Energy News Digest for September 4, 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

Thurston County PUD Power Plans Would be Limited - None is as grand – or expensive – as Puget Sound Energy predicted in report (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/09/04/2236474/pud-power-plans-would-be-limited.html

Idaho - Three Electrocuted in Tragic Irrigation Ditch Accident (Idaho Falls Post Register)

http://www.postregister.com/story.php?accnum=1002-09012012&today=2012-09-01%2000:00:00

Google’s Having Some Trouble Filling Up Its Kansas City Fiberhoods (GigaOM)

http://gizmodo.com/5939951/googles-having-some-trouble-filling-up-its-kansas-city-fiberhoods

Drought Revives Ethanol Debate - Meat-Producing States Lobby to Remove from Fuel (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/sep/02/drought-revives-ethanol-debate/

Woman Died in Hood Canal from Natural Causes, Not Drowning (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/7139

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Thurston County PUD Power Plans Would be Limited
• Puget Sound Energy Says Cost of Thurston County Utility Takeover Could Reach $1 Billion
• Idaho - Three Electrocuted in Tragic Irrigation Ditch Accident
• Port Angeles to Mull Transformer Purchase for Zapped Substation
• Puget Sound Energy Proposes Rate Increases to Help Low-Income
• Utility Companies Plan Transmission Upgrades in Montana
• Second Company Accused of California Electricity Shenanigans
• Court Upholds FERC Power Tied to California Energy Crisis
• Company Plans to Expand Natural Gas Pipeline in Cowlitz County
• Northwest Natural Gas Seeks to Reduce Rates 8 to 9 Percent in November
• Will Natural Gas Prices in North America Skyrocket by the End Of 2014?
• Secretary Chu Again Invited to Testify on Memorandum Directives that Could Increase Electricity Rates for Over 40 Million Americans
• Coal Export Plan Goes Right through Heart of Pacific Northwest
• Illinois - ComEd Confirms Smart Meters Involved in 'Small Fires'
• British Columbia Smart-Meter Opponents Given Deadline
• Strategic Investments Revitalizing Federal Hydro System
• Maryland – Nuclear Regulatory Commission Denies License for EDF's Calvert Cliffs Reactor
• Axworthy Leads Avista’s Outreach to Customers, Organizations
• Consumers Energy Asks for Customer Assistance after Record Number of Dog Attacks to Employees
• Demolition of Washington's Condit Dam Nearing Completion
• Washington State, Tulalips Join to Save Salmon
• Drat, Drat: Orca Scat - Tracking a Subtle Scent, a Dog May Help Save the Whales
• A Shady Deal Cools the Rogue River; Earns National Attention as Water Quality Model
• Lacey Water Rates to Rise 37% over Next Five Years
• New York's New Environmental 'Hero' - The Oyster
• Oregon Project Aims to Harness the Power of Waves
• Idaho Energy Tussle Makes International Ripples
• Oregon's Largest Solar Array Under Construction
• Snohomish PUD Hits 5 Million Mark for Energy-Saving Bulbs
• Obama Signs Executive Order to Promote Energy Efficiency
• Hayward Asks Residents to Weigh in on New LED Lights
• Lost Paperwork Shreds LEED Goal for San Francisco Project
• India - Games for Energy Conservation
• Curtain Rises on California’s Planned Carbon Market
• Tropical Fish Caught Off Oregon Coast
• Drought Revives Ethanol Debate - Meat-Producing States Lobby to Remove from Fuel
• Which Cities Are the Most Electric Car-Friendly?
• Google’s Having Some Trouble Filling Up Its Kansas City Fiberhoods
• Garbage in Garbage Out: Google Fiber Edition
• Google Fiber Puts Kansas Schools in a Bind
• FCC Has $185 Million in Unclaimed Broadband Funding
• 90% of U-S Households with Computers Have Broadband
• Now Anyone Can Have Massive Computing Power through Amazon.Com
• Woman Died in Hood Canal from Natural Causes, Not Drowning
• August Was Notably Dry In Seattle, Vancouver & Portland
• Local Lumber Market Looking Up
• Ridge Motorsports Park near Shelton is New on the Radar with Fast Crowd
• Amway Breaks Ground for Quincy Facility
• Voice Mail in Decline with Rise of Text, Loss of Patience

WORD OF THE DAY

Wend • \WEND\ • verb - To direct one's course: travel, proceed.

