Energy News Digest for January 23, 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.

To subscribe, email jmyer@masonpud3.org

The news digest is also available at the following web site:

http://www.energynewsdigest.blogspot.com/

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Cable Theft Threatens Mason County PUD 3 Power & Fiber Optic Network Project on Harstine Island (Mason County PUD No. 3, Shelton, WA)

http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?NewsID=1179

Cowlitz PUD Commissioners Won’t Reinstate Fired General Manager (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/34d46e50-64ea-11e2-9f73-0019bb2963f4.html

Franklin PUD Considering 2013 Rate Increase (Franklin County PUD, Pasco, WA)

http://energynewsfeed.blogspot.com/2013/01/franklin-pud-considering-2013-rate.html

Portland General Electric Seeks to Buy Two Iberdrola Wind Farms in Gilliam County (Oregonian, Portland, OR)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/01/portland_general_electric_buys.html

Broadband Growth Fast in Washington State (South Sound Business Examiner)

http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/January-2013/Broadband-growth-fast-in-WA/

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Cable Theft Threatens Mason County PUD 3 Power & Fiber Optic Network Project on Harstine Island
• Fiber Optic, Copper Cable Thefts
• Mason County PUD 3 Project Hit by Cable Thieves
• Cowlitz PUD Commissioners Won’t Reinstate Fired General Manager
• Franklin PUD Considering 2013 Rate Increase
• Franklin PUD Debates Amount to Raise Rates
• Oregon - Blachly-Lane Electric Co-Op Out $600,000+ Due to State Hospital & Business Delays
• Comparing Chelan PUD Dams with Others Shows Strengths & Areas to Improve
• Tillamook PUD Transmission Line through Tillamook Approved, Appealed
• Centralia City Light’s Ed Williams Retiring
• Rick Lovely Named Grays Harbor PUD Special Projects Manager
• Helium Balloons Blamed for Everett Power Outage
• Smart Meter Refusals a Thorny Issue
• Storm Water Toxicity Studied at Suquamish Hatchery
• Robot Fish Swims Long Distances for Underwater Research
• Experimental Fish Program Starts at Dams
• Are Rain Gardens Mini Toxic Cleanup Sites?
• Puget Sound Group Needs to Measure Progress, State Report Says
• Editorial - Thurston County PUD: Keep the Focus on Water
• Olympia’s Artesian Well: Flowing Water from the Heavens
• Portland General Electric Seeks to Buy Two Iberdrola Wind Farms in Gilliam County
• California - BrightSource, SoCal Edison Terminate Solar Power Deal
• Three Decades On, Mainers Still Seek Cheap Electricity from Quebec
• China Is Buying up a Third of the World’s Solar Panels
• BPA an Honorable Mention - 12 Programs Awarded for Saving Water & Energy
• California to Invest $2.5 Billion to Retrofit Energy-Wasting Schools
• Andean Glaciers Melting at ‘Unprecedented’ Rates
• Washington, D-C Tops LEED Building List – Washington State Ranked Eighth
• Broadband Growth Fast in Washington State
• Third Annual Broadband Report Shows High-Speed Internet Access Improving throughout Washington State
• State of the Internet: The Broadband Future as Faster, But Still Unevenly Distributed
• Even if It Enrages Your Boss, Social Net Speech Is Protected
• Cloudiest Cities in U.-S Are in the Pacific Northwest
• Into Deep Space: Second U-S Firm Takes Aim at Mining Asteroids into Deep Space
• Clay Bennett Could Be Profiting from Sale of Sonics Gear

WORD OF THE DAY

Abhor • \ub-HORR\ • Verb - To regard with extreme repugnance: loathe

The greasy smell of the fresh-cut French Fries wafted through the diner…the sparkly vinyl seats showing their age through an accumulation of grease and spilled catsup that would probably need carbon dating to determine their relative ages. Although the local eatery was well-known for its fries and burgers, its coffee…not so much. The owner of the business had been fascinated by a story he had read about civet cat coffee. His unfortunate experiment to see if he could similarly create “house-cat” coffee ended disastrously. Along with a highly wired feline, he determined that his cat’s abhorrence of whole coffee beans could not be overcome. Good for the cat…good for the owner…VERY good for the customers.

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

Cable Theft Threatens Mason County PUD 3 Power & Fiber Optic Network Project on Harstine Island (Mason County PUD No. 3, Shelton, WA)

http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?NewsID=1179

Fiber Optic, Copper Cable Thefts (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/48325-fiber-optic-thefts

Mason County PUD 3 Project Hit by Cable Thieves (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/9042

Cowlitz PUD Commissioners Won’t Reinstate Fired General Manager (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/34d46e50-64ea-11e2-9f73-0019bb2963f4.html

Franklin PUD Considering 2013 Rate Increase (Franklin County PUD, Pasco, WA)

http://energynewsfeed.blogspot.com/2013/01/franklin-pud-considering-2013-rate.html

Franklin PUD Debates Amount to Raise Rates (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/01/23/2246594/franklin-pud-debates-amount-to.html

Oregon - Blachly-Lane Electric Co-Op Out $600,000+ Due to State Hospital & Business Delays (KMTR-TV, Springfield, OR)

http://www.kmtr.com/news/local/story/Blachly-Lane-Electric-Co-op-out-600-000-due-to/uyqTosYRr0Cbyvzp2F0qAw.cspx

