Friday, March 14, 2014

Energy News Digest for March 14, 2014

Programming Note

The Energy News Digest will be away from the interwebs March 17-21. Where are we going (I don’t know)? When will we get there (I ain’t certain)? All that I know is I am on my way…..

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENERGY NEWS DIGEST

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

THE NEWS DIGEST TWITTER FEED

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices:

THE NEWS DIGEST WORD CLOUD

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for March 14, 2014

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Feds Ordered to Pay Energy Northwest $19 Million over Spent Fuel (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Review of Wanapum Dam Will Take Engineers Nine Days to Complete (iFiberOne News, Ephrata, WA)

Salmon Fishing Ocean Limits at Levels Not Seen Since Late ‘70s (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

British Columbia Wants Changes in Columbia River Pact with U-S (Reuters)

Climate Change Not a Top Worry in U-S (Gallup)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Feds Ordered to Pay Energy Northwest $19 Million over Spent Fuel
  • Review of Wanapum Dam Will Take Engineers Nine Days to Complete
  • Wanapum Dam’s River Drawdown Churns Up Old Bones, Inundates Guards
  • Oregon: Pacific Power Clarifies Pricing for Millersburg Utility
  • Oregon: Bonneville Power Administration Says Millersburg Power Can’t All Be Tier 1 Rate
  • $25,000 BPA Reward for Info on Vandals Damaging Covington Land
  • Eight Things Ratepayers Should Know about PacifiCorp & Coal-Fired Power Plants
  • Mason PUD 3 Commission Report for the March 11, 2014 Business Meeting
  • How Does BPA Move a Transformer? Verrrrrrrry Carefully
  • Strong Hydro Generation Causes Negative Pacific Northwest U-S Power Prices
  • New Power Sources Planned to Replace California Nuclear Plant
  • Comcast Starts Selling Electricity in Pennsylvania
  • A Utility Death Spiral? Warren Buffett Says No
  • Salmon Fishing Ocean Limits at Levels Not Seen Since Late ‘70s
  • Chinese & U-S Officials to Discuss China’s Shellfish Import Ban
  • Salmon in the Classroom Program Takes Boise-Eliot/Humboldt Students to the Columbia River Gorge
  • Land Banked - 63-Acre Site on Willamette River Will Be Sold to a Nature Group
  • British Columbia Wants Changes in Columbia River Pact with U-S
  • Battle Lines Being Drawn in Diplomatic Water Wars
  • More Water on Tap for the Columbia River Basin
  • Water-Rights Bill Backed by Ski Areas OK’d by U-S House of Representatives
  • Montana: Bird Lovers Balk at Wind Farm
  • California: Biomass Appeal - Stockton Plant Focused on Clean Way to Turn Wood Waste into Power
  • Ontario: Renewable Energy Not to Blame for High Bills
  • Green Energy: Can We Save the Planet & Save Birds?
  • Renewable Energy Powers Rural Nepal into the Future
  • Big Data Driving App Usage
  • Op/Ed: Energy Efficient Light Bulbs Are Finally Worth Buying
  • Washington Co-op Helps Clear Cascade Night Sky
  • An Ultra-Flat Air Conditioner That Could Be Mistaken for Artwork
  • Climate Change Not a Top Worry in U-S
  • GOP Senators Press FCC on Rural Broadband
  • Don’t Count on Verizon FiOS Coming to Your Town Anytime Soon
  • Amazon Raises Price of Prime Membership to $99
  • When Facebook Sends Visitors to News Sites, They Tend Not to Stay
  • The Ultimate Missed Social-Media Opportunity for Brands: Climate Change
  • Bravo to Affordable Solar for This Fun & Rewarding Solar Campaign
  • Washington State Legislative Session Ends without Tackling Some Major Issues
  • Lawmakers Pass Budget, Little Else, As Session Ends
  • Exclusive: Radar Data Suggests Missing Malaysia Plane Deliberately Flown Way Off Course
  • Three Years Later, Where Did Japanese Tsunami Debris Go?
  • Weed Island? Company Looks to Make Pot-Infused Snacks, Candy on Vashon
  • Top Pot Doughnuts Bids Sweet ‘So-Long’ to Golden Tate

WORD OF THE DAY

Pi • \PIE\ • Noun - 1:  the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet 2a:  the symbol π denoting the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter b:  the ratio itself:  a transcendental number having a value rounded to eight decimal places of 3.14159265

3.14: Celebrate Pi Day today

PUD 3 Belfair Office’s Haiku:

Radius, Circle
Diameter, Circumference,
Infinite numbers

And their Pi-ku is:

