Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Energy News Digest for September 2, 2014

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THE NEWS DIGEST WORD CLOUD

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for September 2, 2014

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

U-S Department of Energy Agrees to Pay $23.6M to Energy Northwest – Over Feds continued failure to accept used nuclear fuel (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Pacific Northwest Dam Settlement Could Add Wildlife Land - The money would compensate for Snake River dams, tributaries (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

Skamania County Biomass Project Nets $200,000 State Grant (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Global Warming: Is Washington State Doing Enough to Protect Timber from Invading Beetle? (Crosscut Seattle)

Is Anyone Actually Reading Your Tweets? (Washington Post)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • U-S Department of Energy Agrees to Pay $23.6M to Energy Northwest
  • Nuclear Waste Is Allowed Above Ground Indefinitely
  • Confidence - What Does It Mean for Nuclear Waste?
  • Op/Ed: Nuclear Energy Is Here to Stay
  • Avista Begins Post Falls Dam Construction Project
  • Lewis County Sheriff's Office Investigating Wire Theft from Street Lights
  • Cowlitz PUD Spokesman Assuming New Responsibility at Utility
  • Live Wires - A Demonstration of Dangers
  • Port Townsend Rotary Challenges Jefferson PUD Customers to Help Power Boost
  • New England Relying More on Natural Gas Along with Hydroelectric Imports from Canada
  • Do High Voltage Power Lines Cause Cancer?
  • Florida: Man Who Died of Electrocution Was Stealing to Pay Electric Bill
  • Robert Varela Retires After 22 Years as American Public Power Association Newsletter Editor
  • Pacific Northwest Dam Settlement Could Add Wildlife Land
  • Puget Sound's Orca Population Falling, Census Finds
  • Geocachers Help Lampreys Track Back to Columbia River
  • Monarch Butterflies Have Declined 90%; Conservationists Seek Extra Protection
  • Climate Study Bad News for Tiny Nevada Desert Fish
  • Desperately Dry California Tries to Curb Private Drilling for Water
  • Skamania County Biomass Project Nets $200,000 State Grant
  • Oregon Solar Company Seeks Stiff U-S Tariffs to Deter Chinese Spying
  • Bye Bye Birdie: Does the Government Give Green-Energy Firms a Free Pass on Bird Deaths?
  • Listen Up: Let's Talk Solar Water Heating
  • Pacific Northwest Utility Lighting Summit Proves Illuminating
  • Alaska Co-op Promotes Business Energy Savings
  • Global Warming: Is Washington State Doing Enough to Protect Timber from Invading Beetle?
  • Op/Ed: J. Robert McClure - EPA Could Hit Your Utility Bill
  • What Your TV Weather Forecast May Look Like in 2050
  • This California Bill Will Make Electric Cars Way Less Pretentious
  • Tennessee: Chattanooga's High-Speed Broadband Brings High-Stakes Battle Over Electric Power Board Expansion
  • Op/Ed: The Internet Is Not Like an Electric or Water Utility
  • Apple Looks for iCloud Loopholes after Celebrity Photo Leak
  • New Study: America's Data Centers Consuming, and Wasting, Growing Amounts of Energy
  • Netflix: We Had to Pay Comcast Because We Were Losing Customers
  • Phony Cell Towers Could Be Intercepting Your Data
  • Is Anyone Actually Reading Your Tweets?
  • FCC Takes Aim at Annoyingly Loud Commercials
  • Annoyed by Off-Hour Work Emails? They May Soon Be Illegal in Germany
  • Eight Media Buzzwords That We've Lost Forever
  • Washington State Legislature Heads to Court on Education Finance
  • Washington State Judge Upholds Small City’s Pot Shop Ban - Fife can continue to ban marijuana sales, judge rules
  • Fife Marijuana Ban Case Could Go Straight to Washington State Supreme Court
  • Olympic National Park Bans Drones
  • Shelton’s Colonial House has a Story to Tell
WORD OF THE DAY

Defile • \dih-FILE\ • Verb/Noun – 1 - Verb: to make unclean or impure: as - a: to corrupt the purity or perfection of, debase b: to make physically unclean especially with something unpleasant or contaminating d: to violate the sanctity of, desecrate e: sully, dishonor 2 – Noun: a narrow passage through mountains, a narrow passage or gorge.

The troop of spelunkers entered the looming defile that led to the yawning entrance to the infamous “Cave of the Intestinally Distressed Bats.” What they would find there, only the tour guide knew. Only the adventurers with excellent vocabularies realized too late the origin of the cavern’s name…and the reason that the tour included heavy discounts on dry-cleaning at the small nearby town’s single laundry establishment.

