The Energy News Digest: Energy News Digest for January 31, 2014

What Regional Leaders Are Saying about Elliot Mainzer’s Appointment as BPA Administrator
‘They’re Not Going to Restart Columbia Falls Aluminum’
Avista Getting New Computer Systems - Testing Underway for $80 Million Project
Oregon: Study Says Cost for Millersburg Electric Utility Would Be $13.6 Million
California: City of Davis Has Long Fight Ahead to Break Off From Pacific Gas & Electric
Public Power Thrives in City Named for a Radio Show
Researchers Get Mixed Results in Studies of How Transmission Lowers Home Values
Hydropower in U-S Gets Boost from New Laws. Will Congress Do More?
FERC Chair Nomination Included: President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts
Large Chinook Run Set to Rumble through Salmon River
Op/Ed: It’s Been a Good Year for Salmon on the Columbia River
Is the Annual Monarch Butterfly Migration Coming to an End?
Dry Pacific Northwest Winter Raises Concerns about Possible Drought
South Idaho Farmers Told to Brace for Water Shutdown
California Orders Dozens of Streams Closed to Fishing as Drought Worsens
SoloPower Systems Says It Has Lined Up Interim Financing as Bigger Deal Comes Together
Forecast: More Wind … Vestas’ Chris Brown Speaks
Wave Energy Carpet Needs Help to Roll Out
‘How Do I Know if Green Electricity is Really Green?’
To Cut Food Waste Costs, Washington Prison Turns to Worms
Farm Bill Supports Renewable Energy, Hemp, Organic Program
High Speed Internet Coming to Onalaska
Comcast Fights FCC Rate Caps in Spokane Area
Idaho $14.5 Million Short on Bill for Broadband in Schools
A Case for Cheaper Broadband in Schools
Microsoft Board Close to Naming Nadella as New CEO: Source
Great, Now Yahoo E-mail Addresses & Passwords Have Been Stolen
Washington State Lawmakers Chat Up Per-Mile Road Tax
Battered Coastal Paper Mill Now Faces Demolition
Eight-Year Sentence for Belfair Felon with Guns
Aspiring Marijuana Sellers in Washington, Facing Local Resistance to Legalization, May Get Help from Legislature
Recycling Companies Back Up Their Buys & Crack Down on Metal Theft
Six Ways to Prepare Yourself for Super Bowl Sunday

WORD OF THE DAY

Orotund • \ORE-uh-tund\ • Adjective - 1: marked by fullness, strength, & clarity of sound: sonorous 2: pompous, bombastic.

The rollers of crashing music washed over Frederick’s dinner guests in orotund waves, its throbbing resonance causing wine glasses to hum to the vibrations of the Wagnerian opera his stereo system was blasting into the enclosed dining space of his small apartment. Conversation was impossible, as was hearing after exposure to the eardrum-bursting concert.

Also, see Seahawks 12^th Man.

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

What Regional Leaders Are Saying about Elliot Mainzer’s Appointment as BPA Administrator (Bonneville Power Administration)

http://www.bpa.gov/news/newsroom/Pages/What-regional-leaders-are-saying-about-Mainzers-appointment.aspx

‘They’re Not Going to Restart Columbia Falls Aluminum’ - Union officials speak up about future of plant (Daily Interlake, Kalispell, MT)

http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_c8be833e-8a1f-11e3-be87-0019bb2963f4.html

Avista Getting New Computer Systems - Testing Underway for $80 Million Project (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/jan/31/avista-getting-new-computer-systems/

Oregon: Study Says Cost for Millersburg Electric Utility Would Be $13.6 Million (Albany Democrat Herald, OR)

http://democratherald.com/news/local/2ed53892-897c-11e3-bcdd-0019bb2963f4.html

California: City of Davis Has Long Fight Ahead to Break Off From Pacific Gas & Electric (Sacramento Business Journal, CA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2014/01/31/davis-has-long-fight-ahead-to-break.html

Public Power Thrives in City Named for a Radio Show (American Public Power Association)

http://www.naylornetwork.com/app-ppd/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=251206&issueID=34784

Researchers Get Mixed Results in Studies of How Transmission Lowers Home Values (SNL Financial)

http://www.snl.com/Interactivex/article.aspx?CdId=A-26637982-10284

Hydropower in U-S Gets Boost from New Laws. Will Congress Do More? (Bloomberg News)

http://www.bna.com/hydropower-us-gets-b17179881735/

FERC Chair Nomination Included: President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts (The White House)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/30/president-obama-announces-more-key-administration-posts