Haiku should
Be
Five, seven, five

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Feds Ordered to Pay Energy Northwest $19 Million over Spent Fuel (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Review of Wanapum Dam Will Take Engineers Nine Days to Complete (iFiberOne News, Ephrata, WA)

Wanapum Dam’s River Drawdown Churns Up Old Bones, Inundates Guards (Northwest Public Radio)

Oregon: Pacific Power Clarifies Pricing for Millersburg Utility (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)

Oregon: Bonneville Power Administration Says Millersburg Power Can’t All Be Tier 1 Rate (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)

$25,000 BPA Reward for Info on Vandals Damaging Covington Land (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

Eight Things Ratepayers Should Know about PacifiCorp & Coal-Fired Power Plants (Oregonian, Portland)

Mason PUD 3 Commission Report for the March 11, 2014 Business Meeting (Mason County PUD 3, Shelton, WA)

How Does BPA Move a Transformer? Verrrrrrrry Carefully (Bonneville Power Administration)

Strong Hydro Generation Causes Negative Pacific Northwest U-S Power Prices (Platts)

New Power Sources Planned to Replace California Nuclear Plant (Associated Press)

Comcast Starts Selling Electricity in Pennsylvania (Broadband Reports)

A Utility Death Spiral? Warren Buffett Says No (Sustainable Business Oregon)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Salmon Fishing Ocean Limits at Levels Not Seen Since Late ‘70s (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Chinese & U-S Officials to Discuss China’s Shellfish Import Ban (Northwest Public Radio)

Salmon in the Classroom Program Takes Boise-Eliot/Humboldt Students to the Columbia River Gorge (Oregonian, Portland)

Land Banked - 63-Acre Site on Willamette River Will Be Sold to a Nature Group - $345,000 to come from Bonneville Power Administration (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

British Columbia Wants Changes in Columbia River Pact with U-S (Reuters)

Battle Lines Being Drawn in Diplomatic Water Wars - British Columbia seeks to maintain 50-year-old Columbia River Treaty against U-S interest to claw back payments (Vancouver Sun, BC)

More Water on Tap for the Columbia River Basin (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Water-Rights Bill Backed by Ski Areas OK’d by U-S House of Representatives (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Montana: Bird Lovers Balk at Wind Farm (Missoula Independent, MT)

California: Biomass Appeal - Stockton Plant Focused on Clean Way to Turn Wood Waste into Power (Stockton Record, CA)

Ontario: Renewable Energy Not to Blame for High Bills (Toronto Star, Ontario, Canada)

Green Energy: Can We Save the Planet & Save Birds? (Audubon Magazine)

Renewable Energy Powers Rural Nepal into the Future (Renewable Energy World)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Big Data Driving App Usage (Conduit)

Op/Ed: Energy Efficient Light Bulbs Are Finally Worth Buying (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

Washington Co-op Helps Clear Cascade Night Sky (Electric Co-op Today)

An Ultra-Flat Air Conditioner That Could Be Mistaken For Artwork (Gizmodo)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Climate Change Not a Top Worry in U-S (Gallup)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

GOP Senators Press FCC on Rural Broadband (The Hill, Washington, DC)

Don’t Count on Verizon FiOS Coming to Your Town Anytime Soon (Consumerist)

Amazon Raises Price of Prime Membership to $99 (Northwest Cable News Network)

SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING

When Facebook Sends Visitors to News Sites, They Tend Not to Stay (Mashable)

The Ultimate Missed Social-Media Opportunity for Brands: Climate Change (The Guardian, UK)

Bravo to Affordable Solar for This Fun & Rewarding Solar Campaign (Renewable Energy World)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Legislative Session Ends without Tackling Some Major Issues (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Lawmakers Pass Budget, Little Else, As Session Ends (Everett Herald, WA)

GENERAL NEWS

Exclusive: Radar Data Suggests Missing Malaysia Plane Deliberately Flown Way Off Course (Reuters)

Three Years Later, Where Did Japanese Tsunami Debris Go? (Northwest Public Radio)

Weed Island? Company Looks to Make Pot-Infused Snacks, Candy on Vashon (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

Top Pot Doughnuts Bids Sweet ‘So-Long’ to Golden Tate (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

DIVERSIONS

College Basketball: March Madness May Cost Billions in Lost Productivity

Seahawks Hunk Headed to the Prom

Workers on Treadmills Can Step Up Productivity by 10 Percent, Study Finds

Old Spice Attracting Women in Gender-Bending Hit for P&G

SONG OF THE DAY

CBS Spots - One Shining Moment 2013

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.