“There had better be some cheese at the end of this trip,” grumbled the new information technology employee. Dispatched to remove a virus from the computer of the company’s “Download King,” the wayfaring tech worker had to wend his way through the cubicle wasteland of the second floor to reach is destination. Just in case, he left a trail of RFID chips scattered along the way to guide him back to the safety of his IT office.

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

Thurston County PUD Power Plans Would be Limited - None is as grand – or expensive – as Puget Sound Energy predicted in report (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/09/04/2236474/pud-power-plans-would-be-limited.html

Puget Sound Energy Says Cost of Thurston County Utility Takeover Could Reach $1 Billion (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/08/30/2230758/pse-says-cost-of-takeover-could.html

Idaho - Three Electrocuted in Tragic Irrigation Ditch Accident (Idaho Falls Post Register)

http://www.postregister.com/story.php?accnum=1002-09012012&today=2012-09-01%2000:00:00

Port Angeles to Mull Transformer Purchase for Zapped Substation (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120904/news/309049992/port-angeles-to-mull-transformer-purchase-for-zapped-substation

Puget Sound Energy Proposes Rate Increases to Help Low-Income (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/aug/31/pse-proposes-rate-increases-to-help-low-income/

Utility Companies Plan Transmission Upgrades in Montana (KAJ-TV, Missoula, MT)

http://www.kaj18.com/news/utility-companies-plan-transmission-upgrades-in-mt/

Second Company Accused of California Electricity Shenanigans (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/31/4774398/second-company-accused-of-california.html

Court Upholds FERC Power Tied to California Energy Crisis (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/27/us-california-electricity-ferc-ruling-idUSBRE87Q13K20120827

Company Plans to Expand Natural Gas Pipeline in Cowlitz County (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/company-plans-to-expand-natural-gas-pipeline-in-cowlitz-county/article_1304905a-f651-11e1-b97a-001a4bcf887a.html

Northwest Natural Gas Seeks to Reduce Rates 8 to 9 Percent in November (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/finance/index.ssf/2012/08/northwest_natural_gas_seeks_ra.html

Will Natural Gas Prices in North America Skyrocket by the End Of 2014? (The Energy Collective)

http://theenergycollective.com/rodadams/107901/look-out-natural-gas-prices-north-america-will-skyrocket-end-2014

Secretary Chu Again Invited to Testify on Memorandum Directives that Could Increase Electricity Rates for Over 40 Million Americans (Natural Resources Committee, U-S House of Representatives)

http://naturalresources.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=307214

Coal Export Plan Goes Right through Heart of Pacific Northwest (U-S News & World Report)

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/at-the-edge/2012/09/04/coal-export-plan-goes-right-through-heart-of-pacific-northwest

Illinois - ComEd Confirms Smart Meters Involved in 'Small Fires' (Chicago Tribune, IL)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-comed-confirms-smart-meters-involved-in-small-fires--20120830,0,5315472.story

British Columbia Smart-Meter Opponents Given Deadline - Group has 30 days to narrow its claims for rights case to go ahead (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Smart+meter+opponents+given+deadline/7172605/story.html

Strategic Investments Revitalizing Federal Hydro System (Bonneville Power Administration)

http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/BPANews/ArticleTemplate.cfm?ArticleId=article-20120831-01

Maryland – Nuclear Regulatory Commission Denies License for EDF's Calvert Cliffs Reactor (Electric Light & Power)

http://www.elp.com/index/display/article-display.articles.electric-light-power.generation.nuclear.2012.August.NRC_denies_license_for_EDF_s_Calvert_Cliffs-3_reactor.QP129867.dcmp=rss.page=1.html

