Monday, May 5, 2014

Energy News Digest for May 5, 2014

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THE NEWS DIGEST WORD CLOUD

Energy News Digest Word Cloud for May 5, 2014

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Tribal Fishing Activist Billy Frank Jr. Dies at 83 (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

Damaged Insulators on High Voltage Transmission Lines the Cause of Weekend Outages for Customers in South Mason County (Mason County PUD 3, Shelton, WA)

Idaho Expects Strong Spring Chinook Fishing Season; Already More Fish for Harvest than Last Year (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Director Resigns Suddenly at Oregon Department of Energy (Oregonian, Portland)

Cree About to Brighten the Commercial Office Environment with LED T-8 Replacement (Forbes Magazine)

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)
  • Damaged Insulators on High Voltage Transmission Lines the Cause of Weekend Outages for Customers in South Mason County (Mason County PUD 3, Shelton, WA)
  • Director Resigns Suddenly at Oregon Department of Energy (Oregonian, Portland)
  • Private Community May Partner with Snohomish PUD to Get around Mudslide (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
  • Incumbents Re-Elected to Orcas Power & Light Board (San Juan Islander, WA)
  • Ashland City Council to Weigh Utility-Bill Increases (Medford Mail-Tribune, OR)
  • State Energy Plan Would Alter New York Utilities (NY Times)
  • Vermont Yankee: Clean Kilowatt Cow That Deserves Saving (The Energy Collective)
  • Utility Prepaid Rebate Cards Gain Popularity (Electric Co-op Today)
  • Tribal Fishing Activist Billy Frank Jr. Dies at 83 (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)
  • Idaho Expects Strong Spring Chinook Fishing Season; Already More Fish for Harvest than Last Year (Columbia Basin Bulletin)
  • Salmon Conference Discusses ‘Principles, Parameters, Process’ in Restoring Passage to Historic Areas (Columbia Basin Bulletin)
  • Mother Seal Run Over & Killed on Washington State Beach, Pup Missing (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
  • Pacific Northwest Imagery is Hooked on Salmon (Vancouver Columbian, WA)
  • As Pipes Age & Rates Rise, Portland Voters Consider Stripping City of Utilities (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
  • Irrigation District Mulling Revenue Bonds to Pay to Bring Columbia River Water to Odessa Subarea (Tri-City Herald, WA)
  • Editorial: Bureau of Reclamation Should Not Restrict Water to Eastern Washington Marijuana Farms (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)
  • California City Looks to Sea for Water in Drought (Associated Press)
  • Massachusetts: A War of Attrition - Cape Wind Opponents Vow to Continue Fighting Project (Boston Herald, MA)
  • Kansas House Rejects Repeal of Renewable Energy Standards (Wichita Eagle, KS)
  • Arizona May Impose Property Tax on Customers Who Lease Solar Panels (Renew Economy)
  • Can’t Put Solar on Your House? Four Ways to Invest in Solar Leases (Renewable Energy World)
  • Cree About to Brighten the Commercial Office Environment with LED T-8 Replacement (Forbes Magazine)
  • New Ideas in Lighting Get Closer to Market (NY Times)
  • Editorial: Pacific Northwest is the Model for the Future of Energy (Idaho Statesman, Boise)
  • Air Leakages from Windows Can Affect Comfort of Home; Check Weather Stripping (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)
  • Obama: Dire Climate Report More Certain than Ever (Associated Press)
  • Editorial:  Governor Jay Inslee Climate-Change Effort Should Let Critics Speak (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)
  • Op/Ed: Australia - Carbon Tax Must Go: Solution to Energy Poverty Lies with Coal (Canberra Times, Australia)
  • If All U-S Cars Suddenly Became Electric, How Much More Electricity Would We Need? “…increase in yearly electricity demand would be about 29 percent…” (Slate Magazine)
  • BendBroadband Sold to TDS for $261 Million (Oregonian, Portland)
  • Google Fiber: Where Might It Put Its Portland ‘Fiber Huts’? (Oregonian, Portland)
  • Can Telemedicine Help Communities Justify Better Broadband? (Gigaom)
  • Mozilla’s Crazy Plan to Fix Net Neutrality & Turn Broadband into a Utility – And Why It Could Work (GigaOM)
  • FCC Levies $48,000 Fine against Man for Using Cell Jammer in Car (Broadband Reports)
  • Yemen’s Latest, Greatest Threat: Twitter? (Christian Science Monitor)
  • Target Data Breach: CEO Resigns after Rocky Tenure (Associated Press)
  • Social Media: In Business, Be Edgy without Rocking the Boat (Sacramento Bee, CA)
  • Retiring Cover Oregon Manager Fires Off Damning Email about State Leaders (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)
  • California: Six-States Measure Would Make Immediate Changes Even without Congressional Sign-Off (Sacramento Bee, CA)
  • Wet Weekend: 4.5 Inches of Rain in Some Areas of Western Washington State in 48-Hour Period (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
  • Skokomish River: Flood Warning Issued (National Weather Service, Seattle, WA)
  • Tacoma Firm Owners Admit Fraud in Asbestos-Removal Training (Vancouver Columbian, WA)
  • Lottery Results for Marijuana Retail Stores Available – 10 Applicants in Mason County (Mason Web-TV, Shelton, WA)
  • California Agriculture Officials Hope to Stop Ant Invasion Using Spam (Associated Press)
WORD OF THE DAY

Risible • \RIZZ-zuh-bull\ • Adjective - 1a: capable of laughing b: disposed to laugh 2: arousing or provoking laughter; especially: laughable 3: associated with, relating to, or used in laughter

This wasn’t Hogwarts, and this wasn’t a Boggart blasting its way into his living room. It was Alaska, and the creature was a Grizzly bear at the height of its stupendous powers. Brandy was sure that the risible reaction to her softly muttered “Riddikulus” was nothing more than desperation…but it worked, as the bear, distracted by her waving arms, careened into the kitchen and ate itself into a stupor on peanut butter and honey…her entire winter supply of the tasty treats.

SHELTON FORECAST & WEATHER ALERTS


ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Damaged Insulators on High Voltage Transmission Lines the Cause of Weekend Outages for Customers in South Mason County (Mason County PUD 3, Shelton, WA)

Director Resigns Suddenly at Oregon Department of Energy (Oregonian, Portland)

Private Community May Partner with Snohomish PUD to Get around Mudslide (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

Incumbents Re-Elected to Orcas Power & Light Board (San Juan Islander, WA)

Ashland City Council to Weigh Utility-Bill Increases (Medford Mail-Tribune, OR)

State Energy Plan Would Alter New York Utilities (NY Times)

Vermont Yankee: Clean Kilowatt Cow That Deserves Saving (The Energy Collective)

Utility Prepaid Rebate Cards Gain Popularity (Electric Co-op Today)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Tribal Fishing Activist Billy Frank Jr. Dies at 83 (KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA)

Idaho Expects Strong Spring Chinook Fishing Season; Already More Fish for Harvest than Last Year (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Salmon Conference Discusses ‘Principles, Parameters, Process’ in Restoring Passage to Historic Areas (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Mother Seal Run Over & Killed on Washington State Beach, Pup Missing (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Pacific Northwest Imagery is Hooked on Salmon (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

As Pipes Age & Rates Rise, Portland Voters Consider Stripping City of Utilities (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Irrigation District Mulling Revenue Bonds to Pay to Bring Columbia River Water to Odessa Subarea (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Editorial: Bureau of Reclamation Should Not Restrict Water to Eastern Washington Marijuana Farms (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

California City Looks to Sea for Water in Drought (Associated Press)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Massachusetts: A War of Attrition - Cape Wind Opponents Vow to Continue Fighting Project (Boston Herald, MA)

Kansas House Rejects Repeal of Renewable Energy Standards (Wichita Eagle, KS)

Arizona May Impose Property Tax on Customers Who Lease Solar Panels (Renew Economy)

Can’t Put Solar on Your House? Four Ways to Invest in Solar Leases (Renewable Energy World)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY
                     
Cree About to Brighten the Commercial Office Environment with LED T-8 Replacement (Forbes Magazine)

New Ideas in Lighting Get Closer to Market (NY Times)

Editorial: Pacific Northwest is the Model for the Future of Energy (Idaho Statesman, Boise)

Air Leakages from Windows Can Affect Comfort of Home; Check Weather Stripping (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Obama: Dire Climate Report More Certain than Ever (Associated Press)

Editorial:  Governor Jay Inslee Climate-Change Effort Should Let Critics Speak (Seattle Times, WA - Paywall Advisory)

Op/Ed: Australia - Carbon Tax Must Go: Solution to Energy Poverty Lies with Coal (Canberra Times, Australia)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

If All U-S Cars Suddenly Became Electric, How Much More Electricity Would We Need? “…increase in yearly electricity demand would be about 29 percent…” (Slate Magazine)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

BendBroadband Sold to TDS for $261 Million (Oregonian, Portland)

Google Fiber: Where Might It Put Its Portland ‘Fiber Huts’? (Oregonian, Portland)

Can Telemedicine Help Communities Justify Better Broadband? (Gigaom)

Mozilla’s Crazy Plan to Fix Net Neutrality & Turn Broadband into a Utility – And Why It Could Work (GigaOM)

FCC Levies $48,000 Fine against Man for Using Cell Jammer in Car (Broadband Reports)

MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA

Yemen’s Latest, Greatest Threat: Twitter? (Christian Science Monitor)

Target Data Breach: CEO Resigns after Rocky Tenure (Associated Press)

Social Media: In Business, Be Edgy without Rocking the Boat (Sacramento Bee, CA)

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Retiring Cover Oregon Manager Fires Off Damning Email about State Leaders (KATU-TV, Portland, OR)

California: Six-States Measure Would Make Immediate Changes Even without Congressional Sign-Off (Sacramento Bee, CA)

GENERAL NEWS

Wet Weekend: 4.5 Inches of Rain in Some Areas of Western Washington State in 48-Hour Period (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)

Skokomish River: Flood Warning Issued (National Weather Service, Seattle, WA)

Tacoma Firm Owners Admit Fraud in Asbestos-Removal Training (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

Lottery Results for Marijuana Retail Stores Available – 10 Applicants in Mason County (Mason Web-TV, Shelton, WA)

California Agriculture Officials Hope to Stop Ant Invasion Using Spam

DIVERSIONS

Michelangelo’s David Could Topple Due to Weak Ankles

Drones Ordered Out of Yosemite by the National Park Service             

Look East: Halley’s Comet Debris Will Be Visible in Meteor Shower Tonight (in the area of Aquarius)

Contractor Strikes Oil At Indiana State Campus

SONG OF THE DAY

The Fifth Dimension - Aquarius (Let the Sunshine in)

Broadway Cast - Aquarius (Let the Sunshine in)

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.