Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Energy News Digest for October 3, 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

THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Chinese Wind Company Sues Obama for Violating Its Constitutional Rights (Forbes Magazine)

Drier Winter Expected as El Nino Blows In (KING-TV, Seattle)

Eastern Washington Wind Churns Up Dust, Triggers Power Outages (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

BPA Turns down Montana State Transmission Intertie Power Line as Preferred Option (Montana Standard, Butte, MT)

Editorial - Obstacles Could be Insurmountable to Electrified Thurston County PUD (Olympian, WA)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Eastern Washington Wind Churns Up Dust, Triggers Power Outages
  • BPA Turns down Montana State Transmission Intertie Power Line as Preferred Option
  • Richland City Council Approves Electricity Rate Increase
  • Editorial - Obstacles Could be Insurmountable to Electrified Thurston County PUD
  • Mason County PUD 1 Director Named Top Female Executive
  • Grant County PUD Spokeswoman Dedicates 36 Years to Work
  • Mason County PUD 3 to Celebrate Public Power Week October 7-13
  • Itron Gets Huge California Gas Meter Contract
  • Seagull Blamed for Berkeley Fire & Power Outage
  • O’Malley to Seek Surcharge to Harden Maryland’s Electric Grid
  • Natural Gas Futures Fall. A Mild Winter to Blame?
  • Answering Public’s Concerns about ‘Smart Meters’
  • Obama in First Visit to Hoover Dam: ‘Spectacular’
  • Sockeye Salmon Find Easier Path through Woodinville
  • Chinese Wind Company Sues Obama for Violating Its Constitutional Rights
  • Portland General Electric Searching for More Renewable Energy to Meet Mandate
  • Flathead Electric Cooperative - Montana Co-op Aids City Hydro Plan
  • AT&T to Buy 9.6 Megawatts of Bloom Energy’s Fuel Cells
  • Want a Green Job? Here’s Who’s Hiring in Wind Energy, Solar
  • Nest Learning Thermostat: Temperature Control for the iPhone Crowd
  • Oregon Has One Company on Global Cleantech Roster
  • Public Safety Broadband Network Will Rely on Existing Commercial Infrastructure
  • With New Satellite Tech, Rural Dwellers Get Access to True Broadband
  • Scoop: GoDaddy Quietly Kills Its Cloud Computing Business
  • National Budget Watchdog Group Takes Aim at Columbia River Crossing Project
  • Drier Winter Expected as El Nino Blows In
  • In Washington State, Picker Shortage Threatens Apple Boom
  • City of Shelton Looking at Derelict Buildings
  • OysterFest 2012 in Mason County, Washington
  • Squaxin Tribe Selects Croman to Lead Economic Enterprises
  • Charge: Jailer Faked Military Deployment for Paid Year Off
WORD OF THE DAY

Obstreperous • \ub-STREP-uh-russ\ • Adjective - 1: marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness: clamorous 2: stubbornly resistant to control: unruly

The staff’s autumnal equinox party had all the decorum of a child’s first birthday party. No knowing why they were having a party (much less what the “equinox” was) the accounting staff proceeded to perform a conga line through the engineering department, their obstreperous chants ("Debits-Credits" -- "Debits-Credits") distracting even the most disciplined engineer from their exacting tasks.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Eastern Washington Wind Churns Up Dust, Triggers Power Outages (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

BPA Turns down Montana State Transmission Intertie Power Line as Preferred Option (Montana Standard, Butte, MT)

Richland City Council Approves Electricity Rate Increase (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Editorial - Obstacles Could be Insurmountable to Electrified Thurston County PUD (Olympian, WA)

Mason County PUD 1 Director Named Top Female Executive (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Grant County PUD Spokeswoman Dedicates 36 Years to Work (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Mason County PUD 3 to Celebrate Public Power Week October 7-13 (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Itron Gets Huge California Gas Meter Contract (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

Seagull Blamed for Berkeley Fire & Power Outage (SF Chronicle, CA)

O’Malley to Seek Surcharge to Harden Maryland’s Electric Grid (Washington Post)

Natural Gas Futures Fall. A Mild Winter to Blame? (Christian Science Monitor)

Answering Public’s Concerns about ‘Smart Meters’ (The Hill, Washington, D-C)

Obama in First Visit to Hoover Dam: ‘Spectacular’ (Associated Press)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Sockeye Salmon Find Easier Path through Woodinville (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Chinese Wind Company Sues Obama for Violating Its Constitutional Rights (Forbes Magazine)

Portland General Electric Searching for More Renewable Energy to Meet Mandate (Oregonian, Portland)

Flathead Electric Cooperative - Montana Co-op Aids City Hydro Plan (Electric Co-op Today)

AT&T to Buy 9.6 Megawatts of Bloom Energy’s Fuel Cells (Bloomberg News)

Want a Green Job? Here’s Who’s Hiring in Wind Energy, Solar (Christian Science Monitor)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Nest Learning Thermostat: Temperature Control for the iPhone Crowd (Christian Science Monitor)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Oregon Has One Company on Global Cleantech Roster (Sustainable Business Oregon)

Here’s the Full List of the Cleantech Companies - The 2012 Global Cleantech 100 (Clean Tech Group)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Public Safety Broadband Network Will Rely on Existing Commercial Infrastructure (Fierce Government IT)

With New Satellite Tech, Rural Dwellers Get Access to True Broadband (GigaOm)

Scoop: GoDaddy Quietly Kills Its Cloud Computing Business (GigaOM)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

National Budget Watchdog Group Takes Aim at Columbia River Crossing Project (Oregonian, Portland)

GENERAL NEWS

Drier Winter Expected as El Nino Blows In (KING-TV, Seattle)

In Washington State, Picker Shortage Threatens Apple Boom (National Public Radio)

City of Shelton Looking at Derelict Buildings (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

OysterFest 2012 in Mason County, Washington (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Squaxin Tribe Selects Croman to Lead Economic Enterprises (South Sound Business Examiner, WA)

Charge: Jailer Faked Military Deployment for Paid Year Off (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

DIVERSIONS

Restaurant Shut Down after Road Kill Brought into Kitchen

Washington State Attorney: ‘I Have Physically Traveled in Time’

Skydiver Aims to Break Sound Barrier in Free Fall

Japanese Study Claims Viewing Photos of Cute Animals at Work May Boost Productivity

SONG OF THE DAY

Rocky Horror Picture Show - Time Warp