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
Puget Sound Energy Proposes Rate Increases for
Electricity, Gas (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
Pacific Power Asks for Rate Increase While Economy
Drives Up Need for Bill Assistance (Yakima
Herald-Republic, WA)
Great
Expectations Await Spring Chinook Fishery on the Columbia (Seattle Times)
At Least Eight Sea Lions Found Shot to Death
around Puget Sound (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)
Editorial
- Unneeded Wind Turbines Can’t Help Environment (Tri-City
Herald, WA)
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
- Puget Sound Energy Proposes Rate Increases for Electricity, Gas
- Pacific Power Asks for Rate Increase While Economy Drives Up Need for Bill Assistance
- Columnist - Natural Gas Promise Could Easily Fall Short
- UPDATE: Natural Gas Leak Stopped in Shelton Neighborhood
- Fed Energy Chief Says National Energy Standard Would Broaden Market
- Op/Ed - Washington Delegation Must Fight to Proceed with Yucca Mountain Nuclear-Waste Repository
- Oklahoma Emergency Response Officials Learn Lessons from Massive Ice Storm
- “Extreme Views” - Minnesota Senate Likely to Reject Former State Senator for Public Utilities Commission
- Ten Ways Big Data is Remaking Energy
- Great Expectations Await Spring Chinook Fishery on the Columbia
- Spring Chinook Return Expected to Be Large; Wild Component Predicted Above Ten-Year Average
- How Would a New Approach to Managing Endangered Salmon Affect Idaho?
- At Least Eight Sea Lions Found Shot to Death around Puget Sound
- Blasting Being Used to Take Down Glines Canyon Dam
- Last Fall’s Elwha Dam Party Brought Only Trickle of Funds
- Keeping Dam to Save Salmon - Juan De Fuca Officials Galvanize to Battle ‘Stupid’ DFO Move
- Environment Again a Source of Friction in Olympia
- Slow Leaks at Ice Harbor Dam Spill 1,500 Gallons of Transformer Oil into Snake River
- Tacoma: Supreme Court Rules against City in Hydrants Case
- Editorial - Unneeded Wind Turbines Can’t Help Environment
- Energy Tax Breaks Proposed, Despite Waning Support for Subsidies
- Wind Power: Clean Energy, Dirty Business?
- Spain Halts Renewable Subsidies to Curb $31 Billion of Debts
- Portland Community College to Build Oregon’s Largest Solar Project
- Canadian Pulp Mill Claims It Is Being Discriminated Against by BC Hydro
- Minnesota Biomass Projects Burned by Low Natural Gas Prices
- Georgia - Tire-Burning Plant Moves Forward, 75 Jobs Possible
- Is Warren Buffet’s Utility Betting on Clean Energy?
- LEED from Behind: Why We Should Focus on Greening Existing Buildings
- Keep the Dishwasher & Fridge Apart; Save a Bundle on Energy
- Activists Want Climate Change on TV Weather Reports
- Op/Ed - A Dangerous Shift in Obama’s ‘Climate Change’ Rhetoric
- North Dakota Wind Farms to Help Offset Electricity Used During Super Bowl at Stadium, Hotels
- What the Green Bay Packers Can Teach Us about Broadband
- Customer Interaction with Utilities Via Social Media Rising Swiftly, According to New Pike Research Survey
- Crowded Field Jockeying to Represent Washington State’s First Congressional District
- Ratings Agency Fitch Warns Washington State’s Credit Rating Could Suffer
- Big Liquor Sellers Looking for Washington State Locations
- Belfair-Based Winery to Release First Wines
- Storm Solves Area Firewood Woes
WORD OF THE DAY
Xylography • \zye-LAW-gruh-fee\ • noun - The art of
making engravings on wood especially for printing
Ten-year-old Webster backed away from his xylographic efforts, the sting
of the smoke from his wood-burning iron making his eyes tear up. Not all of his
tears were the result of the particulates from his new hobby. He was also
fearful that he would not be able to hold his breath during the entire craft
project, especially since he had heard that he could die from a single exposure
to the acrid emissions from his “Washington Crossing the Delaware” artwork.
SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS
ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES
Puget Sound Energy Proposes Rate Increases for
Electricity, Gas (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
Pacific Power Asks for Rate Increase While Economy
Drives Up Need for Bill Assistance (Yakima
Herald-Republic, WA)
Columnist - Natural Gas Promise Could Easily Fall
Short (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
UPDATE: Natural Gas Leak Stopped in Shelton
Neighborhood (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
Fed Energy Chief Says National Energy Standard
Would Broaden Market (CBS News)
Op/Ed - Washington Delegation Must Fight to Proceed
with Yucca Mountain Nuclear-Waste Repository (Seattle Times)
Oklahoma Emergency Response Officials Learn Lessons
from Massive Ice Storm (Associated Press)
“Extreme Views” - Minnesota Senate Likely to Reject
Former State Senator for Public Utilities Commission (Pioneer Press, St Paul,
MN)
Ten Ways Big Data is Remaking Energy (GigaOM)
FISH & WILDLIFE
Great
Expectations Await Spring Chinook Fishery on the Columbia (Seattle Times)
Spring Chinook Return Expected to Be Large; Wild
Component Predicted Above Ten-Year Average (Columbia Basin Bulletin)
How Would a New Approach to Managing Endangered
Salmon Affect Idaho? (Idaho Statesman, Boise)
At Least Eight Sea Lions Found Shot to Death around
Puget Sound (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)
Blasting Being Used to Take Down Glines Canyon Dam
(KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
Last Fall’s Elwha Dam Party Brought Only Trickle
of Funds — But Media Attention Worth It, Olympic National Park Says (Peninsula
Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
Keeping Dam to Save Salmon - Juan De Fuca Officials
Galvanize to Battle ‘Stupid’ DFO Move (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)
WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT
Environment
Again a Source of Friction in Olympia (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
Slow
Leaks at Ice Harbor Dam Spill 1,500 Gallons of Transformer Oil into Snake River
(Oregonian, Portland)
Tacoma: Supreme Court Rules against City in
Hydrants Case (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
Editorial
- Unneeded Wind Turbines Can’t Help Environment (Tri-City
Herald, WA)
Energy
Tax Breaks Proposed, Despite Waning Support for Subsidies (NY Times)
Wind
Power: Clean Energy, Dirty Business? In the developing world, where
land-intensive wind turbines are being rapidly constructed, wind power has
often turned clean energy into dirty business (Christian
Science Monitor)
Spain
Halts Renewable Subsidies to Curb $31 Billion of Debts (Bloomberg News)
Portland
Community College to Build Oregon’s Largest Solar Project (Oregon Public
Broadcasting)
Canadian
Pulp Mill Claims It Is Being Discriminated Against by BC Hydro (Vancouver Sun,
BC)
Minnesota
Biomass Projects Burned by Low Natural Gas Prices (Minneapolis Star-Tribune, MN)
Georgia
- Tire-Burning Plant Moves Forward, 75 Jobs Possible (Atlanta Business Journal,
GA)
Is
Warren Buffet’s Utility Betting on Clean Energy? (The Energy Collective)
CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
LEED from Behind: Why We Should Focus on Greening
Existing Buildings (TIME Magazine)
Keep the Dishwasher & Fridge Apart; Save a
Bundle on Energy (Christian Science Monitor)
CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT
Activists
Want Climate Change on TV Weather Reports (Houston Chronicle, TX)
Op/Ed
- A Dangerous Shift in Obama’s ‘Climate Change’ Rhetoric (Washington Post)
BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI
North
Dakota Wind Farms to Help Offset Electricity Used During Super Bowl at Stadium,
Hotels (Associated Press)
TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
What the Green Bay Packers Can Teach Us about
Broadband - If Green Bay…can raise $70 million to rehabilitate its football
field by selling $250 stock shares, I bet $250 there’s a community in America
that can raise $2 or $3 million for a broadband network (GigaOM)
Customer Interaction with Utilities Via Social
Media Rising Swiftly, According to New Pike Research Survey (Electric Energy
Online)
POLITICS & GOVERNANCE
Crowded Field Jockeying to Represent Washington
State’s First Congressional District (KING-TV, Seattle)
GENERAL NEWS
Ratings Agency Fitch Warns Washington State’s
Credit Rating Could Suffer (Seattle Times)
Big Liquor Sellers Looking for Washington State Locations
(Associated Press)
Belfair-Based Winery to Release First Wines (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
Storm Solves Area Firewood Woes (Olympian, WA)
DIVERSIONS
Deathbed Music: The Final Works of Famous Composers
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Eight Great Quotes on
His Birthday
Beard & Stache Fest Grows Contestants, Money for
Treehouse
Walls of Discovery Bay Cafe Yield Amazing $10,316
SONG OF THE DAY
Johnny
Cash & Willie Nelson - Hello Walls
