The
energy news digest will be relaxing from its New Year’s Eve repast January 1,
so no newsy tidbits until Wednesday. Meanwhile, best wishes to all for a most
excellent 2013.
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.
THE NEWS DIGEST ON TWITTER
Follow
the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices:
HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES
Hurricane Sandy
Alters Utilities’ Calculus on Upgrades “…it is typically far cheaper for the
company, & its customers, to skip the prevention measures & just clean
up the mess afterward…” (NY Times)
Washington
State Representative Wants State to Recognize Hydropower as Renewable Energy
Resource (Tri-City Herald, WA)
Record Count - Sockeye Salmon by the Numbers
(News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
Miles of Fish Recovery Fences in Northeastern
Oregon Taking Toll on Wildlife, Critics Say (Oregonian,
Portland)
Netflix Blames Amazon for Christmas Eve Outage
(Reuters)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Hurricane Sandy Alters Utilities’ Calculus on Upgrades
- Op/Ed - SMUD: Tax-Exempt Municipal Bonds Shouldn’t Be in ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Talks
- Mason County PUD 3’s Mason Substation Rebuild Project continues in Downtown Shelton
- Cowlitz PUD Employees Give Local Food Banks a Major Boost
- Avista Warns of Employee Imposters
- Texas - Drizzle Mixing With Dust Leads to Power Outages across Area
- Maine - Brookfield Buying 19 Hydroelectric Dams
- Tennessee Valley Authority Says Nuke Plant is on Schedule
- Japan’s New Leader Endorses Nuclear Plants
- U-S Sailors Sue Japanese Utility over Radiation
- In Brazil, A River Dam Collides with the Past
- Record Count - Sockeye Salmon by the Numbers
- Miles of Fish Recovery Fences in Northeastern Oregon Taking Toll on Wildlife, Critics Say
- Dozens of Birds Killed at Long Beach – Beach Drivers Suspected
- Fish Stories - Just One Record in Ample Year
- Scarce Water Fuels Conflict over Future
- Ireland Has Some Awesome-Looking Water Towers
- Washington State Representative Wants State to Recognize Hydropower as Renewable Energy Resource
- Editorial - The Cost of Too Much Wind Rises
- Op/Ed - Biomass a Good Source of Renewable Energy
- Vermont Utility Calls for Moratorium on Renewable Energy Mandates
- North Carolina - Freeze Green-Energy Law, A GOP Leader Says
- Why Solar Costs More in the U-S than in Germany
- Greens Fight Power Line from Baja California Wind Farm
- Great Britain’s Wind Farm Turbines Wear Sooner Than Expected, Says Study
- 2013: A Tipping Year for Climate Change?
- Editorial - California’s Climate-Change Experiment
- Netflix Blames Amazon for Christmas Eve Outage
- Goliath Vs Goliath...Amazon Takes on Apple & Google
- FCC Paves the Way for Better In-Flight Broadband
- Google Fiber is Tech News Site’s Top Story of 2012
- Congressman Norm Dicks Busy in Last Days of 36-Year Career
- Headhunters for Hire - Inslee Hires Area Agency to Help Fill Cabinet
- Internal Review Says Washington State’s 911 Agency Wasted $700,000
- Nine Die When Bus Plunges Off Icy Oregon Highway
- Air Quality Concerns; Residents Asked to Reduce Burning
- Privatizing Liquor in Washington State Hasn’t Brought Price Down
- Op/Ed - Op-ed: Protect the Olympic Peninsula with the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act
- Newspaper on Cape Cod Apologizes for a Veteran Reporter’s Fabrications
- Approaching Comet May Outshine the Moon
WORD OF THE DAY
Gustatory
• \GUSS-tuh-tore-ee\ • Adjective - Relating to or associated with eating or the
sense of taste.
