Energy News Digest for July 30, 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.

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

California Electricity Trading Probed (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/30/4672960/electricity-trading-probed.html

Emerald People’s Utility District Prevails in Legal Dispute over Wind Power Fee (Eugene Register Guard, OR)

http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/28439054-41/epud-power-wind-lakeview-arbitration.html.csp

Power Bill Phone Scam Claims Victim; Douglas PUD Customer (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/jul/27/pud-phone-scam-claims-victim/

Painter Touches Aberdeen Power Line, Airlifted to Harborview (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/sections/news/local/painter-touches-power-line-airlifted-harborview.html

Rates for Washington State Workers’ Compensation Program Could Skyrocket (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2018805726_workerscomp30.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• California Electricity Trading Probed
• Editorial - Is a Sequel of Enron Scandal Scamming State?
• Painter Touches Aberdeen Power Line, Airlifted to Harborview
• Power Bill Phone Scam Claims Victim; Douglas PUD Customer
• Pro-Con Op/Ed - Should Thurston County Switch to a Public Power System?
• Utilities in Oregon’s Lane County Reconsidering Board Member Compensation
• Editorial - Best Route for Idaho Power’s Boardman-to-Hemingway Power Line Project
• Looming Coal Boom Has Montana City Searching for Rail Solutions
• Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion Planned along Seattle’s I-5 Corridor
• Natural Gas Resumes Three-Month Surge on Hot Weather
• New Commander Named to Head Army Corps’ Northwestern Division
• Grand Coulee Dam’s Light Show to be Upgraded
• A unique collaboration: Bonneville Power Administration & Woody Guthrie
• New Jersey - Exelon’s Oyster Creek Plant Back at Full Power, Several Days after Outage
• Pepco’s Power Grid: The End of Business as Usual
• 370 Million Indians Swelter in Darkness after Power Fails
• Shocking New Idea for Sea Lion Control
• Caspian Terns Make Home in Former Everett Paper Mill
• Op/Ed - Giving Fish a Ride Helps Ensure Safe Passage, Electricity
• Editorial - Restoring Two Rivers: Pacific Northwesterners Show We’re Just as Good at Taking down the Dams
• Editorial - Biological Boomerang: Elwha River Dam Removal
• Emerald People’s Utility District Prevails in Legal Dispute over Wind Power Fee
• Canada’s Ballard Power Buys Bend, Oregon Fuel Cell Maker IdaTech
• U-S Raises Tariffs on Chinese Wind-Turbine Makers
• Bats & Blades: More Research Needed on Bat, Wind Farm Fatalities
• U-S Navy Earns Three Energy Awards
• Scientists Unlock Ocean Carbon Dioxide Secrets Key to Climate: Study
• Prominent Climate-Change Denier Says He Was Wrong
• Conservative Group Hits GOP over Energy Subsidies in Farm Bill
• To Stay on Solid Financial Path, Chelan PUD Limits Fiber Connections until Next Year
• CenturyLink Gets $1.9 Million for Rural Broadband in Montana
• FCC, South Dakota Utilities Split on Broadband Fund Reforms
• Google Shows ISPs How to Build a Superfast Network
• Rates for Washington State Workers’ Compensation Program Could Skyrocket
• Two Injured in Saturday Crash on 101 near Little Creek Casino
• Canoes, Cultures, Crowds – Squaxin Tribe Welcome Visitors from Across Northwest
• Pacific Northwest Ag Industry Cashing in on Strong Grain Prices, Yields
• Mason County Fairground Feud - FAA Pressure Means Pending Shutdown Next Year

WORD OF THE DAY

Quiddity • \KWID-uh-tee\ • Noun - 1: whatever makes something the type that it is: essence 2a: a trifling point: quibble b: an unusual personal opinion or habit: eccentricity

Bertie is a fan of Ernest Hemmingway. His devotion is so strong that it has become his defining quiddity. Unfortunately he is unable to grow a thick, distinctive beard like Papa Hemmingway, so he is reduced to purchasing surplus Santa beards & trimming them to suit. He wears the false beards until the silky strands begin to fall out, making it appear as if he has a mangy, white, long haired cat hanging below his prominent nose.

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

California Electricity Trading Probed (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/30/4672960/electricity-trading-probed.html

Editorial - Is a Sequel of Enron Scandal Scamming State? (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/30/4672483/is-a-sequel-of-enron-scandal-scamming.html

Painter Touches Aberdeen Power Line, Airlifted to Harborview (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/sections/news/local/painter-touches-power-line-airlifted-harborview.html

Power Bill Phone Scam Claims Victim; Douglas PUD Customer (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/jul/27/pud-phone-scam-claims-victim/

Pro-Con Op/Ed - Should Thurston County Switch to a Public Power System? (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/07/26/2227823/should-thurston-county-switch.html

Utilities in Oregon’s Lane County Reconsidering Board Member Compensation (Associated Press)

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120730/NEWS0107/207300367/1009/NEWS01&nav_category=NEWS01

Editorial - Best Route for Idaho Power’s Boardman-to-Hemingway Power Line Project (Baker City Herald, OR)

http://www.bakercityherald.com/Editorials/Best-route-for-the-power-line

Looming Coal Boom Has Montana City Searching for Rail Solutions (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/looming-coal-boom-has-montana-city-searching-for-rail-solutions/article_5ebcba44-d91f-11e1-9aa7-001a4bcf887a.html

Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion Planned along Seattle’s I-5 Corridor (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=714240

Natural Gas Resumes Three-Month Surge on Hot Weather (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2018807097_apoilprices.html

