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.
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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Jefferson County Approves Franchise to Puget Sound Energy; Action Predates Planned PUD Takeover (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
Bonneville Power Administration Pulls Back on Plan to Shut Off Wind (Sustainable Business Oregon)
Oregon - Google, Others Join Controversial Shepherds Flat Wind Farm Near Arlington (Oregonian, Portland)
Washington State Senate Passes $4.8 Billion in Cuts (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
Vermont Public Service Board Approves 26-Year, Hydro-Quebec Power Deal “...the Vermont Legislature enacted a bill that classifies electricity from large Quebec dams as renewable energy…” (Canadian Business)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
· Jefferson County Approves Franchise to Puget Sound Energy; Action Predates Planned PUD Takeover
· Chelan PUD Financial Plan - On Track to Drop Debt to 171 Million Dollars by 2015
· Northwest Power & Conservation Council Gives Nod to 100 Projects
· The Clean Economy - David Kaplan, Grid Technologist at Snohomish County
· Legal Renewable - Vermont Public Service Board Approves 26-Year, Hydro-Quebec Power Deal
· Kansas - Judge Zaps Coal-Fired Electric Plant
· Editorial - The United States Can’t Afford to Scrap Nuclear Power
· Laos Defers Decision to Build 1st Dam on Lower Mekong River in Face of Opposition
· Mob Sets Fires in Protest of India Nuclear Plant
· Oops! Peco Double Charges 17,000 Customers
· ‘Friendly’ Nanaimo Dog Traps BC Hydro Worker Up His Pole for an Hour
· Desire to Work Never Flags for this 91-Year-Old (
· At The Foot of the Bonneville Dam, Researchers Track Voracious Sea Lions Feeding on Spring Chinook
· Vancouver Island - Tanker Spill Casts Doubt on Future of Goldstream River Salmon Run
· California - Thousands of Fish Die in Ventura Harbor
· Once Endangered, Peregrine Falcons Thrive in Portland’s Urban Landscape, Audubon Finds
· Safeway Scales the ‘Seafood Scorecard’ by Greenpeace
· City of Spokane Pays $300,000 to Settle PCB Claim - Chemical Flows into River from Storm Drains
· Bonneville Power Administration Pulls Back on Plan to Shut Off Wind
· Oregon - Google, Others Join Controversial Shepherds Flat Wind Farm Near Arlington
· Massachusetts - Federal Agency Approves Building, Operations Plan for Offshore Wind Farm, Nation’s First
· Wind Power Company Disputes Alleged SCADA Hack
· Oregon - Wilsonville City Council Approves SoloPower Subsidies
· Here Comes the Sun: Rooftop Solar Panels Will Power Boeing Assembly Plant
· Energy Department Announces $2.1 Billion Loan Guarantee for Mojave Desert Solar Project
· Salt River Project Plan to Buy Renewable Energy Credits Criticized
· New Study: Forcing Oregonians to Purchase Renewable Energy Proves Costly
· Oregon - Corvallis Will Use Grant to Reduce Energy Use
· Block Cuts Electricity Use By 15% by Chalking Meter Readings on Street
· Obama Joins Energy Industry to Fight Climate Change Suits Challenging EPA
· Canada - Carbon Credits Could Be a Billion-Dollar Industry
· City Slicker vs. Country Bumpkin: Who Has a Smaller Carbon Footprint?
· Pay Now, Pay Later: A State-by-State Assessment of the Costs of Climate Change
· Electric Vehicles Gaining Steam in South Sound
· Electric Cars Likely to Spark New ‘Smart Grid’
· 11,600 Solar Cells Power Experimental Four-Seat Aircraft
· For Young Environmental Activists, Obama’s Now the One to Pressure
· How Green is My Wintergreen? Assessing the Environmental Impact of Chewing Gum
· Cowlitz Tribal Program - 200 Sign Up for Free Internet, Laptop
· Oregon - Frontier Now Ignoring Complaints About FiOS TV Hikes
· Google Launches Map Maker in the US
· Dropbox Marks 25 Million Storing Data in Cloud
· Hulu Booms, But Its Owners Aren’t Wholly Pleased
· Washington State Senate Passes $4.8 Billion in Cuts
· Website: Where Did My Tax Dollars Go?
