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.
THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER
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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Power Line Protesters Rally outside Bonneville Power Administration Offices in Vancouver (Oregonian, Portland)
PacifiCorp’s Reliance on Coal Plants Brings Utility to Expensive Juncture (Oregonian, Portland)
Power-Grid Experiment Could Confuse Electric Clocks - Experiment would allow more frequency variation than it does now without corrections (MSNBC)
Duff Badgley to the Rescue - Longview Fibre & Activists Battle over Biomass (Longview Daily News, WA)
Oregon Fish Hatchery Kills 42,000 Rainbow Trout (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Power Line Protesters Rally outside Bonneville Power Administration Offices in Vancouver
- PacifiCorp’s Reliance on Coal Plants Brings Utility to Expensive Juncture
- Power-Grid Experiment Could Confuse Electric Clocks - Experiment would allow more frequency variation than it does now without corrections
- Lower Elwha Tribe, Clallam PUD & BPA Partner to Reduce Energy Costs & Help the Environment
- Eugene Water & Electric Board Panel Studies Conservation
- Editorial - Build a Dam? What Dreamers
- ‘Smart’ Meter Installation Credited With Finding Fire Risk at Port Angeles Home
- Study: Wyoming Power Lines Would Generate Jobs
- Some Milton-Freewater Power Customers Likely to See Rate Hike
- Montana - Beartooth Electric Co-Op Members Call for Financing Scrutiny
- Calpine, GE Get $844.5 Million Credit Facility to Finance California Power Plant
- Top Regulator Says Nebraska Utilities Taking Appropriate Measures to Protect Nuclear Power Plants
- California - Diablo Canyon Nuclear Waste Becoming ‘Terrible Burden’
- Staff Criticize Nuclear Regulator for Halting Evaluation of Yucca Mountain
- Tennessee Valley Authority Defends Storm-Racked Grid
- Insiders Sound Alarm amid Natural Gas Rush
- Fitch Releases Annual Public Power Peer Study
- Why Electric Companies Have All the Power
- For Hydro Poles, What’s Greener: Cement [sic], or Wood?
- Vermont – Electric System Embezzlement: How $1.6 million slid under the radar in Hardwick
- Oregon Fish Hatchery Kills 42,000 Rainbow Trout
- Lake Washington Sockeye Runs Is Starting to Arrive, And the Return Is Expected to be Poor
- Icicle River Spring Chinook Fishery Still Going Strong
- Yakama Biologists Releasing Salmon from Roza Dam into Cle Elum Lake
- Portland General Electric’s Mammoth Fish Passage Facility at Round Butte Dam Passed Nearly Half a Million Fish This Year
- Endangered Species Act Attacked Through the Back Door
- Imported Beavers Gnaw Away at Argentina’s Forests
- A Victory in Western Water Wars? Study Shows Progress in Water Use
- Columbia River Ties Alcoa to the Rest of the World
- Idaho - Magic Valley Growth & Infrastructure; Pushed to the Limit
- Washington State Study Targets Polluted Kitsap Streams
- Duff Badgley to the Rescue - Longview Fibre & Activists Battle over Biomass
- Eastern Oregon Wind Farm Clears Hurdle
- Montana - Wind-Farm Developers Ask To Conceal Pricing, Other Information
- VIDEO: Time Lapse of PSE Wind Turbine Construction
- United Kingdom - Energy Giants Want Billions for Back-Up to Wind Farms
- France - UN Calls for Wind Turbine Pause at France’s Mont Saint Michel
- Solar Firms Attract Market Interest, but Few Are for Sale
- General Electric - Betting on Big Solar
- Cowlitz PUD - Invest in Ductless Heating & Cooling to Save Energy & Money
- Google Pulls the Plug on PowerMeter Energy Tool
- Five Reasons Google PowerMeter Didn’t Take Off
- Atop TV Sets, a Power Drain That Runs Nonstop
- Electricity-Strapped Japan Alters Work Hours, Wardrobes
- Because of Climate Change, Fears of a Great Lakes ‘Dead Zone’
- Whales, Plankton Migrate Across Northwest Passage
- Gillard Says Australia Will Compensate 90% of Households Under Carbon Tax
