Energy News Digest for March 6, 2012

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 ON TWITTER

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices:

http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

State Declared Federal Disaster Area from January Storms “…counties eligible are Clallam, Grays Harbor, King, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, & Wahkiakum…” (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/State-declared-federal-disaster-area-from-January-storms-141479123.html

Gov. Chris Gregoire Approves Whistling Ridge Wind Farm outside Columbia River Gorge in Washington, But Project on Hold (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/03/gregoire_approves_whistling_ri.html

US Senator Wyden: Prineville to Get Power for Data Centers (KTVZ-TV, Bend, OR)

http://www.ktvz.com/news/30603235/detail.html

With Condit Dam Gone, New Growth Threatens White Salmon River (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/condit-dam-gone-new-growth-threatens-white-salmon-river/

Johns Prairie Operations Center Open for Business April 2 (Mason Web TV)

http://masonwebtv.com/?p=3126

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Johns Prairie Operations Center Open for Business April 2
• Open for Business April 2, 2012 - PUD 3’s Johns Prairie Operations Center: Cost Effective – Coordinated – Future Focused
• Montana - Loss of $1.4 Million Deposit Puts Great Falls Electric City Power Deeper in the Hole
• Montana Electric Co-Ops Replace Two of Southern’s Trustees for Annual Meeting
• Too Late for These Trees in Bonneville Power Administration Right of Way
• Students Today, Lineworkers Tomorrow
• Smart Meters Can’t Trip Up Wi-Fi
• Ghana - ‘Cable Thief’ Electrocuted
• With Condit Dam Gone, New Growth Threatens White Salmon River
• Editorial – Elwha River Fish Debate Needs Time
• Examining the Financial Impacts of Endangered Species Act Lawsuits & Settlements
• Alien Plant Forms Invading Antarctica
• Northeast Oregon - Snowpack Surprise?
• Editorial – River Temperatures: A Matter of Degree
• Gov. Chris Gregoire Approves Whistling Ridge Wind Farm outside Columbia River Gorge in Washington, But Project on Hold
• Columbia Gorge Wind Farm Opponents May Go to Court
• California – Editorial: Give Hydro Power the Renewable Label
• Renewable Electricity Standards Have No Statistically Significant Impact on Rates – Yet
• After Filing Delay, Hoku Materials Reports Big Losses
• Beacon Power Sale to Private-Equity Firm Approved; US Loans to be Repaid
• Concerns over Cost of Energy Efficiency
• Regulators Approve Duke Energy LED Pilot Program
• Environmentalists Push Climate Change Suits on Behalf of Kids
• More Americans Now Believe in Global Warming
• Boulder’s Plug-In Hybrid Test Project Expands
• US Senator Wyden: Prineville to Get Power for Data Centers
• Verizon Launches Faster-Than-Wired Wireless Broadband for Homes
• Summary Box: Verizon Wireless Broadband for Homes
• Our National Broadband Map Remains Largely Useless
• United Kingdom Broadband Map About as Awful as US Version
• The World’s Worst ******* Password
• Special Washington State Legislative Session if No Budget Deal is Reached by Thursday
• Congress: Dicks’ Retirement Causes Stir in Ohio
• Can Social Media Predict Election Outcomes?
• State Declared Federal Disaster Area from January Storms
• Shelton Wal-Mart - Good Samaritan Knocked Out Trying to Stop Shoplifters
• American Indian Tribes’ Casinos See Turnaround
• Warm Winter May Bring Pest-Filled Spring
• After Ratings Drop, Ford Reworks Microsoft Touch Screens
• Cellphone Ban Cuts Traffic Deaths in California

WORD OF THE DAY

Putsch • \POOTCH - sounds like “butch”\ • noun - A secretly plotted & suddenly executed attempt to overthrow a government.

Hitler’s 1923 “Beer Hall Putsch” in Germany is probably one of the more famous revolts, which ended in his arrest and conviction…and gave him the free time in prison to write “Men Kampf.” The rest, as one would say, is history.