Harvey’s
Haggis Hut was all a-tremble with anticipation. The Scottish Highland Games
were scheduled over the holidays in Saco, Montana. After the locals’ eschewing of
the gustatory delights of the sheep-innards concoction, Harvey was hopeful that
the arrival of the hale and hearty Scotsmen (and women) would turn things
around…if they had the “stomach” for it. (Sorry about the double pun here)
SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Hurricane Sandy
Alters Utilities’ Calculus on Upgrades “…it is typically far cheaper for the
company, & its customers, to skip the prevention measures & just clean
up the mess afterward…” (NY Times)
Op/Ed - SMUD: Tax-Exempt
Municipal Bonds Shouldn’t Be in ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Talks (Sacramento Bee, CA)
Mason County PUD 3’s
Mason Substation Rebuild Project continues in Downtown Shelton (Mason County
PUD No. 3)
Cowlitz PUD Employees
Give Local Food Banks a Major Boost (Longview Daily News, WA)
Avista Warns of
Employee Imposters (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)
Texas - Drizzle Mixing
With Dust Leads to Power Outages across Area (Austin American-Statesman, TX)
Maine - Brookfield Buying
19 Hydroelectric Dams (Power Engineering)
Tennessee Valley
Authority Says Nuke Plant is on Schedule (Electric Co-op Today)
Japan’s New Leader Endorses Nuclear Plants (NY
Times)
U-S Sailors Sue Japanese
Utility over Radiation (USA Today)
In Brazil, A River
Dam Collides with the Past (Los Angeles Times, CA)
FISH & WILDLIFE
Record Count - Sockeye Salmon by the Numbers (News
Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
Miles of Fish Recovery Fences in Northeastern Oregon
Taking Toll on Wildlife, Critics Say (Oregonian,
Portland)
Dozens of Birds Killed at Long Beach – Beach Drivers
Suspected (Longview Daily News, WA)
Fish Stories - Just One Record in Ample Year (Spokesman
Review, Spokane, WA)
WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT
Scarce
Water Fuels Conflict over Future (Bloomberg News)
Ireland
Has Some Awesome-Looking Water Towers (Gizmodo)
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Washington
State Representative Wants State to Recognize Hydropower as Renewable Energy
Resource (Tri-City Herald, WA)
Editorial
- The Cost of Too Much Wind Rises (Wenatchee World, WA)
Op/Ed
- Biomass a Good Source of Renewable Energy (Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal,
WA)
Vermont
Utility Calls for Moratorium on Renewable Energy Mandates (WCAX-TV, Burlington,
VT)
North
Carolina - Freeze Green-Energy Law, A GOP Leader Says (Charlotte Observer, NC)
Why
Solar Costs More in the U-S than in Germany (Mashable)
Greens
Fight Power Line from Baja California Wind Farm (Courthouse News Service)
Great
Britain’s Wind Farm Turbines Wear Sooner Than Expected, Says Study (The
Telegraph, UK)
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
2013:
A Tipping Year for Climate Change? (KPLU Radio, Tacoma, WA)
Editorial
- California’s Climate-Change Experiment (Washington
Post)
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Netflix Blames Amazon for Christmas Eve Outage (Reuters)
Goliath Vs Goliath...Amazon Takes on Apple & Google
- Amazon wants to become a fully-fledged tech company up against Google &
Apple (The Telegraph, UK)
FCC Paves the Way for Better In-Flight Broadband (Christian
Science Monitor)
Google Fiber is Tech News Site’s Top Story of 2012
(Kansas City Business Journal, MO)
POLITICS & GOVERNANCE
Congressman Norm Dicks Busy in Last Days of 36-Year
Career (Seattle Times)
Headhunters for Hire - Inslee Hires Area Agency to
Help Fill Cabinet (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
Internal Review Says Washington State’s 911 Agency
Wasted $700,000 (Associated Press)
GENERAL NEWS
Nine Die When Bus Plunges Off Icy Oregon Highway (Associated
Press)
Air Quality Concerns; Residents Asked to Reduce
Burning (Mason Web-TV, Shelton, WA)
Privatizing Liquor in Washington State Hasn’t
Brought Price Down (Everett Herald, WA)
Op/Ed - Op-ed: Protect the Olympic Peninsula with
the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act (Seattle Times)
Newspaper on Cape Cod Apologizes for a Veteran
Reporter’s Fabrications (NY Times)
Approaching Comet May Outshine the Moon (Reuters)
DIVERSIONS
Calling All Design Geeks - These Pantone Color
Swatch Scarves Can Match Anything
Investigating the Anatomy of the Musical Earworm
Man Eats Entire ‘Hobbit’ Menu at Denny’s in 20
Minutes
Lake Superior State’s 38th List of Banished Words
SONG OF THE DAY
Dj
Skeptyk - Colors of the Rainbow
