The Energy News Digest: Energy News Digest for May 10, 2013

Proposal for Boardman Coal Terminal Goes Ahead
California’s New Energy Crisis Centers on Nuclear Energy
Editorial - Roll On With an Updated Columbia River Pact
Hydropower Bills Open Gates of Bipartisanship in Congress
Chelan County PUD to Pay Down $250 Million in Debt by 2017
Energy Adviser: Electrical Hazards Hide around Home
Telephone Scam Hits Franklin PUD Customers Again
Neighbors Dislike Power Lines but Need the Electricity
Superstorm Sandy Was Super Expensive for Con Edison
President Meets with Utility Executives to Discuss Storm Preparedness
Feds Raise Forecast for Natural Gas Prices
U-S Natural Gas Supplies Grew Last Week
Smart Meter Installations Headed for a Decline
Ten Reasons Why Houston No Longer Cares About Enron or Jeff Skilling
West Virginia Man Electrocuted by Live Power Line in Attempted Copper Theft
Oregon’s Once-Tiny Shrimp Fishery Has Grown into a Multimillion-Dollar Business
Editorial – U-S Senate Needs to Tweak Bill on Big Water Projects
Study Proposed for Olympic Peninsula Biomass Air Quality
Ridegfield Energy Consulting Firm Earns $150,000 Federal Grant
California Town of Sebastopol Will Require Solar Panels on All New Homes
North Carolina House Gives Tentative Approval to Anti-LEED Bill
Turn Any Empty Bottle into a USB-Powered LED Touch Lamp
Climate-Change Activism - The Number of the Miffed
California - Energy Rich, Decision Poor
Washington State Governor Likes ‘Zero Energy House’
Stakeholders Group Needed On Plastic Bag Use In Thurston County
Thanks to NoaNet - Lake Stevens School District Goes High-Tech with the Help of Federal Grant Money
Chelan PUD’s Lake Wenatchee Fiber Optic Work Almost Finished
US Smart Grid Networks Exploiting Infrastructure to Provide Wireless Broadband
CenturyLink Consumer Revenue Up in the First Quarter - Predicts Low Broadband Growth in Second Quarter
Netflix-Hungry Air Travelers Get Broadband Boost from FCC
Forbes’ Top Tweeter Offers Five Social Media Tips
Eyman Made $112,000 Last Year for Pitching Washington State Initiatives
Nebraska U-S Senator Concerned Tax Reform Could Raise Borrowing Costs for Municipal Utilities
Washington State Court Website Hack Puts Personal Information at Risk
Guilty Verdict in Monroe Correctional Officer Murder
GAO Faults U-S Department of Energy’s Management of Hanford Cleanup
In Hours, Thieves Took $45 Million in ATM Computer Scheme
Home Builders Struggling to Find Enough Construction Workers
Prosecutors Say Driver in I-5 Fatal Crash Distracted by Risqué Cellphone Photo
Research Firm: PC Sales Plunge as Windows 8 Flops
NBA Reportedly Pushing Kings Owners to Take Sacramento Offer Before Vote
Shelton’s Skyline Drive-In Theater Fights to Stay Alive

WORD OF THE DAY

Semiotic • \sem-mee-AWE-tick\ • Adjective - A general philosophical theory of signs & symbols that deals especially with their function in both artificially constructed & natural languages & comprises syntactics, semantics, & pragmatics.

The bristling electrical engineer pounded his fist on the table during the safety meeting with his insurance adjuster. “The big glowing signs be blasted,” he thundered. “A semiotic approach would be best advanced by a low voltage shock when someone tried to break into our substation. Now there’s a sign that those copper stealing vermin would notice.”