Beer Hall Putsch, Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_Hall_Putsch

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

Johns Prairie Operations Center Open for Business April 2 (Mason Web TV)

http://masonwebtv.com/?p=3126

Open for Business April 2, 2012 - PUD 3’s Johns Prairie Operations Center: Cost Effective – Coordinated – Future Focused (Mason County PUD No. 3

http://www.masonpud3.org/Newsdisplay.aspx?NewsID=989

Montana - Loss of $1.4 Million Deposit Puts Great Falls Electric City Power Deeper in the Hole (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20120306/NEWS01/203060303/Loss-1-4-million-deposit-puts-Electric-City-Power-deeper-hole

Montana Electric Co-Ops Replace Two of Southern’s Trustees for Annual Meeting (Billings Gazette, MT)
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/co-ops-replace-of-southern-s-trustees-for-annual-meeting/article_0d5c8579-d23e-5530-a2c1-ac286cff748a.html

Too Late for These Trees in Bonneville Power Administration Right of Way (Keizer Times, OR)

http://keizertimes.com/?p=12309

Students Today, Lineworkers Tomorrow (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/industry/trends-reports-analyses/electric-co-op-linemen-training-for-future/40685

Smart Meters Can’t Trip Up Wi-Fi (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/05/BU061NDUTC.DTL

Ghana - ‘Cable Thief’ Electrocuted (Ghana Daily Graphic)

http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/crime/201203/82613.php

FISH & WILDLIFE

With Condit Dam Gone, New Growth Threatens White Salmon River (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/condit-dam-gone-new-growth-threatens-white-salmon-river/

Editorial – Elwha River Fish Debate Needs Time (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/03/06/2017978/fish-debate-needs-time.html

Examining the Financial Impacts of Endangered Species Act Lawsuits & Settlements (US House of Representatives, Natural Resources Committee)

http://naturalresources.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=283337

Alien Plant Forms Invading Antarctica (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0306/Alien-plant-forms-invading-Antarctica

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Northeast Oregon - Snowpack Surprise? (Baker City Herald, OR)

http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Snowpack-surprise

Editorial – River Temperatures: A Matter of Degree (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/03/a_matter_of_degree.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Gov. Chris Gregoire Approves Whistling Ridge Wind Farm outside Columbia River Gorge in Washington, But Project on Hold (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/03/gregoire_approves_whistling_ri.html

Columbia Gorge Wind Farm Opponents May Go to Court (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017674146_apwagorgewindfarm3rdldwritethru.html

California – Editorial: Give Hydro Power the Renewable Label (Modesto Bee, CA)

http://www.modbee.com/2012/03/05/2099164/give-hydro-power-the-renewable.html

Renewable Electricity Standards Have No Statistically Significant Impact on Rates - Yet (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/03/renewable-electricity-standards-have-no-statistically-significant-impact-on-rates?cmpid=rss

After Filing Delay, Hoku Materials Reports Big Losses (Pacific Business News, HI)

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/news/2012/03/05/after-filing-delay-hoku-materials.html

Beacon Power Sale to Private-Equity Firm Approved; US Loans to be Repaid (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/beacon-power-sale-to-private-equity-firm-approved-us-loans-to-be-repaid/2012/03/02/gIQA31TgnR_story.html?wprss=rss_business

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Concerns over Cost of Energy Efficiency (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/saratoga/ci_20108693/concerns-over-cost-energy-efficiency

Regulators Approve Duke Energy LED Pilot Program (Charlotte Business Journal, NC)
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/power_city/2012/03/regulators-approve-duke-energy-led.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Environmentalists Push Climate Change Suits on Behalf of Kids (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/environmentalists_push_climate_change_suits_on_behalf_of_kids/

More Americans Now Believe in Global Warming (Bellingham Herald, WA)

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/03/05/2422354/more-americans-now-believe-in.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Boulder’s Plug-In Hybrid Test Project Expands (Boulder Daily Camera, CO)
http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_20090261