Comparing Chelan PUD Dams with Others Shows Strengths & Areas to Improve (North Central Washington News Network)

http://www.ncwtv.com/comparing-pud-dams-with-others-shows-strengths-and-areas-to-improve-6250/

Tillamook PUD Transmission Line through Tillamook Approved, Appealed (Tillamook Headlight Herald, OR)

http://www.tillamookheadlightherald.com/news_paid/article_3cefebfa-64cc-11e2-93d1-0019bb2963f4.html

Centralia City Light’s Ed Williams Retiring (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

http://energynewsfeed.blogspot.com/2013/01/centralia-city-lights-ed-williams.html

Rick Lovely Named Grays Harbor PUD Special Projects Manager (KXRO Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

http://kxro.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/rick-lovely-named-pud-special-projects-manager/

Helium Balloons Blamed for Everett Power Outage (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=2181825

Smart Meter Refusals a Thorny Issue (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/industry/business-finance/smart-meter-refusals-a-thorny-issue/51600

FISH & WILDLIFE

Storm Water Toxicity Studied at Suquamish Hatchery (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Storm-water-toxicity-studied-at-Suquamish-hatchery-187913011.html

Robot Fish Swims Long Distances for Underwater Research (Mashable)

http://mashable.com/2013/01/19/robot-fish-underwater-research/

Experimental Fish Program Starts at Dams (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/01/20/54087.htm

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Are Rain Gardens Mini Toxic Cleanup Sites? Here’s what happens to the pollutants swept up in storm water runoff (Sightline Daily)

http://daily.sightline.org/2013/01/22/are-rain-gardens-mini-toxic-cleanup-sites/

Puget Sound Group Needs to Measure Progress, State Report Says (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2013/jan/22/puget-sound-group-needs-to-measure-progress-says/

Editorial - Thurston County PUD: Keep the Focus on Water (Olympian, WA)

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/01/23/2848800/keep-the-focus-on-water.html

Olympia’s Artesian Well: Flowing Water from the Heavens (Thurston Talk, Olympia, WA)

http://www.thurstontalk.com/2013/01/20/olympias-artesian-well-flowing-water-from-the-heavens/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Portland General Electric Seeks to Buy Two Iberdrola Wind Farms in Gilliam County (Oregonian, Portland, OR)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/01/portland_general_electric_buys.html

California - BrightSource, SoCal Edison Terminate Solar Power Deal (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_22425463

Three Decades On, Mainers Still Seek Cheap Electricity from Quebec (The Morning Sentinel, Skowhegan, ME)

http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/canadian-firm-still-in-picture_2013-01-19.html

China Is Buying up a Third of the World’s Solar Panels (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/22/china-is-buying-up-a-third-of-the-worlds-solar-panels/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

BPA an Honorable Mention - 12 Programs Awarded for Saving Water & Energy (Just Means)

http://www.justmeans.com/press-releases/12-Programs-Awarded-for-Saving-Both-Water-and-Energy/11237.html

California to Invest $2.5 Billion to Retrofit Energy-Wasting Schools (Forbes Magazine)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/justingerdes/2013/01/22/california-to-invest-2-5-billion-to-retrofit-energy-wasting-schools/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Andean Glaciers Melting at ‘Unprecedented’ Rates (The Guardian, UK)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/23/andean-glaciers-melting

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Washington, D-C Tops LEED Building List – Washington State Ranked Eighth (Washington, D-C Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2013/01/23/dc-tops-leed-building-list.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Broadband Growth Fast in Washington State (South Sound Business Examiner)

http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/January-2013/Broadband-growth-fast-in-WA/

Third Annual Broadband Report Shows High-Speed Internet Access Improving throughout Washington State (Washington State Department of Commerce)

http://www.commerce.wa.gov/media/Pages/PressReleaseView.aspx?pressreleaseid=110

State of the Internet: The Broadband Future as Faster, But Still Unevenly Distributed (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/22/state-of-the-internet-the-broadband-future-is-faster-but-still-unevenly-distributed/

Even if It Enrages Your Boss, Social Net Speech Is Protected (New York Times, NY)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/technology/employers-social-media-policies-come-under-regulatory-scrutiny.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

GENERAL NEWS

Cloudiest Cities in U.-S Are in the Pacific Northwest (Northwest Cable News)

http://www.nwcn.com/news/187444831.html

Into Deep Space: Second U-S Firm Takes Aim at Mining Asteroids into Deep Space (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/23/us-space-mining-idUSBRE90L14E20130123

Clay Bennett Could Be Profiting from Sale of Sonics Gear (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Buying-Sonics-gear--187978941.html

DIVERSIONS

Canada’s New $20 Bill at Center of Maple Leaf Flap - Botanists say it’s a Norway maple, not Canadian maple

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2013/01/17/ottawa-foreign-maple-leaf-irks-botanists.html

Huntsville Police: Robber Demands Money from Starbucks; Cashier Gives Him a Coffee Instead

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/01/huntsville_police_robber_deman.html

Idaho Lawmaker Embarks on Cursive-Handwriting Crusade

http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2013/01/idaho_lawmaker_embarks_on_curs.html

Restaurants Turn Camera Shy (New York Times, NY)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/dining/restaurants-turn-camera-shy.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&smid=tw-nytimes&src=twr&

SONG OF THE DAY

Marco Fumo - Maple Leaf Rag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMu4SnRLzrk