Monday, June 2, 2014

Energy News Digest for June 2, 2014

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NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

  • U-S Unveils Sweeping Plan to Slash Power Plant Pollution
  • States Move to Blunt Obama Carbon Plan
  • Gov. Inslee Praises Obama Step on Reducing Coal-Plant Carbon Emissions
  • EPA’s Clean Power Rule Must Ensure Electricity Remains Affordable & Reliable
  • Bonneville Power Administration Audit Finds Credit Card Abuse by Employees, Lack of Controls at Agency
  • Price Powers Eastside Debate of Putting Puget Sound Energy Line Underground
  • Repair Work Started at Wanapum Dam
  • Doubling Hydropower Doesn’t Mean New Dams, Says Energy Secretary Moniz at School Of Mines
  • NorthWestern Energy: Natural Gas Rates Will Go Down, Electricity Rates Headed Up
  • Pint-Size Nuclear Plants Get a Boost from Obama Administration
  • Natural Gas Production Reached Record High in March
  • Grand Coulee Dam’s New Laser Show worth the Wait (Walla Walla Union Bulletin, WA)
  • Sea Lions Leave Bonneville Dam; Impact Well Below High Predation Years
  • Groups Challenge in Ninth Circuit BPA’s Record of Decision Accepting Feds’ New Hydro/Salmon Plan
  • Study Finds California Medical Pot Farms Draining Streams Dry
  • Water, Water Anywhere? Should California Use Taxpayer Dollars to Build More Dams?
  • Submerged Wave Energy Generator on Track for 2014 Deployment near Astoria 
  • Editorial: California Governor Brown’s Steady March to an Alternative Energy Future
  • Halting Home Air Leaks Can Cut Electricity Costs
  • Snohomish PUD Offering Everett Residents Tips on How to Save Money as Weather Heats Up
  • Is Global Warming Real? Most Americans Say Yes
  • Portland City Council Approves $15,000 for Its Share of Green Economy Global Study with London, Copenhagen & Oslo
  • Solar Plane Makes Inaugural Flight
  • Roll Your Eyes at the Beer Fridge That Promises to “Save the World”
  • The Killer Gigabit App? It’s Not What You Think.
  • Wow, Look How Many Gigabit Networks are in Washington State!
  • FCC May Redefine Broadband As High As 25Mbps Download Instead Of 4Mbps
  • Google Broadband Balloon Falls from the Sky near Yakima
  • Twitter & Public Safety: Agencies Seek to Inform
  • How Twitter Has Forever Changed the Nerdiest Event on ESPN
  • Dead Identified in Double Fatal Mason County Crash
  • Official: Too Dangerous to Get Climbers’ Bodies on Mt. Rainier
  • North Mason School District Takes over Theler Center in Belfair
  • USGS Confirms 2.6 Magnitude Earthquake near Seabeck
  • President Obama Welcomes Release of Bowe Bergdahl
  • Devastating ‘Coffee Rust’ Fungus Raises Prices on High-End Blends
CARBON CAPPING CAPER CREATES CONUNDRUM

U-S Unveils Sweeping Plan to Slash Power Plant Pollution (Reuters)

States Move to Blunt Obama Carbon Plan (Associated Press)

Gov. Inslee Praises Obama Step on Reducing Coal-Plant Carbon Emissions (Bellingham Herald, WA)

EPA’s Clean Power Rule Must Ensure Electricity Remains Affordable & Reliable (American Public Power Association)

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Bonneville Power Administration Audit Finds Credit Card Abuse by Employees, Lack of Controls at Agency (Oregonian, Portland)

Price Powers Eastside Debate of Putting Puget Sound Energy Line Underground (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)

Repair Work Started at Wanapum Dam (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Doubling Hydropower Doesn’t Mean New Dams, Says Energy Secretary Moniz at School Of Mines (Denver Business Journal, CO)

NorthWestern Energy: Natural Gas Rates Will Go Down, Electricity Rates Headed Up (Associated Press)

Pint-Size Nuclear Plants Get a Boost from Obama Administration (Christian Science Monitor)

Natural Gas Production Reached Record High in March (Forbes Magazine)

Grand Coulee Dam’s New Laser Show worth the Wait (Walla Walla Union Bulletin, WA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Sea Lions Leave Bonneville Dam; Impact Well Below High Predation Years (The Dalles Chronicle, OR)

Groups Challenge in Ninth Circuit BPA’s Record of Decision Accepting Feds’ New Hydro/Salmon Plan (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Study Finds California Medical Pot Farms Draining Streams Dry (Associated Press)

Water, Water Anywhere? Should California Use Taxpayer Dollars to Build More Dams? (Sacramento Bee, CA)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Submerged Wave Energy Generator on Track for 2014 Deployment near Astoria (Northwest Public Radio)

Editorial: California Governor Brown’s Steady March to an Alternative Energy Future (Sacramento Bee, CA)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Halting Home Air Leaks Can Cut Electricity Costs (Associated Press)

Snohomish PUD Offering Everett Residents Tips on How to Save Money as Weather Heats Up (My Everett News, WA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Is Global Warming Real? Most Americans Say Yes (NY Times)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Portland City Council Approves $15,000 for Its Share of Green Economy Global Study with London, Copenhagen & Oslo (Oregonian, Portland)

Solar Plane Makes Inaugural Flight (British Broadcasting Corporation)

Roll Your Eyes at the Beer Fridge That Promises to “Save the World” (Grist Online)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
The Killer Gigabit App? It’s Not What You Think. (GigaOM)

Wow, Look How Many Gigabit Networks are in Washington State! (Community Broadband Networks)

FCC May Redefine Broadband As High As 25Mbps Download Instead Of 4Mbps (Digital Trends)

Google Broadband Balloon Falls from the Sky near Yakima (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING

Twitter & Public Safety: Agencies Seek to Inform (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

How Twitter Has Forever Changed the Nerdiest Event on ESPN (GigaOM)

GENERAL NEWS

Dead Identified in Double Fatal Mason County Crash (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Official: Too Dangerous to Get Climbers’ Bodies on Mt. Rainier (Associated Press)

North Mason School District Takes over Theler Center in Belfair (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

USGS Confirms 2.6 Magnitude Earthquake near Seabeck (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

President Obama Welcomes Release of Bowe Bergdahl (Northwest Cable News)

Devastating ‘Coffee Rust’ Fungus Raises Prices on High-End Blends (Oregonian, Portland)

DIVERSIONS

Brady Bunch ‘Alice’ Actress Ann B. Davis Dies

Man Attempting To Blow Nose & Smoke Cigarette at Same Time Winds Up Burning House Down

Cross-Country Flight Diverted After Dog Poops

Police Confiscate $3 Million Worth of Shoes from Kentucky Home

SONG OF THE DAY

Ellen Burstyn - Piano Medley from “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”

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.