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

US Senator Wyden: Prineville to Get Power for Data Centers (KTVZ-TV, Bend, OR)

http://www.ktvz.com/news/30603235/detail.html

Verizon Launches Faster-Than-Wired Wireless Broadband for Homes; Starts at $60a Month (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/verizon-launches-faster-than-wired-wireless-broadband-for-homes-starts-at-60mo/2012/03/06/gIQADvYvtR_story.html

Summary Box: Verizon Wireless Broadband for Homes (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Summary-Box-Verizon-wireless-broadband-for-homes-3385378.php

Our National Broadband Map Remains Largely Useless - More Data Collected, But the Data’s Still Wrong (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Our-National-Broadband-Map-Remains-Largely-Useless-118702

United Kingdom Broadband Map About as Awful as US Version (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/UK-Broadband-Map-About-As-Awful-as-US-Version-118682

The World’s Worst ******* Password (San Francisco Business Times, CA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2012/03/the-worlds-worst-password.html

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Special Washington State Legislative Session if No Budget Deal is Reached by Thursday (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017674660_legislature06m.html

Congress: Dicks’ Retirement Causes Stir in Ohio (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/03/05/1852160/congress-dicks-retirement-causes.html

Can Social Media Predict Election Outcomes? (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-03-05/social-super-tuesday-prediction/53374536/1?csp=34money

GENERAL NEWS

State Declared Federal Disaster Area from January Storms “…counties eligible are Clallam, Grays Harbor, King, Klickitat, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, & Wahkiakum…” (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/State-declared-federal-disaster-area-from-January-storms-141479123.html

Shelton Wal-Mart - Good Samaritan Knocked Out Trying to Stop Shoplifters (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/crime-law/good-samaritan-knocked-out-trying-stop-shoplifters/nLMGs/

American Indian Tribes’ Casinos See Turnaround (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017675197_apusindiancasinosrevenue1stldwritethru.html

Warm Winter May Bring Pest-Filled Spring (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Warm-winter-may-bring-pest-filled-spring-3384298.php

After Ratings Drop, Ford Reworks Microsoft Touch Screens (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/business/after-ratings-drop-ford-reworks-touch-screens.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Cellphone Ban Cuts Traffic Deaths in California (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2017674540_cellphones06.html

DIVERSIONS

If Microsoft Made Cars (Jokes Unlimited)

http://www.jokesunlimited.com/jokes/if_microsoft_made_cars.html

Oops! Miss Seattle Gets Caught Dissing the City

http://www.q13fox.com/news/kcpq-oops-miss-seattle-gets-caught-dissing-the-city-20120305,0,1384260.story

Detroit-Area Woman Stalked by Aggressive Turkey

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/03/05/national/a070926S85.DTL

Rescued shelter dog now a top New York canine crime fighter

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/rescued-shelter-dog-now-top-york-canine-crime-224132098.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Mason Williams - Classical Gas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhMuCiAe6vA

Glen Campbell - Classical Gas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh0F2sMcr_4

Chet Atkins - Classical Gas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRtvALWlKK4

Energy News Digest for March 5, 2012

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 ON TWITTER

Follow the news digest on Twitter for breaking news & notices:

http://twitter.com/energydigest

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Rising Temps in Northwest May Impact Hydro, California (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/rising_temps_in_northwest_may_impact_hydro_california/

In Push to Reopen Columbia Falls Aluminum, Hesitancy over Languishing Aluminum Market (Flathead Beacon, Kalispell, MT)

http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/in_push_to_reopen_cfac_hesitancy_over_languishing_aluminum_market/26896/

Grant County PUD Fiber Expansion Continues in Moses Lake (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/business/tech/article_a8024d4c-6492-11e1-b507-0019bb2963f4.html

Oregon Governor’s New Ten Year Energy Plan Draft Floats Big Ideas to Reactivate Green Energy (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2012/03/kitzhaber_to_unveil_a_new_10-y.html