- Wyoming Expects To Land Data Centers despite Verizon Rejection
- Twitter’s Data Center Mystery Deepens
- Why 4G Means Nothing, & What That Means For You
- One Man’s Dream Flourishes to Become Two Fiber Optic Firms
- Average FTTH Connection Speed: 19.7 Mbps - FTTH Customers Significantly More Satisfied Than DSL, Cable
- Washington State Government Will Lose About 1,316 Full-Time Jobs as Part of Budget
- ‘Part of Our Job’: At Capitol, Team Rejects Award Money for Cost-Savings Ideas
- Asteroid the Size of Tour Bus Swings Harmlessly Past Earth
- Invasive Mosquito Thriving in Pacific Northwest
- Special Mason County Candidate Filing Period Begins Tuesday
- Big Bills for Meals, Travel Fuel Outrage: Freeland Residents Call for State Audit of Sewer District
- Washington State Tourism Office to Close Even as State Ranks Last in Marketing
WORD OF THE DAY
Vituperate • \vie-TOOP-puh-rayt\ • Verb - 1: to abuse or censure severely or abusively 2: to use harsh condemnatory language
Albert was mystified by his regular visits to his supervisor’s office. He would enter, be seated, and then watched as the boss would vituperate one of the “bobble head” dolls ranged across the front of his desk. When done, Al would be quietly asked to leave. One placid Sunday, while working overtime, the diminutive employee snuck into the boss’ inner sanctum…where he saw that each doll had a striking resemblance to those who worked at the office. “The Horror!”
Gad, what a dumb example sentence.
SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Power Line Protesters Rally outside Bonneville Power Administration Offices in Vancouver (Oregonian, Portland)
PacifiCorp’s Reliance on Coal Plants Brings Utility to Expensive Juncture (Oregonian, Portland)
Power-Grid Experiment Could Confuse Electric Clocks - Experiment would allow more frequency variation than it does now without corrections (MSNBC)
Lower Elwha Tribe, Clallam PUD & BPA Partner to Reduce Energy Costs & Help the Environment (Native American Times)
Eugene Water & Electric Board Panel Studies Conservation - In developing a 20-year power plan, analysts review the trade-offs in the generation of electricity (Eugene Register-Guard, OR)
Editorial - Build a Dam? What Dreamers (Wenatchee World, WA)
‘Smart’ Meter Installation Credited With Finding Fire Risk at Port Angeles Home (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
Study: Wyoming Power Lines Would Generate Jobs (Billings Gazette, WY)
Some Milton-Freewater Power Customers Likely to See Rate Hike (Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA)
Montana - Beartooth Electric Co-Op Members Call for Financing Scrutiny (Billings Gazette, MT)
Calpine, GE Get $844.5 Million Credit Facility to Finance California Power Plant (RTT News)
Top Regulator Says Nebraska Utilities Taking Appropriate Measures to Protect Nuclear Power Plants (Associated Press)
California - Diablo Canyon Nuclear Waste Becoming ‘Terrible Burden’ (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
Staff Criticize Nuclear Regulator for Halting Evaluation of Yucca Mountain (NY Times)
Tennessee Valley Authority Defends Storm-Racked Grid (Chattanooga Times Free Press, TN)
Insiders Sound Alarm amid Natural Gas Rush (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
Fitch Releases Annual Public Power Peer Study (Business Wire)
Why Electric Companies Have All the Power (Rolling Stone Magazine)
For Hydro Poles, What’s Greener: Cement [sic], or Wood? (Toronto Open File)
Vermont – Electric System Embezzlement: How $1.6 million slid under the radar in Hardwick (Burlington Free Press, VT)
FISH & WILDLIFE
Oregon Fish Hatchery Kills 42,000 Rainbow Trout (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
Lake Washington Sockeye Runs Is Starting to Arrive, And the Return Is Expected to be Poor (Seattle Times)
Icicle River Spring Chinook Fishery Still Going Strong (Seattle Times)