FISH & WILDLIFE

Op/Ed: It’s Been a Good Year for Salmon on the Columbia River (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/01/its_been_a_good_year_for_salmo.html

Is the Annual Monarch Butterfly Migration Coming to an End? (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2014/0129/Is-the-annual-Monarch-butterfly-migration-coming-to-an-end

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Dry Pacific Northwest Winter Raises Concerns about Possible Drought (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Dry-winter-raises-concerns-about-possible-drought-242947951.html

South Idaho Farmers Told to Brace for Water Shutdown (Associated Press)

http://www.kxly.com/news/northwest/s-idaho-farmers-told-to-brace-for-water-shutdown/-/101246/24205368/-/g53aus/-/index.html

California Orders Dozens of Streams Closed to Fishing as Drought Worsens (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/31/6116936/california-orders-dozens-of-streams.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

SoloPower Systems Says It Has Lined Up Interim Financing as Bigger Deal Comes Together (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2014/01/solopower_systems_says_it_has_lined_up_interim_financing_as_bigger_deal_comes_together.html#cmpid=nwsltrhead

Forecast: More Wind … Vestas’ Chris Brown Speaks (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2014/01/forecast-more-wind-vestas.html

Wave Energy Carpet Needs Help to Roll Out (Earth Techling)

http://www.earthtechling.com/2014/01/wave-energy-carpet-needs-help-to-roll-out/

‘How Do I Know if Green Electricity is Really Green?’ (The Telegraph, UK)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/household-bills/10601451/How-do-I-know-if-green-electricity-is-really-green.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

To Cut Food Waste Costs, Washington Prison Turns to Worms (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/The-Bite/2014/0131/To-cut-food-waste-costs-Washington-prison-turns-to-worms

Farm Bill Supports Renewable Energy, Hemp, Organic Program (Sustainable Business)

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/25487

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

High Speed Internet Coming to Onalaska (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

http://energynewsfeed.blogspot.com/2014/01/high-speed-internet-coming-to-onalaska.html

Comcast Fights FCC Rate Caps in Spokane Area (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/jan/31/comcast-fights-fcc-rate-caps-in-spokane-area/

Idaho $14.5 Million Short on Bill for Broadband in Schools (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/jan/31/idaho-145-million-short-on-bill-for-broadband-for/

A Case for Cheaper Broadband in Schools (NY Times)

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/a-case-for-cheaper-broadband-in-schools/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Microsoft Board Close to Naming Nadella as New CEO: Source (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/31/us-microsoft-ceo-idUSBREA0T1ZY20140131

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Great, Now Yahoo E-mail Addresses & Passwords Have Been Stolen (Consumerist)

http://consumerist.com/2014/01/30/great-now-yahoo-e-mail-addresses-passwords-have-been-stolen/

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Lawmakers Chat Up Per-Mile Road Tax (KGW-TV, Portland, OR)

http://www.kgw.com/news/WA-lawmakers-chat-up-per-mile-road-tax-242940881.html

GENERAL NEWS

Battered Coastal Paper Mill Now Faces Demolition (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwpr.org/post/battered-coastal-paper-mill-now-faces-demolition

Eight-Year Sentence for Belfair Felon with Guns (Associated Press)

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014/01/8-year-sentence-for-belfair-felon-with-guns/?syndication=rss

Aspiring Marijuana Sellers in Washington, Facing Local Resistance to Legalization, May Get Help from Legislature (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/clark-county/index.ssf/2014/01/aspiring_marijuana_sellers_in.html#cmpid=nwsltrhead

Recycling Companies Back Up Their Buys & Crack Down on Metal Theft (KNDO/KNDU-TV, Tri Cities, WA)

http://www.nbcrightnow.com/story/24595696/recycling-companies-back-up-their-buys-with-documents-on-sellers

Six Ways to Prepare Yourself for Super Bowl Sunday (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/01/6_ways_to_prepare_yourself_for.html#cmpid=nwsltrhead

DIVERSIONS

This is ESPN – Seahawks-Broncos Edition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GBKX2RV3Ajw

Video: Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, Denver Mayor Arrested on ‘Colbert Report’

http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=2445845

The 12 Weirdest Bets You Can Make on Super Bowl XLVIII

http://mashable.com/2014/01/30/super-bowl-weird-bets/

Eight Wines to Pair with Your Fast Food

http://mashable.com/2014/01/31/fast-food-wine-pairings/

SONG OF THE DAY

NFL Films Theme song - Classic Battle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p30QHbD8018

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, January 31, 2014

Energy News Digest for January 31, 2014

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