Energy News Digest for January 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

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Energy Northwest Enters Mediation on Nuclear Power Plant Condenser Lawsuit (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/12/31/1964438/energy-northwest-enters-mediation.html

Washington State Won’t Revisit Approval of Wind Farm Visible from Columbia Gorge Scenic Area (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/12/washington_council_wont_revisi.html

After Three Decades, Tax Credit for Ethanol Expires (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/02/business/energy-environment/after-three-decades-federal-tax-credit-for-ethanol-expires.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Peninsula School District Receives $400,000 in Energy Rebates from Penlight (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/dec/30/school-district-receives-400000-energy-rebates-pen/

Washington State Redistricting Panel OKs New Political Maps – 35^th District Relatively Intact; Shelton in New Tenth Congressional District (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Redistricting-panel-OKs-new-political-maps-136520128.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Energy Northwest Enters Mediation on Nuclear Power Plant Condenser Lawsuit
• Winds Knock Out Power to 9,000 Snohomish County PUD Customers
• New Bonneville Power Administration Transmission Lines Will Bring Electricity, Jobs to Spokane
• Hoku Fights Termination Notice from Idaho Power Over $1.9 Million Bill
• Fluor Hanford Worker to Pay Feds $11,000 in Kickbacks Case
• Kittitas County PUD Ousts Manager, Severance Unclear
• Bellingham Group Seeks to Halt Transport of Coal
• Op/Ed - The Electric Chickens Have Come Home to Roost
• Oregon - Ashland to Install More ‘Smart Meters’
• Douglas PUD - Effort Underway to Foil Outage-Causing Squirrels
• Alaska - Rising Electricity Costs Leave Fairbanks In The Cold
• Oregon - Central Lincoln PUD’s Reedsport Office Reopens to Fanfare
• AES Corp. Subsidiary Files for Bankruptcy - Cites High Coal Costs & Declining Power Prices
• Pennsylvania - What Consumers Don’t Know About Electricity Deregulation Can Hurt Them & Derail Objectives
• Gunfire Vandalism Risks Increasing
• As Clear as Mud: White Salmon River a Polarizing Subject
• Lake Aldwell Reservoir Starting to Resemble a River from Dam Removal Work on the Elwha River System
• Congressman Hastings, GOP target Endangered Species Act
• Vernita Bar Flush With Salmon Nests
• Canada Wraps Up Three-Day Commission on Salmon Virus
• Walla Walla Landfill Poisons 3,000 Starlings
• Oregon Snowpack Light; Washington State Doing Better
• Olympia Area Cities, Nisqually Tribe Gain Water Rights
• EPA Grants Washington State $6.3 Million
• Washington State Won’t Revisit Approval of Wind Farm Visible from Columbia Gorge Scenic Area
• American Piledriving Sees Future in Offshore Wind Turbines
• Wind Tower Makers File China Complaint
• Geothermal Experiment May Cause Small Quakes in Central Oregon
• Minnesota Wind Farm Plans Becalmed by Lack of Buyer for Power
• Op/Ed - Minnesota: Wind Energy Isn’t Reducing Carbon Emissions
• South Carolina Wood-Burning Power Plant Has Strong Support
• All Eyes on German Renewable Energy Efforts
• Peninsula School District Receives $400,000 in Energy Rebates from Penlight
• GridMobility Makes the List - Twelve Smart Grid Startups to Watch in 2012
• Welcome to the Year of the Light Bulb
• Judge Blocks California’s Low-Carbon Fuel Rule, Raising Questions in Oregon
• Police Inquiry Prompts New Speculation on Who Leaked Climate-Change E-Mails
• ‘Venice of Northwest Alaska’ Sinking Because of Climate Change
• David Attenborough: Frozen Planet Was Not Alarmist about Climate Change
• After Three Decades, Tax Credit for Ethanol Expires
• Imperium’s John Plaza Makes Biofuels Digest’s “Top 100″
• Electric Highway: Washington State Starts on Charging Station Work
• Public Electric Car Charging Station to be Installed in Longview/Kelso Area
• The Volt Is a Jolt to Taxpayers Shelling Out Subsidies
• Verizon Backs Away from $2 Convenience Fee to Pay Bill Online
• Washington State Redistricting Panel OKs New Political Maps – 35th District Relatively Intact; Shelton in New Tenth Congressional District
• In Killing of Park Ranger, Body of Suspect Found on Mount Rainier
• Belfair Water District Employees Guaranteed Severance in Last-Minute Contracts

WORD OF THE DAY

Maladroit • \mal-uh-DROYT\ • Adjective - Lacking skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations: inept

Bill had high hopes of penetrating the varied levels of security at the headquarters of Hasbro, Inc. to learn the technological advances in the game “Monopoly.” Unfortunately for him, his maladroit handling of each checkpoint gave him a “go directly to jail” card from the company’s internal security. Seems his Mattel name tag gave him away.