Axworthy Leads Avista’s Outreach to Customers, Organizations (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/sep/02/community-first/

Consumers Energy Asks for Customer Assistance after Record Number of Dog Attacks to Employees (Electric Energy Online)

http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&rss=1&id=166449

FISH & WILDLIFE

Demolition of Washington's Condit Dam Nearing Completion (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwpr.org/post/demolition-washingtons-condit-dam-nearing-completion

Washington State, Tulalips Join to Save Salmon - A new joint agreement sets goals for management of hatchery Chinook in an attempt to rebuild the numbers of fish (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120903/NEWS01/709039962

Drat, Drat: Orca Scat - Tracking a Subtle Scent, a Dog May Help Save the Whales (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/02/us/sniffing-out-a-subtle-scent-to-help-save-some-whales.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

A Shady Deal Cools the Rogue River; Earns National Attention as Water Quality Model (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/08/restoring_rogue_river.html

Lacey Water Rates to Rise 37% over Next Five Years (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/09/02/2234655/lacey-water-rates-to-rise-37-over.html

New York's New Environmental 'Hero' - The Oyster (NY Times)

http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2019052892_apusoysterpower.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Oregon Project Aims to Harness the Power of Waves (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/us/project-aims-to-harness-wave-energy-off-the-oregon-coast.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Idaho Energy Tussle Makes International Ripples (Associated Press)

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57502951/idaho-energy-tussle-makes-international-ripples/

Oregon's Largest Solar Array Under Construction (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2012/08/oregons-largest-solar-array-now-under.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Snohomish PUD Hits 5 Million Mark for Energy-Saving Bulbs (Lake Stevens Journal, WA)

http://www.lakestevensjournal.com/county-state/article.exm/2012-08-30_snohomish_pud_hits_5_million_mark_for_energy_saving_bulbs_

Obama Signs Executive Order to Promote Energy Efficiency (Electric Light & Power)

http://www.elp.com/index/display/article-display.articles.electric-light-power.energy-efficiency.2012.September.Obama_signs_executive_order_to_promote_energy_efficiency.QP129867.dcmp=rss.page=1.html

Hayward Asks Residents to Weigh in on New LED Lights (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_21438242

Lost Paperwork Shreds LEED Goal for San Francisco Project (San Francisco Business Times)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2012/08/lost-paperwork-shreds-leed-goal.html

India - Games for Energy Conservation: Many video games are encouraging energy conservation in both virtual and real world (Financial Chronicle, India)

http://wrd.mydigitalfc.com/gadgets/games-energy-conservation-519

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Curtain Rises on California’s Planned Carbon Market (Grist Online)

http://grist.org/climate-energy/curtain-rises-on-californias-planned-carbon-market/

Tropical Fish Caught Off Oregon Coast (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Tropical-fish-caught-off-Oregon-coast-168390796.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Drought Revives Ethanol Debate - Meat-Producing States Lobby to Remove from Fuel (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/sep/02/drought-revives-ethanol-debate/

Which Cities Are the Most Electric Car-Friendly? (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2012/0901/Which-cities-are-the-most-electric-car-friendly

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Google’s Having Some Trouble Filling Up Its Kansas City Fiberhoods (GigaOM)

http://gizmodo.com/5939951/googles-having-some-trouble-filling-up-its-kansas-city-fiberhoods

Garbage in Garbage Out: Google Fiber Edition (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/2012/08/31/garbage-in-garbage-out-google-fiber-edition/

Google Fiber Puts Kansas Schools in a Bind (Talking Points Memo)

http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/08/google-uses-schools-to-push-high-speed-internet-in-kansas-city.php

FCC Has $185 Million in Unclaimed Broadband Funding - After AT&T, Verizon Turn Back on DSL Users (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FCC-Has-185-Million-in-Unclaimed-Broadband-Funding-120814?nocomment=1

90% of U-S Households with Computers Have Broadband (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/2012/09/04/90-of-us-households-with-computers-have-broadband/

