Friday, November 9, 2012

Energy News Digest for November 9, 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

PROGRAMMING NOTE

The energy news digest will be offline Monday to honor its favorite veterans…those it knows, and those it should.

THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER

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

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Bonneville Power Administration Proposes 9.6 Percent Wholesale Rate Hike - Clark Public Utilities among customers that could be paying more (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

NW Power Utilities Turn Focus to Energy Efficiency (Northwest Public Radio)
http://nwpr.org/post/nw-power-utilities-turn-focus-energy-efficiency

Op/Ed - How Wind Energy is Helping Our State: The federal Production Tax Credit that supports wind-energy investment deserves extension (Seattle Times)

California Carbon ‘Crippled’ by Buyer Hesitation: Energy Markets (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

“Neutral Winter” Forecast Could Mean Surprise Storms (KING-TV, Seattle)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

  • Bonneville Power Administration Proposes 9.6 Percent Wholesale Rate Hike
  • News Release - Bonneville Power Administration Proposes Rate Increase to Bolster Federal Power & Transmission Systems
  • Rate Hikes Brewing for Grant PUD Customers
  • Chelan PUD Water, Sewer Customers Will Pay More in 2013 - Electricity Rates Unchanged
  • Major Electrical Accident May Disable Washington Ferry for Years
  • Snohomish PUD to Save $11 Million with Bond Refinancing
  • Fitch Rates Clark County Public Utilities Bonds “A+”, Outlook Stable
  • Official Backs Studying Quake Risks at Nuclear Power Plants
  • U-S Energy Secretary Announces Plan to Get Hanford Vit Plant on Track
  • Drunk Driver Knocks Out Power to Hundreds of Kennewick Homes
  • Superstorm Sandy: Hundreds of Thousands Still Without Power
  • Op/Ed - California: Reading Your Marin Clean Energy Power Bill
  • Fish & Wildlife to Consider Puget Sound Octopus Harvesting Bans
  • Aggressive Owls Attacking People at Local State Parks
  • Op/Ed - How Wind Energy is Helping Our State
  • Does Michigan’s Clean-Energy Loss Mean that Greens Are Outgunned at the State Level?
  • NW Power Utilities Turn Focus to Energy Efficiency
  • California Carbon ‘Crippled’ by Buyer Hesitation: Energy Markets
  • Climate Change is Making Your Coffee More Expensive
  • U-S Weather Was Cooler Than Average in October
  • Three Warning Signs America is Losing the Global Clean Energy Race
  • Subscriber Data from Internet Service Providers
  • Twitter Mistakenly Resets Large Amount of User Passwords
  • Australia Abandons Mandatory Internet Filter Plan
  • Watkins Concedes in Washington State Auditor Race
  • Washington State Races - Link to Current Ballot Counts
  • Oregon’s U-S Senator Wyden Poised to Chair Energy, Natural Resources Committee
  • Didn’t We See This Before? - Gregoire headed for President Obama’s Cabinet?
  • “Neutral Winter” Forecast Could Mean Surprise Storms
  • Snow Falls in Spokane; Maybe More this Weekend
  • Legal Marijuana Vote Raises Possibility of Weed Tourism
  • ‘Magic’ Mushrooms Could Mean Prison for Hoquiam Grower

WORD OF THE DAY

Kaput • \ku-PUT\ • Adjective - 1: utterly finished, defeated, or destroyed 2: unable to function: useless 3: hopelessly outmoded

I love word origins. Here’s the origin of kaput via Merriam-Webster Dictionary online:
“Kaput” originated with a card game called piquet that has been popular in France for centuries. French players originally used the term “capot” to describe both big winners and big losers. To win all twelve tricks in a hand was called “faire capot” (“to make capot”), but to lose them all was known as “être capot” (“to be capot”). German speakers adopted “capot,” but respelled it “kaputt,” and used it only for losers. When English speakers borrowed the word from German, they started using “kaput” for things that were broken, useless, or destroyed.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Bonneville Power Administration Proposes 9.6 Percent Wholesale Rate Hike - Clark Public Utilities among customers that could be paying more (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Bonneville Power Administration Proposes 9.6 Percent Rate Increase (Longview Daily News, WA)

News Release - Bonneville Power Administration Proposes Rate Increase to Bolster Federal Power & Transmission Systems (Bonneville Power Administration)

Rate Hikes Brewing for Grant PUD Customers (Wenatchee World, WA)

Chelan PUD Water, Sewer Customers Will Pay More in 2013 - Electricity Rates Unchanged (Wenatchee World, WA)

Major Electrical Accident May Disable Washington Ferry for Years - Lockout/Tagout Procedures Alleged (KING-TV, Seattle)

Snohomish PUD to Save $11 Million with Bond Refinancing (Lake Stevens Journal, WA)

Fitch Rates Clark County Public Utilities Bonds “A+”, Outlook Stable (Reuters)

Official Backs Studying Quake Risks at Nuclear Power Plants (Associated Press)

U-S Energy Secretary Announces Plan to Get Hanford Vit Plant on Track (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Drunk Driver Knocks Out Power to Hundreds of Kennewick Homes (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

Superstorm Sandy: Hundreds of Thousands Still Without Power (Associated Press)

Op/Ed - California: Reading Your Marin Clean Energy Power Bill (Marin County Independent Journal, CA)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Fish & Wildlife to Consider Puget Sound Octopus Harvesting Bans (Seattle Times)

Aggressive Owls Attacking People at Local State Parks (KING-TV, Seattle)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Op/Ed - How Wind Energy is Helping Our State: The federal Production Tax Credit that supports wind-energy investment deserves extension (Seattle Times)

Does Michigan’s Clean-Energy Loss Mean that Greens Are Outgunned at the State Level? (Grist Online)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

NW Power Utilities Turn Focus to Energy Efficiency (Northwest Public Radio)
http://nwpr.org/post/nw-power-utilities-turn-focus-energy-efficiency

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

California Carbon ‘Crippled’ by Buyer Hesitation: Energy Markets (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

Climate Change is Making Your Coffee More Expensive (Washington Post)

U-S Weather Was Cooler Than Average in October (USA Today)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Three Warning Signs America is Losing the Global Clean Energy Race (Forbes Magazine)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Subscriber Data from Internet Service Providers (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

Twitter Mistakenly Resets Large Amount of User Passwords (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

Australia Abandons Mandatory Internet Filter Plan (Associated Press)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Watkins Concedes in Washington State Auditor Race (Associated Press)

Washington State Races - Link to Current Ballot Counts (Washington Secretary of State)

Oregon’s U-S Senator Wyden Poised to Chair Energy, Natural Resources Committee (Northwest Public Radio)

Didn’t We See This Before? - Gregoire headed for President Obama’s Cabinet? (KING-TV, Seattle)

GENERAL NEWS

“Neutral Winter” Forecast Could Mean Surprise Storms (KING-TV, Seattle)

Snow Falls in Spokane; Maybe More this Weekend (KING-TV, Seattle)

Legal Marijuana Vote Raises Possibility of Weed Tourism (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

‘Magic’ Mushrooms Could Mean Prison for Hoquiam Grower (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

DIVERSIONS

Charles Darwin Gets 4,000 Write-In Votes against Georgia Congressman

Run Over By a Combine, Man Survives

USC Football’s Student Manager Fired for Intentionally Deflating Game Balls

PETA Billboards Compare Eating Turkeys to Eating Family Dog

SONG OF THE DAY

Get Down - Gilbert O'Sullivan