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

Energy Northwest Enters Mediation on Nuclear Power Plant Condenser Lawsuit (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/12/31/1964438/energy-northwest-enters-mediation.html

Winds Knock Out Power to 9,000 Snohomish County PUD Customers (Associated Press)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Winds-knock-out-power-to-9000-Snohomish-County-PUD-customers-136586743.html

New Bonneville Power Administration Transmission Lines Will Bring Electricity, Jobs to Spokane (KREM-TV, Spokane, WA)

http://www.krem.com/news/local/New-transmission-lines-to-be-built-in-Spokane-136327028.html

Hoku Fights Termination Notice from Idaho Power Over $1.9 Million Bill (Pacific Business Journal, HI)

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2011/12/30/hoku-fights-termination-notice-from.html

Fluor Hanford Worker to Pay Feds $11,000 in Kickbacks Case (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017142794_hanford02m.html

Kittitas County PUD Ousts Manager, Severance Unclear (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)

http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/top_story/kittitas-county-pud-ousts-manager-severance-unclear/article_0297c598-3199-11e1-a7be-0019bb2963f4.html

Bellingham Group Seeks to Halt Transport of Coal (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017147466_bellinghamcoal03m.html

Op/Ed - The Electric Chickens Have Come Home to Roost (Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, WA)

http://kpbj.com/business_weekly/2012-01-02/the_electric_chickens_have_come_home_to_roost

Oregon - Ashland to Install More ‘Smart Meters’ - Some concerned about radiation from devices that send electricity use readings to the city through radio signals (Ashland Daily Tidings, OR)

http://www.dailytidings.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111231/NEWS02/112310305/-1/NEWSMAP

Douglas PUD - Effort Underway to Foil Outage-Causing Squirrels (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/dec/30/whatevery-happened-to-east-wenatchee-squirrels/

Alaska - Rising Electricity Costs Leave Fairbanks In The Cold (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK)

http://newsminer.com/view/full_story/16955765/article-Rising-electricity-costs-leave-Fairbanks-in-the-cold

Oregon - Central Lincoln PUD’s Reedsport Office Reopens to Fanfare (Coos Bay World, OR)
http://theworldlink.com/news/local/utility-office-reopens-to-fanfare/article_b15ff0a0-c7dc-507d-8616-6d13a55dcf40.html

AES Corp. Subsidiary Files for Bankruptcy - Cites High Coal Costs & Declining Power Prices (Bloomberg Businessweek)

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9S1HU601.htm

Pennsylvania - What Consumers Don’t Know About Electricity Deregulation Can Hurt Them & Derail Objectives (The Energy Collective)

http://theenergycollective.com/christine-hertzog/73475/electricity-deregulation-pennsylvania-what-consumers-don-t-know-can-hurt-the

Gunfire Vandalism Risks Increasing (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/editors-pick/gunfire-vandalism-risks-increasing/38082

FISH & WILDLIFE

As Clear as Mud: White Salmon River a Polarizing Subject (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

http://sportsyakima.com/2011/12/as-clear-as-mud-white-salmon-river-a-polarizing-subject/

Lake Aldwell Reservoir Starting to Resemble a River from Dam Removal Work on the Elwha River System (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2017093346__here_is_a_news.html

Congressman Hastings, GOP target Endangered Species Act – Radar Ridge Wind Farm a Case Study (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2017113543_endangered29m.html

Vernita Bar Flush With Salmon Nests - Cooperation among hydro operators aids success (Bonneville Power Administration)

http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/1264371/

Canada Wraps Up Three-Day Commission on Salmon Virus (Juneau Empire, AK)

http://juneauempire.com/local/2012-01-01/canada-wraps-3-day-commission-salmon-virus#.TwM1SM2wWAI

Walla Walla Landfill Poisons 3,000 Starlings (Associated Press)

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/01/02/1933761/wash-landfill-poisons-3000-starlings.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Oregon Snowpack Light; Washington State Doing Better (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/21009--or-snowpack-light-wa-doing-better-

Olympia Area Cities, Nisqually Tribe Gain Water Rights (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/01/03/1933850/cities-tribe-gain-water-rights.html

EPA Grants Washington State $6.3 Million - Eighteen projects awarded funds for land, water conservation (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2011/12/28/1927587/epa-grants-state-36-million.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Washington State Won’t Revisit Approval of Wind Farm Visible from Columbia Gorge Scenic Area (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/12/washington_council_wont_revisi.html