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

Proposal for Boardman Coal Terminal Goes Ahead (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/05/09/2389273/proposal-for-boardman-coal-terminal.html

California’s New Energy Crisis Centers on Nuclear Energy (Forbes Magazine)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2013/05/09/californias-new-energy-crisis-centers-on-nuclear-energy/

Editorial - Roll On With an Updated Columbia River Pact (Seattle Times, WA)

http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2020956392_columndickiecolumbiarivertreatyxml.html

Hydropower Bills Open Gates of Bipartisanship in Congress (Northwest Public Radio)

http://www.nwpr.org/post/hydropower-bills-open-gates-bipartisanship-congress-1

Chelan County PUD to Pay Down $250 Million in Debt by 2017 (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2013/may/09/pud-to-pay-down-250-million-in-debt-by-2017/

Energy Adviser: Electrical Hazards Hide around Home (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/may/09/electrical-hazards-hide-around-home/

Telephone Scam Hits Franklin PUD Customers Again (KVEW-TV, Tri Cities, WA)

http://www.kvewtv.com/article/2013/may/09/telephone-scam-hits-franklin-pud-customers-again/

Neighbors Dislike Power Lines but Need the Electricity (EnergyBiz)

http://www.energybiz.com/article/13/05/neighbors-dislike-power-lines-need-electricity

Superstorm Sandy Was Super Expensive for Con Edison (Forbes Magazine)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2013/05/09/superstorm-sandy-was-super-expensive-for-con-edison/

President Meets with Utility Executives to Discuss Storm Preparedness (American Public Power Association)

http://www.naylornetwork.com/app-ppd/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=218218&issueID=27014

Feds Raise Forecast for Natural Gas Prices (American Public Power Association)

http://www.naylornetwork.com/app-ppd/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=217989&issueID=27014

U-S Natural Gas Supplies Grew Last Week (Associated Press)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/05/09/2388361/us-natural-gas-supplies-grew-last.html

Smart Meter Installations Headed for a Decline (The Energy Collective)

http://theenergycollective.com/cnunez/222396/smart-meter-installations-headed-decline

Ten Reasons Why Houston No Longer Cares About Enron or Jeff Skilling (Forbes Magazine)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2013/05/09/10-reasons-why-houston-no-longer-cares-about-enron-or-whether-jeff-skilling-gets-out-of-jail-early/

West Virginia Man Electrocuted by Live Power Line in Attempted Copper Theft (Associated Press)

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/122ea0f428ff493299e8e9e26e62c6ea/WV--Copper-Theft-Electrocution

FISH & WILDLIFE

Oregon’s Once-Tiny Shrimp Fishery Has Grown into a Multimillion-Dollar Business (Oregonian, Portland, OR)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/05/oregons_once-tiny_shrimp_fishe.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Editorial – U-S Senate Needs to Tweak Bill on Big Water Projects (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/10/5409429/us-senate-needs-to-tweak-bill.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Study Proposed for Olympic Peninsula Biomass Air Quality (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/56636-study-proposed-for-biomass-air-quality

Ridegfield Energy Consulting Firm Earns $150,000 Federal Grant (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/may/10/ridgefield-energy-consulting-firm-150k-grant/

California Town of Sebastopol Will Require Solar Panels on All New Homes (Grist Online)

http://grist.org/news/sebastopol-requiring-solar-panels-on-all-new-homes/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

North Carolina House Gives Tentative Approval to Anti-LEED Bill (Charlotte Business Journal, NC)
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/going_green/2013/05/nc-housetentative-approval-anti-leed.html

Turn Any Empty Bottle into a USB-Powered LED Touch Lamp (Gizmodo)

http://gizmodo.com/turn-any-empty-bottle-into-a-usb-powered-led-touch-lamp-498855729

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Climate-Change Activism - The Number of the Miffed (The Economist Magazine)

http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2013/05/climate-change-activism

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

California - Energy Rich, Decision Poor (The Energy Collective)

http://theenergycollective.com/mark-green/222031/energy-rich-decision-poor

Washington State Governor Likes ‘Zero Energy House’ (South Sound Business Examiner)

http://www.businessexaminer.com/blog/May-2013/Governor-likes-Zero-Energy-House/

Stakeholders Group Needed On Plastic Bag Use In Thurston County (Thurston Talks, Olympia, WA)

http://www.thurstontalk.com/2013/05/09/stakeholders-group-needed-on-plastic-bag-use-in-thurston-county/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Thanks to NoaNet - Lake Stevens School District Goes High-Tech with the Help of Federal Grant Money (Lake Stevens Journal, WA)

http://www.lakestevensjournal.com/news/article.exm/2013-05-08_lake_stevens_school_district_goes_high_tech_with_the_help_of_federal_grant_money

