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.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Light Snowpack in Cascades Not Raising Drought Worries
- One
- Union- Peninsula Light Company Collaboration Helps Avert Job Cuts, Rate Hike
- Chelan PUD to Weigh New Rate Hike Monday
- Rates Will Go Up for Puget Sound Energy’s Gas, Electric Customers
- Utilities Panel Grants Rate Increase to
- Portland General Electric Files to Close Boardman Coal Plant Early, Rekindles Concerns
· Oregon Skeptical of Idaho
· Part of Spokane River Hydro Relicensing - Tribe, Avista Working to Protect St. Joe River
· Vancouver
· New York
· Africa Looks to Nuclear Power
· Eye-Popping Electric Bills Spark Smart Meter Investigations in Texas , California
· Xcel to Buy Two Colorado
· Oregon
· Federal Agencies Give Court
· Feds Say California
· Two Water Plants Dedicated as Precursors to Elwha Dam Removal Project
· Rogue River Watershed - At Unfinished Dam Site, Focus Shifts to the Land
· Development in Kittitas County
· Washington State
· New Legislation Speeds Processing of Washington State
· Defiant Farmers Dig in as Drought Returns to Klamath
· Water Bills Go Up in Down Economy as Usage Drops
· Birds vs. Buildings - Audubon Will Track Birds Killed in Crashes
· Sequim - McComb Gardens
· Some Worry Pacific Gas & Electric’s Proposed New Rates Could Hurt California’s Solar
· A Race to Reap Energy from the Ocean Breezes
· Harvesting the Air - Tribes Struggle to Develop New Projects on the Plains
· Texas
· Wisconsin
· Environmental Groups Challenge Duke Renewable Claim for Wood-Burning Biomass
· As Green Energy Grows, So Does Risk for Getting Duped
· Nebraska Public Power District Seeks Small-Scale Renewable Energy Projects
· Iowa
· Loan of Snohomish PUD Monitor Can Show You How Power-Hungry Appliances Are
· Seattle
· Greenspace: Pumped Up over a Smart Heat-Pump Water Heater
· State of Virginia
· Most Oregon
· Prescribed Burns Could Reduce Carbon Emissions, Study Finds
· States Get Tough on Outdoor Wood Furnace Smoke
· Greenpeace Suffers Major Credibility
· King County
· FCC Begins Hashing out Broadband Plan Details
· Idaho
· The Wired Prairie: Stimulus Projects Fill in Rural Broadband Gaps
· Stimulus Helps Plug New Mexico
· FCC or Comcast? Who Should Control Broadband?
· Do-It-All, Low-Power Remote Zigbee Coming into the Home
· Wisconsin Supreme Court Backs County
· Oil Refinery Fire in Anacortes Will Have a Reaching Impact
· Spring Weather on Hold in Washington
· Not-So-Special Session Enters Week Four in Olympia
· Olympian Editorial - Metro Parks Idea Good for Shelton , Maybe Olympia
· Forest Green: Cabin Owners Seeing Red over Proposed Fee Hikes
· Apple Sold 300,000 iPads on Day One
WORD OF THE DAY
Accretion • \uh-CREE-shun\ • noun - 1: the process of growth or enlargement by a gradual buildup: as a: increase by external addition or accumulation (as by adhesion of external parts or particles) b: the increase of land by the action of natural forces 2: a product of accretion; especially: an extraneous addition
Viktor was a procrastinator of the first sort. One of his loathed household chores was scrubbing his shower of soap scum. His aversion over a two year period did not take into account the gradual accretion on the walls of his shower stall. Then came that one fateful morning when he discovered he could not fit into the chamber for his daily ablution.