New Commander Named to Head Army Corps’ Northwestern Division (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/421836.aspx

Grand Coulee Dam’s Light Show to be Upgraded (Associated Press)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/jul/27/grand-coulee-light-show-upgrading-laser-show/

A unique collaboration: Bonneville Power Administration & Woody Guthrie (Bonneville Power Administration)

http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/BPANews/ArticleTemplate.cfm?ArticleId=article-20120727-01

New Jersey - Exelon’s Oyster Creek Plant Back at Full Power, Several Days after Outage (Associated Press)

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/exelons-oyster-creek-plant-back-133216138.html

Pepco’s Power Grid: The End of Business as Usual (Forbes Magazine)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2012/07/30/david-and-the-goliath-of-the-mid-atlantics-power-grid-the-end-of-business-as-usual/

370 Million Indians Swelter in Darkness after Power Fails (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-07-30/india-power-outage/56584766/1?csp=34news

FISH & WILDLIFE

Shocking New Idea for Sea Lion Control (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/sections/news/local/shocking-new-idea-sea-lion-control.html

Caspian Terns Make Home in Former Everett Paper Mill (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Birds-make-home-in-former-Everett-paper-mill-164235926.html

Op/Ed - Giving Fish a Ride Helps Ensure Safe Passage, Electricity (Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal)

http://kpbj.com/business_daily/2012-07-30/giving_fish_a_ride_helps_ensure_safe_passage_electricity

Editorial - Restoring Two Rivers: Pacific Northwesterners Show We’re Just as Good at Taking down the Dams (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/jul/30/restoring-two-rivers/

Editorial - Biological Boomerang: Elwha River Dam Removal (NY Times)

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/26/biological-boomerang/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Emerald People’s Utility District Prevails in Legal Dispute over Wind Power Fee (Eugene Register Guard, OR)

http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/28439054-41/epud-power-wind-lakeview-arbitration.html.csp

Canada’s Ballard Power Buys Bend, Oregon Fuel Cell Maker IdaTech (Forbes Magazine)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2012/07/29/ballard-power-buys-fuel-cell-maker-idatech/

U-S Raises Tariffs on Chinese Wind-Turbine Makers (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/28/business/energy-environment/us-raises-tariffs-on-chinese-wind-turbine-makers.html?_r=1

Bats & Blades: More Research Needed on Bat, Wind Farm Fatalities (Midwest Energy News)

http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2012/07/30/bats-blades-more-research-needed-on-bat-wind-farm-fatalities/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

U-S Navy Earns Three Energy Awards (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/jul/29/navfac-northwest-earns-3-energy-awards/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Scientists Unlock Ocean Carbon Dioxide Secrets Key to Climate: Study (Reuters)

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/29/us-climate-ocean-idINBRE86S0ID20120729

Prominent Climate-Change Denier Says He Was Wrong (Bend Bulletin, OR)

http://www.bendbulletin.com/article/20120730/NEWS0107/207300317/

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Conservative Group Hits GOP over Energy Subsidies in Farm Bill (The Hill, Washington, D-C)

http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/240933-conservative-energy-group-hits-gop-lawmakers-on-farm-bill-boondoggles

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

To Stay on Solid Financial Path, Chelan PUD Limits Fiber Connections until Next Year (North Central Washington TV)

http://www.ncwtv.com/to-stay-on-solid-financial-path-chelan-pud-limits-fiber-connections-until-next-year-3764/

CenturyLink Gets $1.9 Million for Rural Broadband in Montana (Associated Press)

http://helenair.com/business/local/centurylink-gets-m-for-rural-broadband-in-montana/article_8882018c-d946-11e1-8a50-001a4bcf887a.html

FCC, South Dakota Utilities Split on Broadband Fund Reforms (Associated Press)

http://siouxcityjournal.com/ap/state/fcc-sd-utilities-split-on-broadband-fund-reforms/article_83ff2400-caef-586b-944d-4222f7ff452c.html

Google Shows ISPs How to Build a Superfast Network (C/NET News)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57481108-93/google-shows-isps-how-to-build-a-superfast-network/

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Rates for Washington State Workers’ Compensation Program Could Skyrocket (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2018805726_workerscomp30.html

GENERAL NEWS

Two Injured in Saturday Crash on 101 near Little Creek Casino (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/6606

Canoes, Cultures, Crowds – Squaxin Tribe Welcome Visitors from Across Northwest (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/07/30/2191943/canoes-cultures-crowds.html

Pacific Northwest Ag Industry Cashing in on Strong Grain Prices, Yields (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwpr.org/post/northwest-ag-industry-cashing-strong-grain-prices-yields

Mason County Fairground Feud - FAA Pressure Means Pending Shutdown Next Year (South Sound Business Examiner)

http://www.businessexaminer.com/databank/?djoPage=article_details&djoId=63610

DIVERSIONS

Tacoma Man Could Face Charges after In-Flight Tirade over Reading Light

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Tacoma-man-could-face-charges-after-in-flight-tirade-164201116.html

Disney World Tells Santa Claus Lookalike to be Less ‘Santa-Ish’

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/07/29/disney-world-tells-santa-claus-lookalike-to-be-less-santa-ish/

There’s a One in Ten Chance You’re Dreaming Right Now

http://gizmodo.com/5929894/theres-a-one-in-ten-chance-youre-dreaming-right-now

Better Than a Reusable Coffee Cup: An Edible Coffee Cup Made Out of a Cookie

http://grist.org/list/better-than-a-reusable-coffee-cup-an-edible-coffee-cup-made-out-of-a-cookie/

SONG OF THE DAY

Blondie – Dreaming

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP1WPlXCiuY