Energy News Digest for July 25, 2012

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

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

TransAlta, Puget Sound Energy Sign Power Purchase Agreement (Electric Light & Power)

http://www.elp.com/index/display/article-display.articles.electric-light-power.generation.coal.2012.July.TransAlta__Puget_Sound_Energy_sign_power_purchase_agreement.QP129867.dcmp=rss.page=1.html

Richland Electric Rate Payers to Face Steep Bill Increase (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/07/25/2226370/richland-electric-rate-payers.html

Grays Harbor PUD OK’s $1 Million Warrant for City of Montesano (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/sections/news/local/pud-ok%E2%80%99s-warrant-monte.html

Report: Oregon Should Get Ten Percent of Its Power from Solar (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2012/07/report-oregon-should-get-10-of-its.html

Evergreen State in a Less than Green Mood this Election Cycle (E&E Publishing)

http://www.eenews.net/public/EEDaily/2012/07/24/1

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• TransAlta, Puget Sound Energy Sign Power Purchase Agreement
• Richland Electric Rate Payers to Face Steep Bill Increase
• Grays Harbor PUD OK’s $1 Million Warrant for City of Montesano
• Douglas County PUD Confirms Outstanding Credit Rating
• No Contest for Five Central Washington PUD Seats
• Bonneville Power Administration Lends a Hand to Storm-Ravaged Midwest
• Bellingham May Hold Advisory Vote on Coal Trains
• Pepco Says Improvements May Not Be Sustainable After Maryland Rate Hike Decision
• Utilities, Customers at Odds over Downed Trees
• Tennessee Valley Authority Considering Fuel Made from Nuclear Weapons to Power Local Plants
• Summer Heat Pushes Natural Gas Prices to Year’s High
• Op/Ed - Will Drought Cause the Next Blackout?
• Editorial - Preserving Fish Populations No Cheap Venture
• Mason County Hosting Monday Ribbon-Cutting for Belfair Wastewater Facility
• Report: Oregon Should Get Ten Percent of Its Power from Solar
• SolarWorld Files Anti-Dumping Complaint in European Union
• U-S Creates 17 Zones for ‘Faster’ Solar-Farm Development
• Biomass Plant the Reason - Sequim City Council to Again Ask Agency for Air Monitor
• Agencies Buying Energy Credits to Meet Renewable Energy Mandates
• After Much Trial & Error, We’re Finally Generating Power from the Ocean
• Local Utility Companies Test Energy Storage Device
• Audit Finds Fraud in Florida Energy Grant Program
• Six Ways to Save on Home Energy in the Heat of Summer
• Sudden Greenland Ice Sheet Melt Baffles Scientists
• Solar-Powered Plane Comes Home after 4,000-Mile Odyssey
• Google Fills Kansas City with Fiber, Congratulates Itself
• Social Media Is Now a $16.9 Billion Business
• AT&T, Verizon Decline Connect America Subsidies
• Evergreen State in a Less than Green Mood this Election Cycle
• Jobless Rates Lower in South Puget Sound in June
• Washington State Transportation Chief - Deteriorating Roads Could Lead to More Freak Accidents
• Shelton Teacher Wins National Award
• Mason County Forest Festival Royalty Wins at Lakefair
• Eastern Washington Tree to Adorn Capitol Lawn for Christmas 2013
• Sign Wavers Shake Up Business

WORD OF THE DAY

Anthophilous • \ann-THAW-full-luss\ • Adjective - Feeding upon or living among flowers

Browsing deer descend

Anthophilious creatures

Gardeners shed tears

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

TransAlta, Puget Sound Energy Sign Power Purchase Agreement (Electric Light & Power)

http://www.elp.com/index/display/article-display.articles.electric-light-power.generation.coal.2012.July.TransAlta__Puget_Sound_Energy_sign_power_purchase_agreement.QP129867.dcmp=rss.page=1.html

Richland Electric Rate Payers to Face Steep Bill Increase (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/07/25/2226370/richland-electric-rate-payers.html

Grays Harbor PUD OK’s $1 Million Warrant for City of Montesano (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/sections/news/local/pud-ok%E2%80%99s-warrant-monte.html

Douglas County PUD Confirms Outstanding Credit Rating (North Central Washington TV)
http://www.ncwtv.com/douglas-county-pud-confirms-outstanding-credit-rating-3733/

No Contest for Five Central Washington PUD Seats (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/jul/25/no-contest-for-five-pud-seats/

Bonneville Power Administration Lends a Hand to Storm-Ravaged Midwest (Bonneville Power Administration)

http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/BPANews/ArticleTemplate.cfm?ArticleId=article-20120724-01

Bellingham May Hold Advisory Vote on Coal Trains (Associated Press)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Bellingham-may-hold-advisory-vote-on-coal-trains-163558746.html

Pepco Says Improvements May Not Be Sustainable After Maryland Rate Hike Decision (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/pepco-says-improvements-may-not-be-sustainable-after-md-rate-hike-decision/2012/07/24/gJQA8D3t6W_story.html

Utilities, Customers at Odds over Downed Trees (National Public Radio)

http://www.npr.org/2012/07/25/157342073/utilities-customers-at-odds-over-downed-trees?ft=1&f=3