Chelan PUD’s Lake Wenatchee Fiber Optic Work Almost Finished (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2013/may/09/lake-wenatchee-fiber-almost-finished/

US Smart Grid Networks Exploiting Infrastructure to Provide Wireless Broadband (CircleID)

http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130501_smart_grid_exploiting_infrastructure_to_provide_wireless_broadband/

CenturyLink Consumer Revenue Up in the First Quarter - Predicts Low Broadband Growth in Second Quarter (Fierce Telecom)

http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/centurylink-consumer-revenue-q1-predicts-low-broadband-growth-q2/2013-05-09

Netflix-Hungry Air Travelers Get Broadband Boost from FCC (Bloomberg News)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-09/netflix-hungry-air-travelers-get-broadband-boost-from-fcc.html

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Forbes’ Top Tweeter Offers Five Social Media Tips (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/socialmadness/2013/05/forbes-top-tweeter-offers-5-social.html

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Eyman Made $112,000 Last Year for Pitching Washington State Initiatives (Seattle Times, WA)

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2020956525_politicsnweymanxml.html

Nebraska’s U-S Senator Concerned Tax Reform Could Raise Borrowing Costs for Municipal Utilities (American Public Power Association)

http://www.naylornetwork.com/app-ppd/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=218181&issueID=27014

GENERAL NEWS

Washington State Court Website Hack Puts Personal Information at Risk (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/WA-court-website-breach-personal-info-risk-206804361.html

Guilty Verdict in Monroe Correctional Officer Murder (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Byron-Scherf-Jayme-Biendl-murder-trial-206824661.html

GAO Faults U-S Department of Energy’s Management of Hanford Cleanup (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Government-Accountability-Office-say-Hanford--206867141.html

In Hours, Thieves Took $45 Million in ATM Computer Scheme (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/nyregion/eight-charged-in-45-million-global-cyber-bank-thefts.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=1&

Home Builders Struggling to Find Enough Construction Workers (Los Angeles Times, CA)
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/may/08/business/la-fi-housing-construction-20130508

Prosecutors Say Driver in I-5 Fatal Crash Distracted by Risqué Cellphone Photo (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/prosecutors-say-driver-i-5-fatal-crash-distracted-/nXnND/

Research Firm: PC Sales Plunge as Windows 8 Flops (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Research-firm-PC-sales-plunge-as-Windows-8-flops-202387501.html

NBA Reportedly Pushing Kings Owners to Take Sacramento Offer Before Vote (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=2270970

Shelton’s Skyline Drive-In Theater Fights to Stay Alive (Thurston Talks, Olympia, WA)

http://www.thurstontalk.com/2013/05/07/sheltons-skyline-drive-in-theater-fights-to-stay-alive/

DIVERSIONS

Years Underground, Hatching an Invasion

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/science/marvels-and-a-few-mysteries-in-cicadas-17-years.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Local Man Charged with Smuggling Endangered Turtles

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Local-man-charged-with-smuggling-endangered-turtles-206824611.html

Guns Collected at Seattle Buyback Were Destroyed, Cannot Be Made into ‘Peace Bricks’

http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=2270873

“Too Pretty” Label Mars South Korean Boxing Starlet’s Win

http://news.yahoo.com/too-pretty-label-mars-south-korean-boxing-starlets-033245299.html

SONG OF THE DAY

The Turtles – Elenore

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDjI015s044

LINKS & PAYWALL ADVISORY

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.

Note that as some newspapers migrate to a “paywall” system of access, some articles may not be available without forking over some cold hard credit card cash. However, some sites will allow a certain number of story accesses per month before holding out their hand. Sorry if this is an inconvenience.

The Energy News Digest

Friday, May 10, 2013

Energy News Digest for May 10, 2013

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