· OPEC: No Shortage of Crude Oil in Market
· Navy Wants to Build New Wharf for Missile Loading on Hood Canal
· Even After Missteps Credit Raters Wield Much Power
· Mariners Hand Out 5,000 Bags of Soil
· McDonald’s Grimaces at Happy Meal Lawsuit - Parents Can Always Tell Kids “No”
WORD OF THE DAY
Lithe • \LIE-th\ • Adjective - 1: easily bent or flexed 2: characterized by easy flexibility and grace; also: athletically slim
The blurred white arrow
Released from the archer’s lithe bow
Split the apple, yum
SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Jefferson County Approves Franchise to Puget Sound Energy; Action Predates Planned PUD Takeover (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
Chelan PUD Financial Plan - On Track to Drop Debt to 171 Million Dollars by 2015 (KPQ Radio, Wenatchee, WA)
Northwest Power & Conservation Council Gives Nod to 100 Projects (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
The Clean Economy - David Kaplan, Grid Technologist at Snohomish County PUD (Sustainable Industries)
Vermont Public Service Board Approves 26-Year, Hydro-Quebec Power Deal “...the Vermont Legislature enacted a bill that classifies electricity from large Quebec dams as renewable energy…” (Canadian Business)
Kansas - Judge Zaps Coal-Fired Electric Plant (Courthouse News Service)
Editorial - The United States Can’t Afford to Scrap Nuclear Power (McClatchy Newspapers)
Laos Defers Decision to Build 1st Dam on Lower Mekong River in Face of Opposition (Washington Post)
Mob Sets Fires in Protest of India Nuclear Plant (Associated Press)
Oops! Peco Double Charges 17,000 Customers (Philadelphia Business Journal)
‘Friendly’ Nanaimo Dog Traps BC Hydro Worker Up His Pole for an Hour (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)
Desire to Work Never Flags for this 91-Year-Old (Seattle Times)
FISH & WILDLIFE
At The Foot of the Bonneville Dam, Researchers Track Voracious Sea Lions Feeding on Spring Chinook (Oregonian, Portland)
Vancouver Island - Tanker Spill Casts Doubt on Future of Goldstream River Salmon Run: Gasoline ‘killed most of the things in its way’ (Vancouver Sun, BC)
California - Thousands of Fish Die in Ventura Harbor (Associated Press)
Once Endangered, Peregrine Falcons Thrive in Portland’s Urban Landscape, Audubon Finds (Oregonian, Portland)
Safeway Scales the ‘Seafood Scorecard’ by Greenpeace (USA Today)
WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT
City of Spokane Pays $300,000 to Settle PCB Claim - Chemical Flows into River from Storm Drains (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Bonneville Power Administration Pulls Back on Plan to Shut Off Wind (Sustainable Business Oregon)
Oregon - Google, Others Join Controversial Shepherds Flat Wind Farm Near Arlington (Oregonian, Portland)
Massachusetts - Federal Agency Approves Building, Operations Plan for Offshore Wind Farm, Nation’s First (Washington Post)
Wind Power Company Disputes Alleged SCADA Hack (SC Magazine)
Oregon - Wilsonville City Council Approves SoloPower Subsidies - $11 Million In Incentives (Oregonian, Portland)
Here Comes the Sun: Rooftop Solar Panels Will Power Boeing Assembly Plant (Charleston Post & Courier, SC)
Energy Department Announces $2.1 Billion Loan Guarantee for Mojave Desert Solar Project (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
Salt River Project Plan to Buy Renewable Energy Credits Criticized - Green-Energy Source Could be Outside Arizona (Arizona Republic, Phoenix)
New Study: Forcing Oregonians to Purchase Renewable Energy Proves Costly (Cascade Policy Institute)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
Oregon - Corvallis Will Use Grant to Reduce Energy Use (Oregonian, Portland)
Block Cuts Electricity Use By 15% by Chalking Meter Readings on Street (Consumerist)
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Obama Joins Energy Industry to Fight Climate Change Suits Challenging EPA (Bloomberg News)
Canada - Carbon Credits Could Be a Billion-Dollar Industry (Vancouver Sun, BC – I can smell the derivatives from here…)
City Slicker vs. Country Bumpkin: Who Has a Smaller Carbon Footprint? (Live Science)
Pay Now, Pay Later: A State-by-State Assessment of the Costs of Climate Change (PR Newswire)
BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI
Electric Vehicles Gaining Steam in South Sound (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
Electric Cars Likely to Spark New ‘Smart Grid’ (Mcclatchy News Service)
11,600 Solar Cells Power Experimental Four-Seat Aircraft (SF Chronicle)
For Young Environmental Activists, Obama’s Now the One to Pressure (Los Angeles Times, CA)
How Green is My Wintergreen? Assessing the Environmental Impact of Chewing Gum (Slate Magazine)
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Cowlitz Tribal Program - 200 Sign Up for Free Internet, Laptop (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)
Oregon - Frontier Now Ignoring Complaints About FiOS TV Hikes (Broadband Reports)
Google Launches Map Maker in the US (Washington Post)
Dropbox Marks 25 Million Storing Data in Cloud (SF Chronicle, CA)
Hulu Booms, But Its Owners Aren’t Wholly Pleased (Seattle Times)
POLITICS & GOVERNANCE
Washington State Senate Passes $4.8 Billion in Cuts (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
Website: Where Did My Tax Dollars Go?
GENERAL NEWS
OPEC: No Shortage of Crude Oil in Market (Associated Press)
Navy Wants to Build New Wharf for Missile Loading on Hood Canal (Associated Press)
Even After Missteps Credit Raters Wield Much Power (Associated Press)
Mariners Hand Out 5,000 Bags of Soil (KING-TV, Seattle)
McDonald’s Grimaces at Happy Meal Lawsuit - Parents Can Always Tell Kids “No” (Reuters)
DIVERSIONS
Ladies & Gentlemen, the (New) Beetle (Ha! Ha! You’re hoping we all know the Ed Sullivan Cultural Reference to this…”)
Belly Dancing Sinks NYC Woman’s Disability Claim
Pat Benatar: Still Rocking Despite Her Kids’ Embarrassment
T-Mobile Royal Wedding Dance Video Goes Viral
SONG OF THE DAY
The Beatles - First Ed Sullivan Show Appearance, Feb 9, 1964 (Full)
