Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Energy News Digest for June 10, 2014

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THE NEWS DIGEST WORD CLOUD

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for June 10, 2014

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Klamath River Basin: Congress Considers Largest Dam Removal in U-S History (High Country News)

Salmon Make Way around Cracked Columbia River Dam (Associated Press)

Montana: Half of NorthWest Energy Will Be Renewable Power if Dam Deal is Approved (KAJ-TV, Kalispell, MT)

Feds Fund Upper Deschutes Climate Change Study (Blue Mountain Eagle, John Day, OR)

Little Progress on Finding Idaho’s Missing Broadband Funds (Associated Press)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Klamath River Basin: Congress Considers Largest Dam Removal in U-S History
  • Montana: Half of NorthWest Energy Will Be Renewable Power if Dam Deal is Approved
  • PPL Corp. Spinning Off Much of Its Electricity Generation Business, News Release Says
  • Ack!: Avista Replacing Transformers with Toxic PCBs
  • Better Headline: Avista Replacing Transformers to Eliminate PCBs
  • Deal to Sell Municipal Utility in Vero Beach, Florida, Appears to be All But Dead
  • Should Utility Companies Be More Like Broadband Providers?
  • United Kingdom: Big Energy Firms’ Prices Challenged by Ofgem
  • Salmon Make Way around Cracked Columbia River Dam
  • Tribes to Fish Three More Days in Columbia Gorge
  • Cut the Carp: Turning around Malheur Refuge One Carp Carcass at a Time
  • One Part Habitat Restoration, One Part Classroom
  • British Columbia: Paying Farmers to Maintain Streamside Vegetation One Way to Protect Fraser Valley Fish Streams
  • Obama Signs $12.3 Billion Water Projects Bill
  • Includes Willamette River Floodplain: 34 Projects Authorized by Water Legislation
  • Oregon Looks at Adding More Renewable Investments to State’s Portfolio
  • SoloPower Systems ‘Close’ to Funding Deal, Oregon Officials Say, Despite Missing Loan Payment
  • Landmark Legislation Could Put Geothermal Back on Track for California
  • New Program Solves the Stranded Solar Meter Problem for California Farms
  • California: Greenleaf Power Secures $100 Million to Buy More Biomass Plants
  • When the Wind Doesn’t Blow
  • Energy from Wind Turbines Actually Less Than Estimated?
  • Orcas Power & Light Passes $46,230 in Bonneville Power Administration Rebates on to Friday Harbor Labs
  • Honeywell Finally Has a Thermostat That Can Compete With Nest
  • Feds Fund Upper Deschutes Climate Change Study
  • Calgary Billboard Blames Sun for Climate Change, Not Humanity
  • Three Portland Neighborhoods Selected for Deep Sustainability Work
  • Little Progress on Finding Idaho’s Missing Broadband Funds
  • Netflix’s Formal Response to Verizon’s Cease-And-Desist Is another Boatload of Snark
  • Netflix Speeds on Verizon Do Not Improve Even After Agreeing to Pay Up
  • Cisco: Broadband Providers Should Not Treat All Bits the Same
  • Web Hosting Company GoDaddy Files for Initial Public Offering
  • How to Boost Home Wi-Fi for PCs & More
  • Facebook, Twitter Brace for World Cup Fever
  • Facebook Accidentally Launches Snapchat Rival App Slingshot Early, Yanks It
  • Pot Advertising Creating a Buzz in Port Angeles
  • The Art of the Awkward Photo Opportunity
  • More Mystical Secrets of Retail Price Codes
  • Armed Woman Causes Shelton School Lockdown, Street Closures
  • Two Bulls Wildfire near Bend is 25 Percent Contained, Not Expected to Grow
  • Wildfire Sparks Amazing Wedding Photo in Oregon
  • Vegas Killer Had Extensive Criminal History in Tri-Cities
  • SeaTac Business Adds ‘Living Wage Surcharge’ after Minimum Wage Hike
  • Washington Is America’s No. 1 State to Make a Living: Forbes
  • Eagle Targeting Family Pets along Willamette River
WORD OF THE DAY

Orthography • \or-THAH-gruh-fee\ • Noun - 1a: the art of writing words with the proper letters according to standard usage, b: the representation of the sounds of a language by written or printed symbols, 2: a part of language study that deals with letters & spelling.

English orthography wasn’t standardized in medieval times, so words often had many different spellings.

