Thursday, October 31, 2013

Energy News Digest for October 31, 2013

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THE NEWS DIGEST WORD CLOUD

Energy News Digest word cloud for October 31, 2013

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Aviation Expert Says Boeing Is Using ‘Economic Blackmail’ Against Washington (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Washington State Completes Installation Of 1,600-Mile, $140 Million Broadband Network for Rural Areas (GeekWire)

U-S Senators Propose National Renewable Electricity Standard (Renew Grid)

Landscaper Trimming Hedges Electrocuted in Southwest Portland (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

Earth’s Oceans Warming at an Alarming Rate (USA Today)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Landscaper Trimming Hedges Electrocuted in Southwest Portland
  • Cost of Service Increasing for Cascade Natural Gas Customers
  • Avista Natural Gas Customers’ Bills to Rise
  • Iconic Greenpeace Ship Delivers Anti-Coal Message to Longview
  • Bellingham: The Future of a Big Coal-Export Project Will Be Decided By This Small Washington Community
  • $1.2 Billion Canada-U-S Hydropower Line Proposed
  • New Mexico: Kit Carson Electric Warns of Fraudulent Calls
  • Consumers Elect Cooperatives for Most Affordable, Reliable Utility Services
  • U-S Representative Herrera Beutler Signs on to Salmon Habitat Bill
  • Unregulated Bumblebee Trade Threatens Bumblebees
  • Diverse Push for Salal Permits on Olympic Peninsula
  • River Fluctuations Expected through Winter around Rocky Reach Dam on Columbia River
  • U-S Senators Propose National Renewable Electricity Standard
  • Arizona Commissioner Probes Utility’s Secret Funding of Anti-Solar Campaign
  • How Solar Power is Lighting up Business in Rural East Africa
  • New Regs for Thursday: Energy Conservation Rules Extend to Wine Chillers
  • Vampire Slaying & More: NRDC’s Halloween Energy Survival Guide
  • Earth’s Oceans Warming at an Alarming Rate
  • Tracking a Building’s Carbon Footprint Harder than You Might Think
  • New Products: Power Pot Converts Heat to Electric Power
  • Washington State Completes Installation Of 1,600-Mile, $140 Million Broadband Network for Rural Areas
  • Tacoma’s NoaNet Helps State Finish “Broadband Highway”
  • U-S Broadband Adoption Goal Remains Elusive Despite Government’s Assistance
  • A Tale of Two Internets of Things: Connectivity Will Invade Your Home & Office in Different Ways
  • Study Finds Women Are More Addicted to Smartphones than Men
  • Yes, Twitter is Flawed during an Event like the Boston Bombings; And So Is Everything Else
  • Aviation Expert Says Boeing Is Using ‘Economic Blackmail’ Against Washington
  • Doug Reed: Green Diamond Forest Products Firm Names New President
  • Neutral Weather Season Could Mean Pineapple Express
  • FAA OKs Air Passengers Using Gadgets on Planes
  • Thirsty? There’s a Global Wine Shortage
  • Oregon’s Exploding-Whale Engineer George Thornton Has Died At Age 84
  • Thieves Stealing Baby Formula, But Not to Feed Children

WORD OF THE DAY

Splendiferous • \splenn-DIFF-uh-russ\ • Adjective - Extraordinarily or showily impressive.

Bertino’s resume was the perfect example of a splendiferous creation intended to divert the reader from the limits of its contents. Beautiful, illuminated script in the manner of bibles crafted by monks of the middle-ages; illustrations in the Peter Maxx style of the college president handing down his bachelor’s degree in Albanian art history that hinted at the delivery of the Ten Commandments from the hands of God; sealing wax to embellish his cover letter signature. None of these could cover the fact that Bertie was woefully underqualified for the position of fry chef at the local Arby’s restaurant.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Landscaper Trimming Hedges Electrocuted in Southwest Portland (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

Cost of Service Increasing for Cascade Natural Gas Customers (KNDO/KNDU-TV, Tri Cities, WA)

Avista Natural Gas Customers’ Bills to Rise (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

Iconic Greenpeace Ship Delivers Anti-Coal Message to Longview (Longview Daily News, WA)

Bellingham: The Future of a Big Coal-Export Project Will Be Decided By This Small Washington Community (Grist Online)

$1.2 Billion Canada-U-S Hydropower line proposed - Privately financed project would go from Quebec & under Lake Champlain (Burlington Free Press, VT)

New Mexico: Kit Carson Electric Warns of Fraudulent Calls (Taos News, NM)

Consumers Elect Cooperatives for Most Affordable, Reliable Utility Services (Agri-View)

FISH & WILDLIFE

U-S Representative Herrera Beutler Signs on to Salmon Habitat Bill (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Unregulated Bumblebee Trade Threatens Bumblebees (Grist Online)

Diverse Push for Salal Permits on Olympic Peninsula (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

River Fluctuations Expected through Winter around Rocky Reach Dam on Columbia River (Wenatchee World, WA)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

U-S Senators Propose National Renewable Electricity Standard (Renew Grid)

Arizona Commissioner Probes Utility’s Secret Funding Of Anti-Solar Campaign (Huffington Post)

How Solar Power is Lighting up Business in Rural East Africa (Christian Science Monitor)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

New Regs for Thursday: Energy Conservation Rules Extend to Wine Chillers (The Hill)

Vampire Slaying & More: NRDC’s Halloween Energy Survival Guide (The Energy Collective)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Earth’s Oceans Warming at an Alarming Rate (USA Today)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Tracking a Building’s Carbon Footprint Harder Than You Might Think (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)

New Products: Power Pot Converts Heat to Electric Power (USA Today)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Washington State Completes Installation Of 1,600-Mile, $140 Million Broadband Network for Rural Areas (GeekWire)

Tacoma’s NoaNet Helps State Finish “Broadband Highway” (South Sound Business Examiner, WA)

U-S Broadband Adoption Goal Remains Elusive Despite Government’s Assistance (Bloomberg News)

Report: NSA Broke Into Yahoo, Google Data Centers (Associated Press)

A Tale of Two Internets of Things: Connectivity Will Invade Your Home & Office in Different Ways (GigaOM)

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Study Finds Women Are More Addicted to Smartphones than Men (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

Yes, Twitter is Flawed during an Event like the Boston Bombings; And So Is Everything Else (GigaOM)

GENERAL NEWS

Aviation Expert Says Boeing Is Using ‘Economic Blackmail’ Against Washington (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Doug Reed: Green Diamond Forest Products Firm Names New President (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

Neutral Weather Season Could Mean Pineapple Express (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

FAA OKs Air Passengers Using Gadgets on Planes (Associated Press)

Thirsty? There’s a Global Wine Shortage (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

Oregon’s Exploding-Whale Engineer George Thornton Has Died At Age 84 (Oregonian, Portland)

Thieves Stealing Baby Formula, But Not to Feed Children (KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA)

DIVERSIONS

170 Years of Music Player History in One Glorious Chart

Odor from Los Angeles Sriracha Chili Plant a Nuisance

Uber Will Deliver You Kittens RIGHT NOW. (If you live in Seattle or San Francisco.)

‘No Herb Is Safe:’ Portland’s Urban Gardeners Say Chefs Won’t Stop Stealing Their Crops

SONG OF THE DAY

The O’Jays - I Love Music

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.