Yakama Biologists Releasing Salmon from Roza Dam into Cle Elum Lake (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)
Portland General Electric’s Mammoth Fish Passage Facility at Round Butte Dam Passed Nearly Half a Million Fish This Year (Oregonian, Portland – pardon my smirk at this slightly scatological headline)
Endangered Species Act Attacked Through the Back Door (McClatchy Newspapers)
Imported Beavers Gnaw Away at Argentina’s Forests (National Public Radio)
WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT
A Victory in Western Water Wars? Study Shows Progress in Water Use (Christian Science Monitor)
Columbia River Ties Alcoa to the Rest of the World (Wenatchee World, WA)
Idaho - Magic Valley Growth & Infrastructure; Pushed to the Limit (Twin Falls Times- News, ID)
Washington State Study Targets Polluted Kitsap Streams (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Duff Badgley to the Rescue - Longview Fibre & Activists Battle over Biomass (Longview Daily News, WA)
Eastern Oregon Wind Farm Clears Hurdle (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
Montana - Wind-Farm Developers Ask To Conceal Pricing, Other Information (Billings Gazette, MT)
VIDEO: Time Lapse of PSE Wind Turbine Construction (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)
United Kingdom - Energy Giants Want Billions for Back-Up to Wind Farms (This is Money, UK)
France - UN Calls for Wind Turbine Pause at France’s Mont Saint Michel (RFI)
Solar Firms Attract Market Interest, but Few Are for Sale (NY Times)
General Electric - Betting on Big Solar (TIME Magazine)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
Cowlitz PUD - Invest in Ductless Heating & Cooling to Save Energy & Money (Longview Daily News, WA)
Google Pulls the Plug on PowerMeter Energy Tool (GigaOM)
Five Reasons Google PowerMeter Didn’t Take Off (GigaOM)
Atop TV Sets, a Power Drain That Runs Nonstop (NY Times)
Electricity-Strapped Japan Alters Work Hours, Wardrobes (Los Angeles Times, CA)
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Because of Climate Change, Fears of a Great Lakes ‘Dead Zone’ (WBEZ Radio, Chicago, IL)
Whales, Plankton Migrate Across Northwest Passage (Associated Press)
Gillard Says Australia Will Compensate 90% of Households Under Carbon Tax (Bloomberg News)
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Wyoming Expects To Land Data Centers despite Verizon Rejection (Associated Press)
Twitter’s Data Center Mystery Deepens (GigaOM)
Why 4G Means Nothing, And What That Means For You (SF Chronicle)
One Man’s Dream Flourishes to Become Two Fiber Optic Firms (East Oregonian, Pendleton)
Average FTTH Connection Speed: 19.7 Mbps - FTTH Customers Significantly More Satisfied Than DSL, Cable (Broadband Reports)
POLITICS & GOVERNANCE
Washington State Government Will Lose About 1,316 Full-Time Jobs as Part of Budget (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
‘Part of Our Job’: At Capitol, Team Rejects Award Money for Cost-Savings Ideas (Olympian, WA)
GENERAL NEWS
Asteroid the Size of Tour Bus Swings Harmlessly Past Earth (Associated Press)
Invasive Mosquito Thriving in Pacific Northwest (KING-TV, Seattle)
Special Mason County Candidate Filing Period Begins Tuesday (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
Big Bills for Meals, Travel Fuel Outrage: Freeland Residents Call for State Audit of Sewer District (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
Washington State Tourism Office to Close Even as State Ranks Last in Marketing (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
DIVERSIONS
Moon Dust from Apollo 11 Mission Discovered at St. Louis Auction House
Gross-Out Alert - Japan Scientist Synthesizes Meat from Human Feces
Billy the Kid Portrait Sells for $2.3 Million
San Francisco Considers Banning Sale Of All Pets
SONG OF THE DAY
Planet of the Apes Opening Theme (Remake)
