Energy News Digest for December 6, 2011

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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices:

http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Covington Vault Fire Sends Electrical Surge through Entire Neighborhood (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Vault-fire-sends-electrical-surge-through-entire-neighborhood-135093568.html

Editorial - Judge of the River: James Redden was more than a “salmon judge,” but his biggest legacy is the fight that he’s waged to force the government to recover wild fish (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/12/judge_of_the_river.html

California Takes Big Step toward Greenhouse Gas Limits (National Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/06/142942778/calif-takes-big-step-toward-greenhouse-gas-limits?ft=1&f=3

Frito-Lay Seeks $585,000 Break on City of Vancouver Water Bills (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/dec/05/frito-lay-seeks-break-on-water-bills/

Customers Rate Seattle City Light Among Best Values in US (Electric Energy Online)

http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&rss=1&id=162222

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Covington Vault Fire Sends Electrical Surge through Entire Neighborhood
• Customers Rate Seattle City Light Among Best Values in US
• Settlement Results in Rate Reduction for Idaho Utility Customers
• Asotin County PUD Pays Off Bond Early
• Montana - Mid-Yellowstone Electric Lowers Rates
• Oregon Asks Feds to Revoke License for Coos Bay Liquefied Natural Gas Project
• Rat Causes Power Outage at Olympic High School
• Free Mason County PUD 3 Calendars for 2012 Now Available
• Alabama - Co-Op Line Worker Injured by High-Voltage Power Line
• California Energy Consultant Sues Sacramento City Unified for $1.5 Million in Unpaid Fees
• Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative to Delay Smart Meter Install
• How to Build a Better Electric Grid
• Tips for Safe Decorating
• Editorial - Judge of the River: James Redden Was More Than A “Salmon Judge”
• Frito-Lay Seeks $585,000 Break on City of Vancouver Water Bills
• Portland Faces Lawsuit over Water Utility Spending & Questionable Projects
• Critics Want Water Code Issues Addressed by 2012 Legislature
• Washington State Ecology Projects Criticized
• POWER Magazine Announces Renewable Top Plants - Includes Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric Project in Oregon
• Olympia City Council to Vote on Solar Panels
• Solar panels installed at Lake Stevens High School
• Alaska - Bernie Karl’s Biomass Electric Generator Nearly Ready To Go
• US Senator Bingaman to Float ‘Clean Energy Standard’ Early Next Year
• Grassley Pushes for Extension of Renewable Energy Tax Incentives
• Cleveland Company Sees Energy Potential in Great Lakes Waves
• Dutch Coastal Community that Has Been Home to Offshore Wind Farm Shares Lessons with West Michigan
• Wind Farm Project in Oklahoma Clashes with Land’s Other Energy Use
• Unlikely Bedfellows: Biomass & the Southeastern US
• Indian Country Welcomes Renewable Energy
• Op/Ed - Add Insulation & Other Energy Saving Measures for a Lower Bill
• Otter Tail Power Company Suggests Giving Gift of Energy Savings
• California Takes Big Step toward Greenhouse Gas Limits
• British Columbia - Why the Pacific Carbon Trust Draws Political Heat
• Back-Room Negotiations Begin on Climate Intentions
• Climate Models Yield Confidence Question
• Jefferson County International Airport to Go Green with Solar Power
• Ban Plastic Bags in Seattle? Fight Heats Up
• Montana - Missoula Defends Sustainability Group Membership; Critics Say Liberty at Risk
• Those Romantic Wood Stoves
• Taking the Tiny House Movement Tinier
• Clark County Cable TV Groups in Line for Grants
• Washington State Budget Director Urges State Cuts
• GOP’s Bill Finkbeiner to Run against Lt. Governor Brad Owen
• Jay Inslee Calls for Six Gubernatorial Debates with Rob McKenna
• Environmental Activist Gerry Pollet Tapped for Washington State House Seat
• Washington State Republicans: $490K for a Viaduct Museum?
• Reaction Mixed to Olympic Peninsula Wilderness Plan
• 166 Tacoma Police, Fire, City Employees Laid Off
• Washington State Paid $3.8 Million for Doctor Appointments that Never Happened
• Deck the Halls with Stolen Boughs
• Man’s Face Catches Fire during Routine Surgery

WORD OF THE DAY

Genuflect • \JEN-yuh-flekt\ • Verb - 1a: to bend the knee b: to touch the knee to the floor or ground especially in worship 2: to be servilely obedient or respectful.

