Energy News Digest for February 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.

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Great Expectations Await Spring Chinook Fishery on Columbia (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/feb/03/great-expectations-await-spring-chinook-fishery/

As Sea Lion Populations Grow, Conflicts Increase (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120203/NEWS01/702029790

Injured Cowlitz PUD Lineman Improving (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/b1a6fb04-4e0d-11e1-b3e9-001871e3ce6c.html

How the Sierra Club Took Millions from the Natural Gas Industry; and Why They Stopped (TIME Magazine)

http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2012/02/02/exclusive-how-the-sierra-club-took-millions-from-the-natural-gas-industry-and-why-they-stopped/

Kittitas County PUD Can Read Meters from the Sky (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)

http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/kittitas-county-pud-can-read-meters-from-the-sky/article_c5c817e0-4de4-11e1-838c-0019bb2963f4.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Injured Cowlitz PUD Lineman Improving
• Firefighters Forced Out of Burning Northwest Portland Home after Metal Piece of Roof Hits Power Line & ‘Energizes’ House
• Feds: ‘Unusual’ Wear on New Tubes at California Nuke Plant
• Spokane Utility Pole Installation Angers Neighbors
• Kittitas County PUD Can Read Meters from the Sky
• How the Sierra Club Took Millions from the Natural Gas Industry; and Why They Stopped
• First Energy Gets Boost from Closing Coal Plants
• Mild Weather Impacts Tennessee Valley Authority’s First Quarter 2012 Results
• Great Expectations Await Spring Chinook Fishery on Columbia
• As Sea Lion Populations Grow, Conflicts Increase
• Smarting Over Cod Shortages, Fishermen Blame Seals
• Judge Rejects Challenge on Western US Sage Grouse Listing
• Don’t Feed the Whales - Biologist Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Charges
• Washington State Backs Off Plan to Fine Fisherman for Two-Ounce Oil Spill
• California Water Wars Renewed
• Cheap Natural Gas Jumbles Energy Markets, Stirs Fears it Could Inhibit Renewables
• Poo-Power - Dairies Capitalize on Cow Manure
• Hawaiian Electric Disappointed by State Suspension of Solar Hot Water Program
• British Energy & Climate Change Minister Quits after Criminal Charges
• Glacier Thief Arrested in Chile
• More Small Businesses Tracking Their Carbon Footprint
• Net-Zero Energy Building to Become $1.3 Trillion Market
• Going Green: View My World-Class Collection of Hotel Towel Cards
• Social Media & Email Are More Addictive than Alcohol & Cigarettes
• Where to Watch the 2012 Super Bowl Live Online
• Reichert Won’t Challenge Cantwell for Washington State’s US Senate Seat
• In Post-Earmark Era, Small Cities Step Up Lobbying to Fight for Federal Grants
• Ballot Challenge is Certain for Washington State’s Gay-Marriage Bill
• Franklin County Official Jailed in Fraud Case
• Tons of Storm Debris Filling Pierce County’s Dumps
• Belfair, Bremerton Men Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Selling Firearms
• January Unemployment Drops To 8.3 Percent after Hiring Burst
• Plans for Green Mountain, Tahuya State Forests Almost Done
• Komen Foundation Reverses Decision to Cut Planned Parenthood Funding

WORD OF THE DAY

Intrinsic • \inn-TRINN-zick\ • Adjective - 1a: belonging to the essential nature or constitution of a thing b: being or relating to a semiconductor in which the concentration of charge carriers is characteristic of the material itself instead of the content of any impurities it contains 2a: originating or due to causes within a body, organ, or part b: originating & included wholly within an organ or part

The sentimental value of the one dollar bill taped to the ship’s wall near the antiquated cash register far exceeded the intrinsic value of the crumpled bit of paper. “It was the first dollar I made at this store…and possibly the last” proclaimed the kilted owner of the “Horace’s Haggis Hut.”

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

Injured Cowlitz PUD Lineman Improving (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/b1a6fb04-4e0d-11e1-b3e9-001871e3ce6c.html

Firefighters Forced Out of Burning Northwest Portland Home after Metal Piece of Roof Hits Power Line & ‘Energizes’ House (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/02/firefighters_forced_out_of_bur.html

Feds: ‘Unusual’ Wear on New Tubes at California Nuke Plant (Associated Press)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/02/01/national/a144157S80.DTL

Spokane Utility Pole Installation Angers Neighbors (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/feb/02/pole-installation-angers-neighbors/

Kittitas County PUD Can Read Meters from the Sky (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)

http://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/kittitas-county-pud-can-read-meters-from-the-sky/article_c5c817e0-4de4-11e1-838c-0019bb2963f4.html

How the Sierra Club Took Millions from the Natural Gas Industry; and Why They Stopped (TIME Magazine)

http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2012/02/02/exclusive-how-the-sierra-club-took-millions-from-the-natural-gas-industry-and-why-they-stopped/