Now Anyone Can Have Massive Computing Power through Amazon.Com (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_21445136

GENERAL NEWS

Woman Died in Hood Canal from Natural Causes, Not Drowning (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/archives/7139

August Was Notably Dry In Seattle, Vancouver & Portland (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/sep/02/august-was-notably-dry-in-seattle-vancouver-and-po/

Local Lumber Market Looking Up (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/local-lumber-market-looking-up/article_83ba1e80-f4b4-11e1-8248-001a4bcf887a.html

Ridge Motorsports Park near Shelton is New on the Radar with Fast Crowd (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2019061328_ridgemotorsportsracetrackxml.html

Amway Breaks Ground for Quincy Facility (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/business/article_2ed22f42-f2e9-11e1-9f51-0019bb2963f4.html

Voice Mail in Decline with Rise of Text, Loss of Patience (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-09-03/voicemail-decline/57556358/1?csp=34money

DIVERSIONS

Drunk Man Cuts Power on Farm, Kills 70,000 Chickens

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/09/02/drunk-man-cuts-power-on-farm-kills-70000-chickens/

Four Generations of Family Sky-Dive over Shelton

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/sep/02/four-generations-of-family-sky-dive/

Garfield High Grad Wins Internet Cat Video Film Festival

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019049418_catvideo02m.html

Police Investigate Massive Maple Syrup Theft

http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2019037048_apcncanadastolenmaplesyrup.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Sarah Vaughan - Moonlight In Vermont

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtGqrwbyk4g

Energy News Digest for August 16, 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

PROGRAMMING NOTE

The energy news digest will be on hiatus August 20-31 as it examines a certain west coast venue for tsunami debris; then visits a lake in a certain north central region of a western state for a final bake of the summer. The ND will return September 4, rested and relaxed. There may be some tweets of big energy items if they catch the ND’s interest.

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

Major Puget Sound Energy Power Line Damaged in Cle Elum’s Taylor Bridge Fire  (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2012/08/15/major-power-line-damaged-in-taylor-bridge-fire

U-S House Natural Resources Committee Meeting in Pasco Draws Demonstrators (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/08/16/2257551/house-natural-resources-committee.html

Midwestern Drought, Election Year Politics Add to Pressure on Ethanol (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2012/0814/Midwestern-drought-election-year-politics-add-to-pressure-on-ethanol

Apple Has 'Green' Plans for Prineville Data Center (Associated Press)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2012/08/apple_has_green_plans_for_prin.html

Appeal Filed over Enloe Water Permit for Hydroelectric Dam Project (Methow Valley News, WA)

http://www.methowvalleynews.com/story.php?id=8436

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Major Puget Sound Energy Power Line Damaged in Cle Elum’s Taylor Bridge Fire 
• U-S House Natural Resources Committee Meeting in Pasco Draws Demonstrators
• Video from Pasco’s Save Our Dams Rally
• Hastings’ Hydro Bill Will Protect & Promote Hydropower Dams
• Legislation Protects & Promotes Northwest Hydropower
• Appeal Filed over Enloe Water Permit for Hydroelectric Dam Project
• Alaska Utility, Native Corporation Propose Idea to Cut Rural Energy Costs
• How Electricity Empowered Rural Alaska Politics
• David Kennedy, Stanford University Historian, To Speak on 75th Anniversary of BPA
• Editorial - Halt to Nuclear Licenses Certain to be Short-Lived
• Pepco to Washington, D-C: Hands Off Our Compensation
• Oregon Governor Seeks Columbia River Salmon Solution
• Murray, Dicks Visiting Shelton Today as Part of Proposed Wild Olympics Legislation
• Tribes, Biologists Work to Halt Slide of Lampreys
• Case Could Hamstring Washington State’s Control of Runoff Pollution
• California - Yuba River Hydroelectric Plan Called Threat to Fish
• Oregon’s Bull Run Powerhouse: History Looking for a Future
• Wind Energy Tax Credit: More Hot Air or Key Job Creator
• The Rise - And Possible Fall - Of U-S Wind Power
• Op/Ed - Clean Energy Law Drives Innovation, Creates Jobs, Attracts
• Keeping the Lights on in New York State
• Renewable Energy Corporation Showcasing New Products and Tailored Customer Programs at Solar Power International
• Midwestern Drought, Election Year Politics Add to Pressure on Ethanol
• Apple Has 'Green' Plans for Prineville Data Center
• Dish Network Said to Plan Nationwide Satellite Broadband
• August 21 - NoaNet Conducting Major Upgrade & Maintenance Work on Its Data Transmission System
• Could a Hurricane Take Down the Internet
• Google Buys Newspaper Ad to Show Why Newspaper Ads Don’t Work
• A Break in Uphill Battle with Kittitas County’s Taylor Bridge
• Fire-Prone Areas: To Build or Not to Build
• King/Pierce County Smog to Hit Unhealthy Levels by Weekend
• Mason County Senior Center Extends Shelton Hours During High
• List of cooling centers in Western Washington
• Littlerock-Area Man Shot Dead Had Been Behaving Erratically
• Washington State Jobs, Employment Numbers Contradict