American Piledriving Sees Future in Offshore Wind Turbines (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2011/12/american-piledriving-makes-machines-to.html

Wind Tower Makers File China Complaint (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/12/wind-tower-makers-file-china-complaint.html

Geothermal Experiment May Cause Small Quakes in Central Oregon (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/geothermal-experiment-may-cause-small-quakes-central-oregon/

Minnesota Wind Farm Plans Becalmed by Lack of Buyer for Power (Associated Press)

http://www.startribune.com/local/136292333.html

Op/Ed - Minnesota: Wind Energy Isn’t Reducing Carbon Emissions (Duluth News Tribune, MN)

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/218331/group/news/

South Carolina Wood-Burning Power Plant Has Strong Support (Charleston Post & Courier, SC)

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/dec/26/wood-burning-plant-has-strong-support/

All Eyes on German Renewable Energy Efforts (Associated Press)

http://www.chron.com/news/article/All-eyes-on-German-renewable-energy-efforts-2430375.php

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Peninsula School District Receives $400,000 in Energy Rebates from Penlight (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/dec/30/school-district-receives-400000-energy-rebates-pen/

GridMobility Makes the List - Twelve Smart Grid Startups to Watch in 2012 (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cleantech/12-smart-grid-startups-to-watch-in-2012/

Welcome to the Year of the Light Bulb - Get ready to buy light bulbs by lumens rather than watts (Scientific American)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=welcome-to-the-year-of-the-lightbul-12-01-01

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Judge Blocks California’s Low-Carbon Fuel Rule, Raising Questions in Oregon (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2011/12/judge-blocks-calfornias-low-carbon.html

Police Inquiry Prompts New Speculation on Who Leaked Climate-Change E-Mails (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/02/science/earth/new-speculation-on-who-leaked-climate-change-e-mails.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

‘Venice of Northwest Alaska’ Sinking Because of Climate Change (Alaska Dispatch)

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/venice-northwest-alaska-sinking-because-climate-change

David Attenborough: Frozen Planet Was Not Alarmist about Climate Change (The Guardian, UK)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jan/03/david-attenborough-frozen-planet-climate-change

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

After Three Decades, Tax Credit for Ethanol Expires (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/02/business/energy-environment/after-three-decades-federal-tax-credit-for-ethanol-expires.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Imperium’s John Plaza Makes Biofuels Digest’s “Top 100″ (KXRO Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

http://kxro.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/imperiums-john-plaza-makes-biofuels-digests-top-100/

Electric Highway: Washington State Starts on Charging Station Work (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/dec/30/electric-highway-state-starts-on-charging-station/

Public Electric Car Charging Station to be Installed in Longview/Kelso Area (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/public-electric-car-charging-station-to-be-installed-in-longview/article_f55d6f04-31b1-11e1-8600-0019bb2963f4.html

The Volt Is a Jolt to Taxpayers Shelling Out Subsidies (Philadelphia Inquirer, PA)

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/opinion/oped/the-volt-is-a-jolt-to-taxpayers-shelling-out-subsidies/article_ac268bf0-f0f0-55af-9911-a3f76648cb8a.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Cellphone Towers Blending into Landscape (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017129903_btcelltowers02.html

Verizon Backs Away from $2 Convenience Fee to Pay Bill Online (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/2011/12/30/verizon-backs-away-from-2-convenience-fee/

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Redistricting Panel OKs New Political Maps – 35^th District Relatively Intact; Shelton in New Tenth Congressional District (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Redistricting-panel-OKs-new-political-maps-136520128.html

GENERAL NEWS

In Killing of Park Ranger, Body of Suspect Found on Mount Rainier (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/01/02/1967042/body-of-suspect-found-on-mount.html

Belfair Water District Employees Guaranteed Severance in Last-Minute Contracts (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/dec/30/belfair-water-district-employees-guaranteed-in/

DIVERSIONS

Quadrantid Meteors & Eleven Other Big Skywatching Events of 2012

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0102/Quadrantid-meteors-and-11-other-big-skywatching-events-of-2012/Quadrantid-meteor-shower

These Words Should be Banned from the English Language

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2011/12/30/these-words-should-be-banned-from-the-english-language/

Study: Male Students’ Grades Drop When Football Teams Win

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2011-12-20/college-football-grades/52113630/1?csp=34news

Swallowed pen removed 25 years later – It Still Works

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-12-19/news/30535949_1_pen-x-rays-stomach

SONG OF THE DAY

Starbuck – Moonlight Feels Right

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