps Fire 50 Percent Contained
  • Man Charged in Washington State with Stealing $28 Million in School Computers
  • Oregon Embraces ‘University of Nike’ Image
  • Court: No Oregon Workers’ Comp in Drunk Dockworker Case
  • California Metal Recycler Pays $4.1 Million to Settle Lawsuit
  • On Yellow Alert: Wasp Totals Boom in Late Summer
  • Stranded Tenino Cat Escapes on Fourth Day Atop Power Pole
  • Skokomish Park Lake Cushman – Campground

WORD OF THE DAY

MacGuffin • \muh-GUFF-fin\ • Noun - An object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance.

Hitchcock’s MacGuffins are considered to be among the best in film: What are the “39 Steps,” what are in those champagne bottles in “Notorious,” that stupid little statue with the microfilm in “North by Northwest,” the birds in “The Birds.”

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Eugene Water & Electric Board Hydropower Turbines Facing Shutdown - The utility won’t spend $45 million on Trail Bridge Dam work (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

Shrapnel from Imploding California Power Plant Injures Five Spectators (Associated Press)

Cowlitz County Commissioners Seek Payments for Tax Revenue 'Lost' to Proposed Bonneville Power Administration Line (Longview Daily News, WA)

Nuclear Energy Investment Less Risky than Natural Gas (The Energy Collective)

Fines May Not Deter Companies from Manipulating Markets (McClatchy Syndication)

Tennessee Valley Authority Reports Third Quarter 2013 Results (PR Newswire)

Who Owns Land under the River – North Carolina Files Hydroelectric Lawsuit against ALCOA (Stanley News & Press, NC)

Ohio: Office Wants Public Voice on American Electric Power’s Storm Bill (Columbus Dispatch, OH)

Tennessee: ‘Smart’ Meter Debate Pushes toward Vote Later this Month (Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN)

Minneapolis Debates Getting into Electricity Business (Minnesota Public Radio)

Texas: Area Man Convicted in Fake Power Plant Case (Greenville Herald Banner, TX)

Oklahoma: Copper Theft Suspected in Pocola Electrocution Death (Associated Press)

Rising Utility Bills? Credit Rating Agencies May Be to Blame (Forbes Magazine)

Free Electricity on Saturdays? Offer Could Come to United Kingdom (CNBC)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Puget Sound Orcas versus California Farmers: Whales Win (Seattle Times - Paywall Advisory)

Record Returns of Fall Chinook Salmon Predicted on Lower Columbia River (Seattle Times - Paywall Advisory)

Endangered Adult Sockeye Passing Little Goose Dam Then Hitting Lower Granite’s ‘Thermal Barrier’ (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

The Heat Is on for Salmon (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

Bonneville Power Assistance: State of Montana Considers Buying Land on Flathead Lake (Helena Independent Record, MT)

Crazy for Carp - The ‘Trash Fish’ That’s Taking the Angling World by Storm (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Potlatch State Park Closed to Recreational Water Use (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

U-S Senator Wyden Looking for Klamath Basin’s Solution (Northwest Public Radio)

Treated Sewage Seeping into Central Oregon’s Water (Associated Press)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Portland General Electric Buys Development Rights to Dayton-Area Wind Farm (Renewables Biz)

Hastings, McClintock Applaud Senate Passage of House Bill to Expand Renewable Hydropower Production (U-S House Committee on Natural Resources)

Congress Can’t Agree on Most Energy Issues - But It Loves Dams (Washington Post)

Co-ops Doubt Rural Utility Service Renewable Energy Project Finance Plan (Electric Co-op Today)

These Clever Wind Turbines Store Energy for When the Wind’s Not Blowing (Mother Nature Network)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Largest Geothermal Development in America Coming to Kennewick (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Kansas: Westar Energy Seeks $10 Million Reimbursement for Program Designed to Reduce Energy Usage (Wichita Eagle, KS)

34 Home Maintenance Myths (Boston Globe, MA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

This Gamble on Carbon & the Climate Could Trigger a New Financial Crisis (The Guardian, UK)

Study: Climate Change Makes People Hotter & Angrier (MSNBC)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Jump-Starting Electric Vehicle Sales with Workplace Charging Stations (Los Angeles Times, CA)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Idaho Schools Flock to State Wireless Program (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

Vancouver, WA: Comcast Offering Cloud-Based Services Locally (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Clark County High-Tech Firms Eye Growth amid Challenges - Cheap power, clean water and a skilled workforce brought them here (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Phone Company Ordered to Pay Calif. $24.4 Million in Fees (Associated Press)

Utah Officials Seek to Exempt NSA Data Center from Tax (Associated Press)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Obama Nominates Two for Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (Courthouse News Service)

Forget Governor? Idaho’s Labrador Touted as Next House Speaker (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

GENERAL NEWS

Colockum Tarps Fire 50 Percent Contained (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Man Charged in Washington State with Stealing $28 Million in School Computers (KGW TV, Portland, OR)

Oregon Embraces ‘University of Nike’ Image (NY Times)

Court: No Oregon Workers’ Comp in Drunk Dockworker Case (Associated Press)

California Metal Recycler Pays $4.1 Million to Settle Lawsuit (Tri-City Herald, WA)

On Yellow Alert: Wasp Totals Boom in Late Summer (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Stranded Tenino Cat Escapes on Fourth Day Atop Power Pole (Olympian, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Skokomish Park Lake Cushman – Campground (Thurston Talks, Olympia, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Local City Named One of the Grooviest Places for Hippies

Seattle Politely Discourages Offensive Words like ‘Brown Bag’ & ‘Citizen’

Starry Starry Nights: The Perseid Meteor Shower, Which Peaks this Month, Promises to be Nature's Summer Blockbuster

Woman Tricked into Buying Two Actual Apples She Thought Were iPhones

SONG OF THE DAY

Scott McKenzie - If You’re Going to San Francisco

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.