Tennessee Valley Authority Considering Fuel Made from Nuclear Weapons to Power Local Plants (Chattanooga Times Free Press, TN)

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/jul/25/chattanoog-tva-considers-use-of-controversial-fuel/

Summer Heat Pushes Natural Gas Prices to Year’s High (Houston Business Journal, TX)

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2012/07/summer-heat-pushes-nat-gas-prices-to.html

Op/Ed - Will Drought Cause the Next Blackout? (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/opinion/will-drought-cause-the-next-blackout.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Editorial - Preserving Fish Populations No Cheap Venture (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/opinion/preserving-fish-populations-no-cheap-venture/article_bac43746-d5f9-11e1-896b-0019bb2963f4.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Mason County Hosting Monday Ribbon-Cutting for Belfair Wastewater Facility (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/jul/24/mason-county-hosting-ribbon-cutting-for-facility/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Report: Oregon Should Get Ten Percent of Its Power from Solar (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2012/07/report-oregon-should-get-10-of-its.html

SolarWorld Files Anti-Dumping Complaint in European Union (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/25/solarworld-eu-complaint-idUSL6E8IPBD920120725

U-S Creates 17 Zones for ‘Faster’ Solar-Farm Development (Bloomberg News)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-24/u-s-creates-17-zones-for-faster-solar-farm-development.html

Biomass Plant the Reason - Sequim City Council to Again Ask Agency for Air Monitor (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120725/news/307259988/sequim-council-to-again-ask-agency-for-air-monitor

Agencies Buying Energy Credits to Meet Renewable Energy Mandates (Federal Times)

http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20120722/FACILITIES02/307220006/Agencies

After Much Trial & Error, We’re Finally Generating Power from the Ocean (Grist Online)

http://grist.org/article/after-much-trial-and-error-were-finally-generating-power-from-the-ocean/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Local Utility Companies Test Energy Storage Device (KVEW-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kvewtv.com/article/2012/jul/24/local-utility-companies-test-energy-storage-device/

Audit Finds Fraud in Florida Energy Grant Program (Associated Press)

http://www.wtxl.com/content/state/story/Audit-finds-fraud-in-Fla-energy-grant-program/1aQ6QuYzb0qebgvjYSpiJA.cspx

Six Ways to Save on Home Energy in the Heat of Summer (U-S News & World Report)

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2012/07/24/6-ways-to-save-on-home-energy-in-the-heat-of-summer

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Sudden Greenland Ice Sheet Melt Baffles Scientists (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0725/Sudden-Greenland-ice-sheet-melt-baffles-scientists-video

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Solar-Powered Plane Comes Home after 4,000-Mile Odyssey (MSNBC)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48311607/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/#.UBALNbXAEgc

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Google Fills Kansas City with Fiber, Congratulates Itself (All Things D)

http://allthingsd.com/20120724/google-fills-kansas-city-with-fiber-congratulates-itself/

Social Media Is Now a $16.9 Billion Business (Mashable)

http://mashable.com/2012/07/25/social-media-business-2/

AT&T, Verizon Decline Connect America Subsidies - As Their Interest in DSL & Rural Markets Disappears Entirely (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ATT-Verizon-Decline-Connect-America-Subsidies-120519

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Evergreen State in a Less than Green Mood this Election Cycle (E&E Publishing)

http://www.eenews.net/public/EEDaily/2012/07/24/1

GENERAL NEWS

Jobless Rates Lower in South Puget Sound in June (South Sound Business Examiner)

http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/July-2012/Jobless-rates-lower-in-South-Sound-in-June/

Washington State Transportation Chief - Deteriorating Roads Could Lead to More Freak Accidents (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, WA)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/komo/article/DOT-chief-Deteriorating-roads-could-lead-to-more-3729575.php

Shelton Teacher Wins National Award (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/6527

Mason County Forest Festival Royalty Wins at Lakefair (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/local-news/35464-forest-festival-royalty

Eastern Washington Tree to Adorn Capitol Lawn for Christmas 2013 (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/jul/25/eastern-washington-tree-to-adorn-capitol-lawn-for/

Sign Wavers Shake Up Business (Idaho Press-Tribune, Nampa, ID)
http://www.idahopress.com/members/sign-wavers-shake-up-business/article_79b48ea6-d54d-11e1-95c7-001a4bcf887a.html

DIVERSIONS

Women Forget the “Take the Baby with You” Part of Their Wal-Mart Shoplifting Plan

http://consumerist.com/2012/07/women-forget-the-take-the-baby-with-you-part-of-their-walmart-shoplifting-plan.html

Concrete Watches Might Even Outlive Your Timex

http://gizmodo.com/5928291/concrete-watches-might-even-outlive-your-timex

Almost Everyone Doesn’t Trust the Internet

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/07/23/almost-everyone-doesnt-trust-the-internet/

Plane Towing Marriage Proposal Crashes in Rhode Island, Pilot Ok

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0724/Plane-towing-marriage-proposal-crashes-in-R.I.-pilot-ok

SONG OF THE DAY

Laura Nyro - Wedding Bell Blues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8kuo-TRZU8

The 5th Dimension - Wedding Bell Blues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZlnSGn_OrI