Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Energy News Digest for July 31, 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

Pacific Northwest Utilities Exceed Green Power Minimum (Northwest Public Radio)

Half of India Crippled by Second Day of Power Failures (NY Times)

Power Marketing Administration Changes? Federal Energy Officials Hear Local Utilities’ Concerns about Proposed Electrical Grid Improvements (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Montana Wildfires Plague Electric Cooperatives (Electric Co-op Today)

Avista’s Low-Cost Energy Audits to End (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Half of India Crippled by Second Day of Power Failures
  • Power Marketing Administration Changes? Federal Energy Officials Hear Local Utilities’ Concerns about Proposed Electrical Grid Improvements
  • Montana Wildfires Plague Electric Cooperatives
  • Douglas County PUD Sells $76.1 Million in Bonds
  • Montana - Setbacks Cloud Future of NorthWestern’s Proposed $1 Billion Power Line
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Declines to Vacate Clean Air Credits for California Power Plant
  • August 10 - Early Morning Planned Power Outage for Lake Cushman area to Accommodate BPA Substation Maintenance
  • Williams Plans to Double Natural Gas Volume in Lewis County Pipeline
  • General Electric Says Nuclear Power Hard To Justify in Cheap Gas World
  • How Much Cyber Security is Enough? Companies Wary as U-S Senate Weighs Bill
  • Fun at the Just Completed Mason Area Fair - PUD 3 Drawing Winners Announced
  • British Columbia’s Southern Okanagan Sees Record Sockeye Returns
  • Ribbon Cutting at Belfair Sewer Plant
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Approves Oregon Forest Thinning Project
  • Pacific Northwest Utilities Exceed Green Power Minimum
  • Gresham’s Wastewater Treatment Plant Leading Way in Power Production, Alternative Energies
  • Fuel Cell Maker Neah Power Signs Defense Contract
  • On the Edge of the Subsidy Cliff: Will the U-S Production Tax Credit Expire?
  • Lines Now Drawn on Wind Tax Credit: Romney Opposes It, Obama Favors It
  • Avista’s Low-Cost Energy Audits to End (Spokesman Review,
  • Toyota Center in Kennewick Using New Cost Saving Light Bulbs
  • Starbucks to Add a Shot of Energy Efficiency to Its Coffee Shops
  • California’s Carbon Caps are Contentious but Coming
  • Seattle City Light Builds Solar Canopy at Park
  • Seattle City Council Approves Skanska’s ‘Deep Green’ Building
  • Local ISPs Say Chelan PUD Fiber Plan’s Costs Squeeze Small Service Providers
  • Olympic Officials Ask Spectators to Go Easy on Texts, Tweets
  • Municipal Bond Rates Examined for Signs of Rigging
  • Woman Bites Shelton Attacker, Escapes – Suspect Arrested
  • Innocent Plea from Teen Accused of Washington State Corrections Officer’s Murder
  • Paddle to Squaxin - The End of Tribal Journeys is Only the Beginning
  • Postal Service’s Woes Persist as $5.5 Billion Bill Comes Due
  • King-Snohomish Counties’ Trash Strike Starts to Smell Bad to Waste Management Customers
WORD OF THE DAY

Beguine • \bih-GEEN\ • Noun - A vigorous popular dance of the islands of Saint Lucia and Martinique that somewhat resembles the rumba

Begin the beguine
Dancers shimmy to the beat
Tropic moon shines bright

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Half of India Crippled by Second Day of Power Failures (NY Times)

Power Marketing Administration Changes? Federal Energy Officials Hear Local Utilities’ Concerns about Proposed Electrical Grid Improvements (Sacramento Bee, CA)

Montana Wildfires Plague Electric Cooperatives (Electric Co-op Today)

Douglas County PUD Sells $76.1 Million in Bonds (Wenatchee World, WA)

Montana - Setbacks Cloud Future of NorthWestern’s Proposed $1 Billion Power Line (Billings Gazette, MT)

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Declines to Vacate Clean Air Credits for California Power Plant (Courthouse News Service)

August 10 - Early Morning Planned Power Outage for Lake Cushman area to Accommodate BPA Substation Maintenance (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Williams Plans to Double Natural Gas Volume in Lewis County Pipeline (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

General Electric Says Nuclear Power Hard To Justify in Cheap Gas World (Reuters)

How Much Cyber Security is Enough? Companies Wary as U-S Senate Weighs Bill (Christian Science Monitor)

Fun at the Just Completed Mason Area Fair - PUD 3 Drawing Winners Announced (Mason County PUD No. 3)

FISH & WILDLIFE

British Columbia’s Southern Okanagan Sees Record Sockeye Returns (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Ribbon Cutting at Belfair Sewer Plant (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Approves Oregon Forest Thinning Project (Courthouse News Service)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Pacific Northwest Utilities Exceed Green Power Minimum (Northwest Public Radio)

Gresham’s Wastewater Treatment Plant Leading Way in Power Production, Alternative Energies (Oregonian, Portland)

Fuel Cell Maker Neah Power Signs Defense Contract (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

On the Edge of the Subsidy Cliff: Will the U-S Production Tax Credit Expire? (Renewable Energy World)

Lines Now Drawn on Wind Tax Credit: Romney Opposes It, Obama Favors It (Des Moines Register, IA)
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2012/07/30/lines-now-drawn-on-wind-tax-credit-romney-opposes-it-obama-favors-it/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Avista’s Low-Cost Energy Audits to End (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Toyota Center in Kennewick Using New Cost Saving Light Bulbs (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Starbucks to Add a Shot of Energy Efficiency to Its Coffee Shops (GigaOM)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

California’s Carbon Caps are Contentious but Coming (Forbes Magazine)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Seattle City Light Builds Solar Canopy at Park (American Public Power Association)

Seattle City Council Approves Skanska’s ‘Deep Green’ Building (Seattle Times)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Local ISPs Say Chelan PUD Fiber Plan’s Costs Squeeze Small Service Providers (Wenatchee World, WA)

Olympic Officials Ask Spectators to Go Easy on Texts, Tweets (USA Today)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Municipal Bond Rates Examined for Signs of Rigging (NY Times)

GENERAL NEWS

Woman Bites Shelton Attacker, Escapes – Suspect Arrested (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Innocent Plea from Teen Accused of Washington State Corrections Officer’s Murder (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

Paddle to Squaxin - The End of Tribal Journeys is Only the Beginning (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Postal Service’s Woes Persist as $5.5 Billion Bill Comes Due (Associated Press)

King-Snohomish Counties’ Trash Strike Starts to Smell Bad to Waste Management Customers (Seattle Times)

DIVERSIONS

Romantic Crooner Tony Martin Dies at 98

Firework Buttocks Party Trick Backfires – “…Alcohol was a possible factor involved in the stunt…”

Insult to Injury - Florida Boater Arrested for Feeding Gator That Bit Off His Hand

Crop Circles Appear in Eastern Washington Wheat Field

SONG OF THE DAY

Tony Martin – Begin the Beguine