WORD OF THE DAY

Maquette • \mah-KETT\ • Noun - A usually small preliminary model (as of a sculpture or a building)

The fresh faced intern at the famed architectural firm of Hunga Dunga, Hunga Dunga & Hunga Dunga was delighting attendees at the unveiling of the design of the multi-million dollar headquarters of the international marketing firm. The source of amusement was a young Macaque monkey that was jumping from person to person, looking through various hairdos for nits. Unfortunately for the short-lived career of the intern, he had been tasked with acquiring an intricately designed maquette of the building for the unveiling…not a monkey with a strikingly similar name.

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

Major Puget Sound Energy Power Line Damaged in Cle Elum’s Taylor Bridge Fire  (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2012/08/15/major-power-line-damaged-in-taylor-bridge-fire

U-S House Natural Resources Committee Meeting in Pasco Draws Demonstrators (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/08/16/2257551/house-natural-resources-committee.html

Video from Pasco’s Save Our Dams Rally (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/08/15/2063621/save-our-dams-rally.html

Hastings’ Hydro Bill Will Protect & Promote Hydropower Dams - Witnesses Provide Laundry List of Hydropower Benefits for Jobs, Economy and Environment (U-S House Natural Resources Committee)

http://naturalresources.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=306490

Legislation Protects & Promotes Northwest Hydropower (Northwest River Partners)

http://energynewsfeed.blogspot.com/2012/08/legislation-protects-and-promotes.html

Appeal Filed over Enloe Water Permit for Hydroelectric Dam Project (Methow Valley News, WA)

http://www.methowvalleynews.com/story.php?id=8436

Alaska Utility, Native Corporation Propose Idea to Cut Rural Energy Costs (Raleigh News & Observer, NC)

http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/08/15/2270014/alaska-utility-native-corporation.html

How Electricity Empowered Rural Alaska Politics (Alaska Dispatch)

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/how-electricity-empowered-rural-alaska-politics

David Kennedy, Stanford University Historian, To Speak on 75th Anniversary of BPA (Oregonian, Portland)

http://blog.oregonlive.com/terryrichard/2012/08/david_kennedy_stanford_univers.html

Editorial - Halt to Nuclear Licenses Certain to be Short-Lived (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/08/15/2062767/halt-to-nuclear-licenses-certain.html

Pepco to Washington, D-C: Hands Off Our Compensation - Call to tie Pepco management’s compensation to the reliability of the company’s power system (Washington Business Journal, D-C)

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/blog/2012/08/pepco-to-dc-ratepayers-hands-off.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Oregon Governor Seeks Columbia River Salmon Solution (Associated Press)

http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslocalnews/28597997-41/fish-salmon-columbia-gillnetters-state.html.csp

Murray, Dicks Visiting Shelton Today as Part of Proposed Wild Olympics Legislation (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120816/NEWS/120819977/murray-dicks-visiting-shelton-today-as-part-of-proposed-wild