Fish Projections: Are Salmon Outsmarting Scientists? (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

http://kbkw.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3860

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Rising Temps in Northwest May Impact Hydro, California
• In Push to Reopen Columbia Falls Aluminum, Hesitancy over Languishing Aluminum Market
• Seattle City Light Names Marketing Director
• New York Nuclear - Surviving Without Indian Point: Is It Doable?
• Vermont Board Sets Its Own Pace on Nuclear Power Plant’s Future
• Gas Pipeline Safety - Pacific Gas & Electric Workers’ Warnings Likely to be Focus of Suits
• Bad Address Delays City of Sacramento Water Bill for Years
• TransAlta Profit Slips on Outages
• Tennessee - Appliances on the Fritz: Residents Blame Co-op’s New Transmitter
• Turning Water into Electricity, Students into Experts
• Fish Projections: Are Salmon Outsmarting Scientists?
• Fall Chinook Redds On Rise in Snake River
• Northern Idaho’s Yellowdog Creek Restoration Example of Bringing Degraded Streams Back to Life
• Pacific Northwest - Feds Seek Answer to Fish-Eating Bird
• Drones Being Tested to Track Fish, Wildlife
• $4 Billion Plan Proposed for Yakima Water Supplies
• Washington State’s Governor: ‘Water Is the Lifeblood of Our State’
• Weather Gives Needed Boost to Mt. Hood Snowpack
• Fight in Olympia over Solutions for Toxic Runoff
• Chelan Businesses Want Higher Lake for Tourism
• Oregon Governor’s New Ten Year Energy Plan Draft Floats Big Ideas to Reactivate Green Energy
• Wind Farming - Where Gusts Are a Must... And Hair Can Get Mussed
• Saving Desert Tortoises a Costly Hurdle for Solar Projects
• Brazil’s Sugarcane Electricity Faces Brownout on Cost
• North Carolina - Waste-To-Electricity Push Lags
• Bainbridge Energy Efficiency Program Credited for Jobs
• Good Bead of Caulk Can Keep Home Heating Bills Down
• Pennsylvania - Philadelphia Gas Works, Others Fight US New Furnace Efficiency Rule
• Warm Winter Helped Fuel Tornado Outbreak
• Outdoor Skating Rinks Threatened by Climate Change
• All Scottish Coal Plants to Use Carbon Capture by 2025
• GM Stops Building Slow-Selling Chevy Volts for Five Weeks
• Now You Can Buy a Prefab IKEA House
• Grant County PUD Fiber Expansion Continues in Moses Lake
• Big Data Centers in Top Five US Construction Projects – Facebook’s Prineville Site Ranked Third
• Cloud Computing to Generate 14 Million Jobs, According to Microsoft-Commissioned Study
• Yahoo to Lay Off Thousands?
• FCC Asks for Guidance on Whether, and When, to Cut Off Cellphone Service
• With Norm Dicks’ Retirement, State Will Lose a Power Player
• Who Might Take Norm Dicks’ Place in Congress?
• Eye on Olympia: Overtime Likely for Washington State Legislative Session
• Washington State House Passes Transportation Budget
• Washington State Senate Honors Alcoa Wenatchee Works
• Driver Arrested in Double Fatality in Olympia; Shelton Man Injured
• Bigger than WPPSS - Judge Clears Way for Alabama County’s Bankruptcy
• The Decline of the Paper Map in Washington State
• Cut Trees an Issue in Sumner - City Councilman Suspected

WORD OF THE DAY

Jiggle • \JIGG-gull\ • Verb - To cause to move with quick little jerks or oscillating motions

“Darn this particle accelerator, why won’t it fire up?” groused the CERN engineer to the “Hank,” the long-suffering janitor. After acrobatically switching a quid of chewing tobacco from one cheek to the other, Hank calmly offered his sage advice, “well sonny, sometimes you just have to jiggle the plug.”