Wilbur stood, like a marble statue, before the gates of Graceland. Like the other pilgrims, he physically had to fight off an unconscious urge to genuflect before the elaborately decorated iron gates.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/mapclick.php?textfield1=47.213805&textfield2=-123.113412&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=shelton%2c%20wa%2c%20usa

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Covington Vault Fire Sends Electrical Surge through Entire Neighborhood (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Vault-fire-sends-electrical-surge-through-entire-neighborhood-135093568.html

Customers Rate Seattle City Light Among Best Values in US (Electric Energy Online)

http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&rss=1&id=162222

Settlement Results in Rate Reduction for Idaho Utility Customers (Renew Grid – Public Utilities are expecting a nice Christmas card for this….)

http://www.renewgridmag.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.7665

Asotin County PUD Pays Off Bond Early (Lewiston Tribune, ID)

http://lmtribune.com/northwest/article_8dadb247-0c64-5611-b152-3c7fed3c7fa9.html

Montana - Mid-Yellowstone Electric Lowers Rates (Billings Examiner, MT)
http://www.examiner.com/economy-in-billings/mid-yellowstone-electric-lowers-rates

Oregon Asks Feds to Revoke License for Coos Bay Liquefied Natural Gas Project (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/12/oregon_asks_feds_to_revoke_lic.html

Rat Causes Power Outage at Olympic High School (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/dec/05/rat-causes-power-outage-at-olympic-high-school/

Free Mason County PUD 3 Calendars for 2012 Now Available (Mason County PUD No. 3)

http://www.masonpud3.org/Newsdisplay.aspx?NewsID=951

Alabama - Co-Op Line Worker Injured by High-Voltage Power Line (Cullman Times, AL)
http://www.cullmantimes.com/local/x1760885018/Co-op-line-worker-injured-by-high-voltage-power-line

California Energy Consultant Sues Sacramento City Unified for $1.5 Million in Unpaid Fees (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/05/4099687/energy-consultant-sues-sac-city.html

Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative to Delay Smart Meter Install (The Garden island, Kaua’I, HI)

http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/article_1ca74406-1fd6-11e1-b59d-001871e3ce6c.html

How to Build a Better Electric Grid (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cleantech/how-to-build-a-better-electric-grid/

Tips for Safe Decorating (Stewart Houston Times, TN)
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20111206/STEWART01/112060314

FISH & WILDLIFE

Editorial - Judge of the River: James Redden was more than a “salmon judge,” but his biggest legacy is the fight that he’s waged to force the government to recover wild fish (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/12/judge_of_the_river.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Frito-Lay Seeks $585,000 Break on City of Vancouver Water Bills (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/dec/05/frito-lay-seeks-break-on-water-bills/

Portland Faces Lawsuit over Water Utility Spending & Questionable Projects (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/12/portland_faces_lawsuit_over_ut.html

Critics want water code issues addressed by 2012 Legislature (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2011/12/04/critics-want-water-code-issues-addressed-by-2012-legislature

Washington State Ecology Projects Criticized (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kndu.com/story/16194719/ecology-projects-criticized

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

POWER Magazine Announces Renewable Top Plants - Includes Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric Project in Oregon (Owners: Portland General Electric & the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon) (Your Industry News Magazine)

http://www.yourindustrynews.com/power+magazine+announces+renewable+top+plants_71577.html

Olympia City Council to Vote on Solar Panels (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/12/06/1902929/council-to-vote-on-solar-panels.html

Solar panels installed at Lake Stevens High School (Lake Stevens Journal, WA)

http://www.lakestevensjournal.com/news/article.exm/2011-12-05_solar_panels_installed_at_lake_stevens_high_school_

Alaska - Bernie Karl’s Biomass Electric Generator Nearly Ready To Go (Anchorage News Miner, AK)

http://newsminer.com/pages/full_story/push?blog-entry-Bernie+Karl-s+biomass+electric+generator+nearly+ready+to+go%20&id=16661833&instance=blogs_editors_desk

US Senator Bingaman to Float ‘Clean Energy Standard’ Early Next Year (The Hill)

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/196273-bingaman-to-float-clean-energy-standard-early-next-year

Grassley Pushes for Extension of Renewable Energy Tax Incentives (Radio Iowa)

http://www.radioiowa.com/2011/12/06/grassley-pushes-for-extension-of-renewable-energy-tax-incentives/

Cleveland Company Sees Energy Potential in Great Lakes Waves (Midwest Energy News)

http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2011/12/06/cleveland-company-sees-energy-potential-in-great-lakes-waves/

Dutch Coastal Community that Has Been Home to Offshore Wind Farm Shares Lessons with West Michigan (Muskegon Chronicle, MI)

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2011/12/dutch_coastal_community_that_h.html

Wind Farm Project in Oklahoma Clashes with Land’s Other Energy Use (St Louis Dispatch, MO)

http://www.stltoday.com/wind-farm-project-in-oklahoma-clashes-with-land-s-other/article_73a8e41f-a811-5006-b321-cc4d765acf26.html

Unlikely Bedfellows: Biomass & the Southeastern US (AOL News)

http://energy.aol.com/2011/12/01/unlikely-bedfellows-biomass-and-the-southeastern-us/

Indian Country Welcomes Renewable Energy (CNET News)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-57335065-54/indian-country-welcomes-renewable-energy/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Op/Ed - Add Insulation & Other Energy Saving Measures for a Lower Bill (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/opinion/guest-column-add-insulation-and-other-energy-saving-measures-for/article_89118d60-1dfe-11e1-85ae-0019bb2963f4.html

Otter Tail Power Company Suggests Giving Gift of Energy Savings (Echo Press, Alexandria, MN)

http://www.echopress.com/event/article/id/90041/group/News/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

California Takes Big Step toward Greenhouse Gas Limits (National Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/06/142942778/calif-takes-big-step-toward-greenhouse-gas-limits?ft=1&f=3

British Columbia - Why the Pacific Carbon Trust Draws Political Heat (Tyee, BC)

http://thetyee.ca/News/2011/12/05/CarbonTrustDrawsHeat/

Back-Room Negotiations Begin on Climate Intentions (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Back-room-negotiations-begin-on-climate-intentions-2344855.php

Climate Models Yield Confidence Question (British Broadcasting Corporation)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16049028

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Jefferson County International Airport to Go Green with Solar Power for Runway Lights, Navigational Beacon (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20111206/news/312069995/jefferson-county-international-airport-to-go-green-with-solar-power

Ban Plastic Bags in Seattle? Fight Heats Up (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016936592_plasticbags05m.html

Montana - Missoula Defends Sustainability Group Membership; Critics Say Liberty at Risk (The Missoulian, MT)

http://missoulian.com/news/local/city-says-sustainability-membership-helps-save-energy-critics-say-property/article_8a73034a-1efe-11e1-b987-001871e3ce6c.html

Those Romantic Wood Stoves (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/05/those-romantic-wood-stoves/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Taking the Tiny House Movement Tinier (NY Times)

http://tinyurl.com/838bm3p

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Clark County Cable TV Groups in Line for Grants (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/dec/05/cable-tv-groups-in-line-for-grants/

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Budget Director Urges State Cuts (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/dec/06/agency-head-urges-state-budget-cuts/

GOP’s Bill Finkbeiner to Run against Lt. Governor Brad Owen (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/12/05/1902418/gops-bill-finkbeiner-to-run-against.html

Jay Inslee Calls for Six Gubernatorial Debates with Rob McKenna (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20111206/news01/712069942/-1/rss02

Environmental Activist Gerry Pollet Tapped for Washington State House Seat (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016942924_pollet06m.html

Washington State Republicans: $490K for a Viaduct Museum? (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2011/12/05/republicans-490k-for-a-viaduct-museum/

GENERAL NEWS

Reaction Mixed to Olympic Peninsula Wilderness Plan (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/19528-reaction-mixed-to-wilderness-plan

166 Tacoma Police, Fire, City Employees Laid Off (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/City-of-Tacoma-sending-out-layoff-notices-today-135040083.html

Washington State Paid $3.8 Million for Doctor Appointments that Never Happened (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/State-paid-nearly-4-mill-to-doctors-for-appointments-that-never-happened--135044293.html

Deck the Halls with Stolen Boughs (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/deck-the-halls-with-stolen-boughs/article_b3721e92-1ee1-11e1-9cdd-001871e3ce6c.html

Man’s Face Catches Fire during Routine Surgery (Associated Press)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/12/06/1902936/mans-face-catches-fire-during.html

DIVERSIONS

Diamond Ring Dropped in Spokane Red Kettle

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016944475_apwaredkettlesurprises.html

World’s Most Expensive Accident? Eight Ferraris, a Lamborghini, and Two Mercedes

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2011/1205/World-s-most-expensive-accident-Eight-Ferraris-a-Lamborghini-and-two-Mercedes-video

Old Kalakala Ferry Up for Sale – For Just $1

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2011/12/06/old-kalakala-ferry-up-for-sale-for-just-1/

Biologists Monitor Crocodiles at Nuclear Plant

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Biologists-monitor-crocodiles-at-nuclear-plant-2347352.php

SONG OF THE DAY

Gerry & The Pacemakers - Ferry ‘Cross the Mersey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08083BNaYcA