“It’s a damn poor mind that can only think of one way to spell a word!”  -- Andrew Jackson.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Klamath River Basin: Congress Considers Largest Dam Removal in U-S History (High Country News)

Montana: Half of NorthWest Energy Will Be Renewable Power if Dam Deal is Approved (KAJ-TV, Kalispell, MT)

PPL Corp. Spinning Off Much of Its Electricity Generation Business, News Release Says (Lehigh Valley Express Times, PA)

Ack!: Avista Replacing Transformers with Toxic PCBs (Bellingham Herald, WA – No Kidding, this is the real headline)

Better Headline: Avista Replacing Transformers to Eliminate PCBs (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Deal to Sell Municipal Utility in Vero Beach, Florida, Appears to be All But Dead (American Public Power Association)

Should Utility Companies Be More Like Broadband Providers? (GreenTech Media)

United Kingdom: Big Energy Firms’ Prices Challenged by Ofgem “…companies should explain…why falling wholesale prices have not been passed on to household bills…” (British Broadcasting Corporation)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Salmon Make Way around Cracked Columbia River Dam (Associated Press)

Tribes to Fish Three More Days in Columbia Gorge (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Cut the Carp: Turning around Malheur Refuge One Carp Carcass at a Time (Northwest Public Radio)

One Part Habitat Restoration, One Part Classroom (Bonneville Power Administration)

British Columbia: Paying Farmers to Maintain Streamside Vegetation One Way to Protect Fraser Valley Fish Streams (Vancouver Sun, BC)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Obama Signs $12.3 Billion Water Projects Bill (Associated Press)

Includes Willamette River Floodplain: 34 Projects Authorized by Water Legislation (Associated Press)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Oregon Looks at Adding More Renewable Investments to State’s Portfolio (Oregonian, Portland)

SoloPower Systems ‘Close’ to Funding Deal, Oregon Officials Say, Despite Missing Loan Payment (Oregonian, Portland)

Landmark Legislation Could Put Geothermal Back on Track for California (Renewable Energy World)

New Program Solves the Stranded Solar Meter Problem for California Farms (Renewable Energy World)

California: Greenleaf Power Secures $100 Million to Buy More Biomass Plants (Sacramento Business Journal, CA)

When the Wind Doesn’t Blow (The Energy Collective – 40% capacity factor? Really?)

Energy from Wind Turbines Actually Less Than Estimated? (The Energy Collective)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Orcas Power & Light Passes $46,230 in Bonneville Power Administration Rebates on to Friday Harbor Labs (San Juan Islander, Friday Harbor, WA)

Honeywell Finally Has a Thermostat That Can Compete With Nest (Mashable)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Feds Fund Upper Deschutes Climate Change Study (Blue Mountain Eagle, John Day, OR)

Calgary Billboard Blames Sun for Climate Change, Not Humanity (Yahoo! News, Canada)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Three Portland Neighborhoods Selected for Deep Sustainability Work (Sustainable Business Oregon)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Little Progress on Finding Idaho’s Missing Broadband Funds (Associated Press)

Netflix’s Formal Response to Verizon’s Cease-And-Desist Is another Boatload of Snark (Washington Post)

Netflix Speeds on Verizon Do Not Improve Even After Agreeing to Pay Up (Consumerist)

Cisco: Broadband Providers Should Not Treat All Bits the Same (PC World)

Web Hosting Company GoDaddy Files for Initial Public Offering (Associated Press)

How to Boost Home Wi-Fi for PCs & More (Northwest Cable News)

SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING

Facebook, Twitter Brace for World Cup Fever (Associated Press)

Facebook Accidentally Launches Snapchat Rival App Slingshot Early, Yanks It (Consumerist)

Pot Advertising Creating a Buzz in Port Angeles (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

The Art of the Awkward Photo Opportunity (British Broadcasting Corporation)

More Mystical Secrets of Retail Price Codes (Consumerist)

GENERAL NEWS

Armed Woman Causes Shelton School Lockdown, Street Closures (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Two Bulls Wildfire near Bend is 25 Percent Contained, Not Expected to Grow (Oregonian, Portland)

Wildfire Sparks Amazing Wedding Photo in Oregon (Associated Press)

Vegas Killer Had Extensive Criminal History in Tri-Cities (Tri-City Herald, WA)

SeaTac Business Adds ‘Living Wage Surcharge’ after Minimum Wage Hike (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

Washington Is America’s No. 1 State to Make a Living: Forbes (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Eagle Targeting Family Pets along Willamette River (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)

DIVERSIONS

German Museum Shows Live Replica of Van Gogh’s Ear

No, a Paris Bridge Did Not Collapse Under the Weight of Its Love Locks

That’ll Do Pig - Pet Pig Saves Family from Fire

Seven Buildings That Look Exactly Like What Happens Inside

SONG OF THE DAY

Don McClean – Vincent

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.