First Energy Gets Boost from Closing Coal Plants (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/First-Energy-gets-boost-from-closing-coal-plants-2968946.php

Mild Weather Impacts Tennessee Valley Authority’s First Quarter 2012 Results (MarketWatch)

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mild-weather-impacts-tvas-first-quarter-2012-results-2012-02-03

FISH & WILDLIFE

Great Expectations Await Spring Chinook Fishery on Columbia (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/feb/03/great-expectations-await-spring-chinook-fishery/

As Sea Lion Populations Grow, Conflicts Increase (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120203/NEWS01/702029790

Smarting Over Cod Shortages, Fishermen Blame Seals (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/smarting-over-cod-shortages-fishermen-blame-seals/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Judge Rejects Challenge on Western US Sage Grouse Listing (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017413552_apwysagegrouse.html

Don’t Feed the Whales - Biologist Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Charges (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_19880471

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Washington State Backs Off Plan to Fine Fisherman for Two-Ounce Oil Spill (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017403790_knut03.html

California Water Wars Renewed (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/02/02/43593.htm

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Cheap Natural Gas Jumbles Energy Markets, Stirs Fears it Could Inhibit Renewables (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/cheap-natural-gas-jumbles-energy-markets-stirs-fears-it-could-inhibit-renewables/2012/01/08/gIQApLr5hQ_story.html?wprss=rss_business

Poo-Power - Dairies Capitalize on Cow Manure (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/feb/03/dairies-capitalize-on-cow-manure/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Hawaiian Electric Disappointed by State Suspension of Solar Hot Water Program (Pacific Business News, HI)

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/blog/morning_call/2012/02/hawaiian-electric-disappointed-by-puc.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

British Energy & Climate Change Minister Quits after Criminal Charges (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/02/03/world/europe/AP-EU-Britain-Minister-Charged.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Glacier Thief Arrested in Chile - Police hold man on suspicion of stealing five tons of ice from a glacier in Patagonia to sell as designer ice cubes for cocktails (The Guardian, UK)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/feb/01/glacier-thief-arrested-ice-cubes

More Small Businesses Tracking Their Carbon Footprint (Pittsburgh Business Times, PA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/blog/energy/2012/02/more-small-businesses-tracking-their.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Net-Zero Energy Building to Become $1.3 Trillion Market (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2012/02/net-zero-energy-building-to-become.html

Going Green: View My World-Class Collection of Hotel Towel Cards (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2012/0203/Going-green-View-my-world-class-collection-of-hotel-towel-cards

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Social Media & Email Are More Addictive than Alcohol & Cigarettes (Gizmodo)

http://gizmodo.com/5881941/social-media-and-email-are-more-addictive-than-alcohol-and-cigarettes

Where to Watch the 2012 Super Bowl Live Online (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/video/super-bowl-xlvi-live-stream-mobile-ads-twitter/

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Reichert Won’t Challenge Cantwell for Washington State’s US Senate Seat (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politicsnorthwest/2017408556_reichert_wont_challenge_cantwe.html

In Post-Earmark Era, Small Cities Step Up Lobbying to Fight for Federal Grants (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/us/in-the-post-earmarks-era-small-cities-struggle-for-federal-grants.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Ballot Challenge is Certain for Washington State’s Gay-Marriage Bill (Associated Press)

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/02/02/1974529/ballot-challenge-certain-for-wa.html

Franklin County Official Jailed in Fraud Case (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/02/03/1812012/franklin-county-official-jailed.html

Tons of Storm Debris Filling Pierce County’s Dumps (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/02/03/2010534/tons-of-storm-debris-filling-countys.html

Belfair, Bremerton Men Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Selling Firearms (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/feb/02/belfair-bremerton-men-sentenced-to-prison-for/

January Unemployment Drops To 8.3 Percent after Hiring Burst (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Unemployment-drops-to-8-3-pct-after-hiring-burst-2986413.php

Plans for Green Mountain, Tahuya State Forests Almost Done (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/feb/02/plans-for-green-mountain-tahuya-state-forests/

Komen Foundation Reverses Decision to Cut Planned Parenthood Funding (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=621908

DIVERSIONS

Do You Use Your Mobile Phone in the Bathroom?

http://consumerist.com/2012/02/do-you-use-your-mobile-phone-in-the-bathroom.html

Oregon Mailman Who Made Doo-Doo Delivery Back on Same Route

http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/Ore-mailman-who-went-doo-138591689.html

Crikey! Deputies Capture Wallaby on the Run in Gig Harbor

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Crickey-Deputies-capture-wallaby-on-the-run-in-Gig-Harbor-138597434.html

Sheep-Herding Swedish Bunny Becomes Online Hit

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/02/03/international/i041253S76.DTL

SONG OF THE DAY

Jethro Tull - Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGz_g1i7KU8