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

U-S Department of Energy Agrees to Pay $23.6M to Energy Northwest – Over Feds continued failure to accept used nuclear fuel (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Nuclear Waste Is Allowed Above Ground Indefinitely (NY Times)

Confidence - What Does It Mean for Nuclear Waste? (Forbes Magazine)

Op/Ed: Nuclear Energy Is Here to Stay (Crosscut Seattle)

Avista Begins Post Falls Dam Construction Project (KXLY-TV, Spokane, WA)

Lewis County Sheriff's Office Investigating Wire Theft from Street Lights (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

Cowlitz PUD Spokesman Assuming New Responsibility at Utility (Longview Daily News, WA)

Live Wires - A Demonstration of Dangers (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

Port Townsend Rotary Challenges Jefferson PUD Customers to Help Power Boost (Port Townsend Leader, WA)

New England Relying More on Natural Gas Along with Hydroelectric Imports from Canada (The Energy Collective)

Do High Voltage Power Lines Cause Cancer? (Forbes Magazine)

Florida: Man Who Died of Electrocution Was Stealing to Pay Electric Bill (WTVT-TV, Tampa, FL)

Robert Varela Retires After 22 Years as American Public Power Association Newsletter Editor (American Public Power Association)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Pacific Northwest Dam Settlement Could Add Wildlife Land - The money would compensate for Snake River dams, tributaries (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

Puget Sound's Orca Population Falling, Census Finds (Associated Press)

Geocachers Help Lampreys Track Back to Columbia River (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

Monarch Butterflies Have Declined 90%; Conservationists Seek Extra Protection (Newsweek)

Climate Study Bad News for Tiny Nevada Desert Fish (Associated Press)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Desperately Dry California Tries to Curb Private Drilling for Water (NY Times)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Skamania County Biomass Project Nets $200,000 State Grant (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Oregon Solar Company Seeks Stiff U-S Tariffs to Deter Chinese Spying (NY Times)

Bye Bye Birdie: Does the Government Give Green-Energy Firms a Free Pass on Bird Deaths? (National Review Online)

Listen Up: Let's Talk Solar Water Heating (Renewable Energy World)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Pacific Northwest Utility Lighting Summit Proves Illuminating (Bonneville Power Administration)

Alaska Co-op Promotes Business Energy Savings (Electric Co-op Today)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Global Warming: Is Washington State Doing Enough to Protect Timber from Invading Beetle? (Crosscut Seattle)

Op/Ed: J. Robert McClure - EPA Could Hit Your Utility Bill (Tallahassee Democrat, FL)

What Your TV Weather Forecast May Look Like in 2050 (Mashable)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

This California Bill Will Make Electric Cars Way Less Pretentious (Grist Online)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Tennessee: Chattanooga's High-Speed Broadband Brings High-Stakes Battle Over Electric Power Board Expansion (Chattanooga Times Free Press, TN)

Op/Ed: The Internet Is Not Like an Electric or Water Utility (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Apple Looks for iCloud Loopholes after Celebrity Photo Leak (Sacramento Business Journal, CA)

New Study: America's Data Centers Consuming, and Wasting, Growing Amounts of Energy (The Energy Collective)

Netflix: We Had to Pay Comcast Because We Were Losing Customers (Broadband Reports)

Phony Cell Towers Could Be Intercepting Your Data (Gizmodo)

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Is Anyone Actually Reading Your Tweets? (Washington Post)

FCC Takes Aim at Annoyingly Loud Commercials (Broadband Reports)

Annoyed by Off-Hour Work Emails? They May Soon Be Illegal in Germany (Christian Science Monitor)

Eight Media Buzzwords That We've Lost Forever (AdWeek)

GENERAL NEWS

Washington State Legislature Heads to Court on Education Finance (Associated Press)

Washington State Judge Upholds Small City’s Pot Shop Ban - Fife can continue to ban marijuana sales, judge rules (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Fife Marijuana Ban Case Could Go Straight to Washington State Supreme Court (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

Olympic National Park Bans Drones (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)

Shelton’s Colonial House has a Story to Tell (Thurston Talks, Olympia, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Yet Another Flight Diverted After Fight over Reclining Seat

Seven Mysterious Treasures the World Is Still Looking For

Researchers Uncover 39,000-Year-Old Abstract Art by Neanderthals

One of the Last Typewriter Repairmen

SONG OF THE DAY

Max Steiner - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Soundtrack)

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.