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

Rising Temps in Northwest May Impact Hydro, California (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/rising_temps_in_northwest_may_impact_hydro_california/

In Push to Reopen Columbia Falls Aluminum, Hesitancy over Languishing Aluminum Market (Flathead Beacon, Kalispell, MT)

http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/in_push_to_reopen_cfac_hesitancy_over_languishing_aluminum_market/26896/

Seattle City Light Names Marketing Director (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017620607_move05.html

New York Nuclear - Surviving Without Indian Point: Is It Doable? (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/03/surviving-without-indian-point-is-it-doable/

Vermont Board Sets Its Own Pace on Nuclear Power Plant’s Future (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017646924_apusvermontyankee.html

Gas Pipeline Safety - Pacific Gas & Electric Workers’ Warnings Likely to be Focus of Suits (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/04/MNL41NEDT5.DTL

Bad Address Delays City of Sacramento Water Bill for Years (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/04/4309615/public-eye-bad-address-delays.html

TransAlta Profit Slips on Outages (Globe & Mail, Canada)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/transalta-profit-slips-on-outages/article2356404/

Tennessee - Appliances on the Fritz: Residents Blame Co-op’s New Transmitter (Knoxville News-Sentinel, TN)

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/mar/04/appliances-on-the-fritz-residents-blame-co-ops/

Turning Water into Electricity, Students into Experts (Earth Techling)

http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/03/turning-water-into-electricity-students-into-experts/

FISH & WILDLIFE

Fish Projections: Are Salmon Outsmarting Scientists? (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)

http://kbkw.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3860

Fall Chinook Redds On Rise in Snake River – Including Tributaries between Lower Granite & Hells Canyon Dams (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2017664181_fall_chinook_redds_on_rise_in.html

Northern Idaho’s Yellowdog Creek Restoration Example of Bringing Degraded Streams Back to Life (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/417378.aspx

Pacific Northwest - Feds Seek Answer to Fish-Eating Bird (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/public-policy-watch/energy-environment/feds-seek-answer-to-fish-eating-bird/40564

Drones Being Tested to Track Fish, Wildlife (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/mar/04/drones-being-tested-to-track-fish-wildlife/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

$4 Billion Plan Proposed for Yakima Water Supplies (Associated Press)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/mar/02/4-billion-plan-proposed-for-yakima-water-supplies/

Washington State’s Governor: ‘Water Is the Lifeblood of Our State’ (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/Governor-Water-is-the-lifeblood-of-our-state-141204973.html

Weather Gives Needed Boost to Mt. Hood Snowpack (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/weather-gives-needed-boost-mt-hood-snowpack/

Fight in Olympia over Solutions for Toxic Runoff (Associated Press)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Fight-in-Olympia-over-solutions-for-toxic-runoff--141355723.html

Chelan Businesses Want Higher Lake for Tourism (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2012/mar/02/chelan-businesses-want-higher-lake-for-tourism/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Oregon Governor’s New Ten Year Energy Plan Draft Floats Big Ideas to Reactivate Green Energy (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2012/03/kitzhaber_to_unveil_a_new_10-y.html

Wind Farming - Where Gusts Are a Must... And Hair Can Get Mussed (Baker City Herald, OR)
http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Where-gusts-are-a-must-and-hair-can-get-mussed

Saving Desert Tortoises a Costly Hurdle for Solar Projects (Los Angeles Times, CA)

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-solar-tortoise-20120304,0,6145488.story

Brazil’s Sugarcane Electricity Faces Brownout on Cost (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/02/brazil-energy-cane-idUSL2E8E150220120302

North Carolina - Waste-To-Electricity Push Lags (Raleigh News & Observer, NC)

http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/03/03/1900564/waste-to-electricity-push-lags.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Bainbridge Energy Efficiency Program Credited for Jobs (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/energy/2012/03/02/bainbridge-energy-efficiency-program-credited-for-jobs/

Good Bead of Caulk Can Keep Home Heating Bills Down (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120304/BIZ/703049960