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Light Snowpack in Cascades Not Raising Drought Worries - A drought is unlikely despite a warm winter that left less snow in the mountains (Everett Herald, WA)
One Pend Oreille Dam Goes to Help Relicense a Second (Associated Press)
Union- Peninsula Light Company Collaboration Helps Avert Job Cuts, Rate Hike (Kitsap Peninsula
Chelan PUD to Weigh New Rate Hike Monday (Wenatchee
Rates Will Go Up for Puget Sound Energy’s Gas, Electric Customers (Olympian, WA)
Utilities Panel Grants Rate Increase to Puget Sound Energy (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton , WA
Portland General Electric Files to Close Boardman Coal Plant Early, Rekindles Concerns (The Oregonian, Portland
Part of Spokane River Hydro Relicensing - Tribe, Avista Working to Protect St. Joe River Levees (Spokesman Review, Spokane , WA
Eye-Popping Electric Bills Spark Smart Meter Investigations in Texas , California
Xcel to Buy Two Colorado Gas Power Plants from Calpine for $739M (Denver
FISH, WATER & WILDLIFE
Feds Say California
Two Water Plants Dedicated as Precursors to Elwha Dam Removal Project (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles , WA
Rogue River Watershed - At Unfinished Dam Site, Focus Shifts to the Land: Army corps creating plan to mix habitat, recreation (Spokesman-Review, Spokane , WA
Development in Kittitas County
New Legislation Speeds Processing of Washington State Water Right Applications (Yakima Herald Republic
Defiant Farmers Dig in as Drought Returns to Klamath (Associated Press)
Water Bills Go Up in Down Economy as Usage Drops (Associated Press)
Birds vs. Buildings - Audubon Will Track Birds Killed in Crashes (The Oregonian, Portland
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Sequim - McComb Gardens
Some Worry Pacific Gas & Electric’s Proposed New Rates Could Hurt California’s Solar Market (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
A Race to Reap Energy from the Ocean Breezes (NY Times)
Harvesting the Air - Tribes Struggle to Develop New Projects on the Plains (The Economist)
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/environment/article_c4abefbc-404e-11df-982c-001cc4c002e0.html
Environmental Groups Challenge Duke Renewable Claim for Wood-Burning Biomass (Triangle Business Journal)
As Green Energy Grows, So Does Risk for Getting Duped (Dallas
Nebraska Public Power District Seeks Small-Scale Renewable Energy Projects – Ten percent renewable target by 2020 (Lincoln Journal-Star, NE)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
Loan of Snohomish PUD Monitor Can Show You How Power-Hungry Appliances Are (Everett
Greenspace: Pumped Up over a Smart Heat-Pump Water Heater (Philadelphia
State of Virginia
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Most Oregon Greenhouse Gas Not What You Might Think “…manufacturing products & food, moving freight & managing waste produce…48 percent of the emissions…” (The Oregonian, Portland
Prescribed Burns Could Reduce Carbon Emissions, Study Finds (Spokesman Review, Spokane , WA
States Get Tough on Outdoor Wood Furnace Smoke (Associated Press)
Greenpeace Suffers Major Credibility (Ajax
BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
FCC Begins Hashing out Broadband Plan Details (Broadband Reports)
The Wired Prairie: Stimulus Projects Fill in Rural Broadband Gaps (Bismarck
Stimulus Helps Plug New Mexico
FCC or Comcast? Who Should Control Broadband? (National Public Radio)
Do-It-All, Low-Power Remote Zigbee Coming into the Home “…you’re likely to see it show up in smart meters & remote controls of high-end televisions…” (Seattle
POLITICS & GOVERNANCE
Wisconsin Supreme Court Backs County in IT Dispute - Says county can sue a computer contractor that failed to deliver a new human resources & payroll program on time (Associated Press)
GENERAL NEWS
Oil Refinery Fire in Anacortes Will Have a Reaching Impact (Associated Press)
Spring Weather on Hold in Washington (Associated Press)
Not-So-Special Session Enters Week Four in Olympia (Oregon
Olympian Editorial - Metro Parks Idea Good for Shelton , Maybe Olympia
Apple Sold 300,000 iPads on Day One (NY Times)
DIVERSIONS
Centralia Junkyard King, 67, Dreaming of a Scrap Yard Wife
Dog Found in W. Wash. to be Reunited With Owners in Virginia
Girl Arrested After Doodling on Desk to Sue
Police: Carjackers Foiled by Manual Transmission
SONG OF THE DAY
Lou Reed - Satellite of Love