Tribes, Biologists Work to Halt Slide of Lampreys (Everett Herald, WA)

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20120814/NEWS01/708149943/1122/NEWS01

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Case Could Hamstring Washington State’s Control of Runoff Pollution (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwpr.org/post/case-could-hamstring-wa-s-control-runoff-pollution-0

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

California - Yuba River Hydroelectric Plan Called Threat to Fish (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/16/4730227/yuba-river-hydroelectric-plan.html

Oregon’s Bull Run Powerhouse: History Looking for a Future (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://opbapp-production.herokuapp.com/news/article/bull-run-powerhouse-history-looking-for-a-future/

Wind Energy Tax Credit: More Hot Air or Key Job Creator? (U-S News & World Report)

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/08/14/wind-energy-tax-credit-more-hot-air-or-key-job-creator

The Rise - And Possible Fall - Of U-S Wind Power (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/14/the-rise-and-possible-fall-of-u-s-wind-power-in-five-charts/

Op/Ed - Clean Energy Law Drives Innovation, Creates Jobs, Attracts Investments (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/16/4729970/clean-energy-law-drives-innovation.html

Keeping the Lights on in New York State (Huffington Post)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jerry-kremer/keeping-the-lights-on_b_1777025.html

Renewable Energy Corporation Showcasing New Products and Tailored Customer Programs at Solar Power International (MarketWatch)

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rec-showcasing-new-products-and-tailored-customer-programs-at-solar-power-international-2012-in-orlando-florida-2012-08-16

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Midwestern Drought, Election Year Politics Add to Pressure on Ethanol (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2012/0814/Midwestern-drought-election-year-politics-add-to-pressure-on-ethanol

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Apple Has 'Green' Plans for Prineville Data Center (Associated Press)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2012/08/apple_has_green_plans_for_prin.html

Dish Network Said to Plan Nationwide Satellite Broadband (Bloomberg News)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-15/dish-network-said-to-plan-nationwide-satellite-broadband-service.html

August 21 - NoaNet Conducting Major Upgrade & Maintenance Work on Its Data Transmission System (Mason County PUD No. 3)

http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=1072

Could a Hurricane Take Down the Internet? (Mashable)

http://mashable.com/2012/08/14/could-a-hurricane-take-down-the-internet-infographic/

Google Buys Newspaper Ad to Show Why Newspaper Ads Don’t Work (Mashable)

http://mashable.com/2012/08/14/google-print-ad-shows-why-newspaper-ads-dont-work/

GENERAL NEWS

A Break in Uphill Battle with Kittitas County’s Taylor Bridge Fire (Seattle Times, WA)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018926612_wildfirescene16m.html

Fire-Prone Areas: To Build or Not to Build (Seattle Times, WA)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018926467_wildfirehomes16m.html

King/Pierce County Smog to Hit Unhealthy Levels by Weekend (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=723643

Mason County Senior Center Extends Shelton Hours During High Heat (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/37059-senior-center-extends-hours-during-high-heat

List of cooling centers in Western Washington (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/weather/list-cooling-centers-western-washington/nRCym/

Littlerock-Area Man Shot Dead Had Been Behaving Erratically (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2012/08/15/2215036/littlerock-area-man-shot-dead.html

Washington State Jobs, Employment Numbers Contradict (Northwest Public Radio)

http://nwpr.org/post/wash-jobs-employment-numbers-contradict

DIVERSIONS

Group: Scrabble Player Caught Cheating at U-S Event

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h26uZJ6b-ORfwT0dQ-k8FdMmk_4A?docId=b0ee79844f2a4317831ae3715cad0e68

The Physics of How Animals Shake Themselves Dry

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/15/the-physics-of-how-animals-shake-themselves-dry/

Google Wants to Know Why Washington is so Rainy & Liberal

http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2012/08/14/google-wants-to-know-why-washington-is-so-rainy-and-liberal/

SONG OF THE DAY

KC & The Sunshine Band - Shake Your Booty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRwm9ppgJ40