Pennsylvania - Philadelphia Gas Works, Others Fight US New Furnace Efficiency Rule - The city-owned utility says some homeowners can’t afford the costly systems & will opt for cheaper electric or kerosene heaters (Philadelphia Inquirer, PA)

http://articles.philly.com/2012-03-04/business/31121645_1_efficiency-energy-department-new-rule

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Warm Winter Helped Fuel Tornado Outbreak (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/story/2012-03-05/warm-winter-tornado-outbreak/53364628/1?csp=34news

Outdoor Skating Rinks Threatened by Climate Change (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/offbeat/story/2012/03/05/outdoor-rinks-threatened.html

All Scottish Coal Plants to Use Carbon Capture by 2025 (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/05/scotland-energy-report-idUSL5E8E53LA20120305

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

GM Stops Building Slow-Selling Chevy Volts for Five Weeks (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/03/gm-stops-building-slow-selling-chevy-volts-for-5-weeks/1?csp=34money

Now You Can Buy a Prefab IKEA House (Grist Online)

http://grist.org/list/now-you-can-buy-a-prefab-ikea-house/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Grant County PUD Fiber Expansion Continues in Moses Lake (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/business/tech/article_a8024d4c-6492-11e1-b507-0019bb2963f4.html

Big Data Centers in Top Five US Construction Projects – Facebook’s Prineville Site Ranked Third (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cloud/big-data-centers-in-top-5-us-construction-projects/

Cloud Computing to Generate 14 Million Jobs, According to Microsoft-Commissioned Study (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoftpri0/2017668452_cloud_computing_to_create_14_million_jobs_accordin.html

Yahoo to Lay Off Thousands? (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoftpri0/2017670612_yahoo_to_lay_off_thousands.html

FCC Asks for Guidance on Whether, and When, to Cut Off Cellphone Service (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/03/technology/fcc-reviews-need-for-rules-to-interrupt-wireless-service.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

With Norm Dicks’ Retirement, State Will Lose a Power Player (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120302/BLOG13/120309982

Who Might Take Norm Dicks’ Place in Congress? (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2017650917_dickssuccessor03m.html

Eye on Olympia: Overtime Likely for Washington State Legislative Session (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120305/news/303059992/eye-on-olympia-overtime-likely-for-state-legislative-session

Washington State House Passes Transportation Budget (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2017660263_apwaxgrtransportationbudget.html

Washington State Senate Honors Alcoa Wenatchee Works (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/weblogs/everyday-business/2012/mar/01/state-senate-honors-alcoa/

GENERAL NEWS

Driver Arrested in Double Fatality in Olympia; Shelton Man Injured (Mason Web TV)
http://masonwebtv.com/?p=3097

Bigger than WPPSS - Judge Clears Way for Alabama County’s Bankruptcy (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/05/us-usa-jefferersoncounty-ruling-idUSTRE8240QD20120305

The Decline of the Paper Map in Washington State (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/03/04/2051973/well-they-were-always-hard-to.html

Cut Trees an Issue in Sumner - City Councilman Suspected (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/03/04/2052786/cut-trees-an-issue-in-sumner.html

DIVERSIONS

Saint’s Ancient Heart Stolen from Dublin Cathedral

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-03-04/dublin-saint-heart/53353854/1?csp=34news

Yay! We’re Number Two - The Most Miserable Sports Cities of the Year

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/04/the-most-miserable-sports-cities-of-the-year/

Wisconsin Lawmakers to Honor Man behind Cheesehead Hat

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017670638_apuscheeseheadhatwisconsin.html

Man Steals Money from Girl Scout Cookie Sales, Gets Beat Up by Girl Scout

http://www.q13fox.com/news/kcpq-man-steals-money-from-girl-scout-cookie-sales-gets-beat-up-by-girl-scout-20120304,0,3055952.story

SONG OF THE DAY

Little Martha - The Allman Brothers Band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUDEMNFnR10