Energy News Digest for May 25, 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

Feds Propose $2.1 Billion Fish Plan for Columbia River (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/public-policy-watch/energy-environment/feds-propose-2-1-billion-fish-plan/44293

Mason County PUD 3 Dedicates Ops Center (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/?p=5478

Whatcom County Halts Applications for Large Scale Wind Energy (KGMI Radio, Bellingham, WA)

http://kgmi.com/County-Halts-Applications-For-Large-Scale-Wind-Ene/13225460

Industrial Hotbed Grant County May Need New Energy Sources (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/print-edition/2012/05/25/industrial-hotbed-grant-county-may.html

Pacific Northwest’s Only Nuclear Plant Celebrates Relicensing (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

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

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Pacific Northwest’s Only Nuclear Plant Celebrates Relicensing
• Washington State Governor Gregoire Congratulates Energy Northwest Employees on 20 More Years
• Mason County PUD 3 Dedicates Ops Center
• Mason County PUD 3 Dedicates the Johns Prairie Operations Center
• Industrial Hotbed Grant County May Need New Energy Sources
• PacifiCorp Poached Design, Federal Jury Finds - Slaps PacifiCorp with $134 Million in Damages
• Obama Taps Yucca Mountain Critic to Lead Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• New Pilgrim Nuke License Nears Despite NRC Chairman’s Vote Against It
• Co-ops Backing Small Nuclear Plants
• Germany Beefs Up Monitoring of Nuclear Shutdown
• Energy Revolution Interruptus - Germany Stalled on the Expressway to a Green Future
• Three-Quarters of Japanese Firms Oppose Nuclear Power
• Kansas - Copper Theft Brazen, Costly, Dangerous
• Smart Meter Data: Privacy& Cybersecurity
• Warm Weather & Low Natural Gas Prices Dampen Spot Electricity Prices This Winter
• Feds Propose $2.1 Billion Fish Plan for Columbia River
• Second British Columbia Salmon Farm Under Quarantine for Virus
• Alaska - Can Bristol Bay Salmon Survive Big Mine? EPA Sets Hearing
• Bringing Back the Olympia Oysters
• The Decades-Long Comeback of Mark Twain’s Favorite Food
• Unbound River to Surge through Grand Canyon
• EPA Proposes New Rules for Muddy Logging Roads
• Whatcom County Halts Applications for Large Scale Wind Energy
• BLM OKs Engineering for Proposed Transmission Line for Southeastern Oregon Wind Project
• Utility Regulators More Than Double California’s Solar Power Goal
• Longview City Council Clears Path for Windmills
• California - How Much Will Marin Clean Energy Cost You?
• Editorial - Marin Energy Authority’s Local Solar Deal is a Big Step
• In Newton, Obama Calls for Extending Wind Energy Tax Breaks
• What Ails Geothermal? Let’s Count the Ways
• Gallery: Inside Vestas’ New Digs
• Has LEED Become So Ubiquitous That it No Longer Stands Out from Traditional Design?
• Leafully Wins DOE Top Prize for its Green Button App
• Detroit Shutting Off Street Lights to Save Money
• Climate Change Allows Once-Rare British Butterfly to Thrive
• Toxic Shock - A Climate-Change Skeptic is Melting
• What is the Break-Even Point on Hybrid Gas Savings?
• Apps Allow Electric Cars to Charge at Cheapest Rates
• This Coal-Plant Snow Globe Could be Yours for Only $3,100
• Prospective Buyer Would Turn Hynix’s Shuttered Chip Factory in Eugene into a Big Data Center
• RealNetworks Settles $2.4 Million Lawsuit with Washington State
• Minnesota - Small Telcos Lose Out to Giants on Broadband Money
• Three Broadband Strategies
• PBS Frontline Focuses on Cellular Tower Climbers - ‘The Hidden Cost of the Smartphone Revolution’
• Morgan Stanley May Refund Some Facebook Investors
• Memorial Day Weekend Forecast: W. Washington Sunny; E. Washington Windy
• AAA: Average Price of Gasoline in Washington $4.24
• West Coast Gas Prices Higher Than Other Regions
• More Boozing at 520 Job Site?
• Shelton State Run Liquor Store Closes End of Day May 28

WORD OF THE DAY

Troubadour • \TROO-buh-dorr\ • Noun - 1: a lyric poet or musician who performed chiefly in southern France and northern Italy in the 11th through 13th centuries 2: a singer especially of folk songs

“This troubadour is awful,” whined the dissipated king of a small middle European Kingdom. “You get what you pay for,” simpered the court jester. “A tone-deaf musician is right up there with a humorless comic,” the two-bit jokester unconsciously uttered.

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

Pacific Northwest’s Only Nuclear Plant Celebrates Relicensing (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

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

Washington State Governor Gregoire Congratulates Energy Northwest Employees on 20 More Years (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kndu.com/story/18620819/governor-gregoire-congratulates-energy-northwest-employees-on-20-year-renewal

Mason County PUD 3 Dedicates Ops Center (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/?p=5478

Mason County PUD 3 Dedicates the Johns Prairie Operations Center (Mason County PUD No. 3)

http://www.masonpud3.org/Newsdisplay.aspx?NewsID=1039

Industrial Hotbed Grant County May Need New Energy Sources (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/print-edition/2012/05/25/industrial-hotbed-grant-county-may.html

PacifiCorp Poached Design, Federal Jury Finds - Slaps PacifiCorp with $134 Million in Damages (Associated Press)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2012/05/pacificorp_poached_design_fede.html

Obama Taps Yucca Mountain Critic to Lead Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2018277946_apusnuclearchief.html

New Pilgrim Nuke License Nears Despite NRC Chairman’s Vote Against It (Quincy Patriot Ledger, MA)

http://www.patriotledger.com/business/x1832946375/New-Pilgrim-license-nears-despite-NRC-chairmans-vote-against-it

Co-ops Backing Small Nuclear Plants (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/power-supply/power-plants/co-ops-backing-small-nuclear-plants/44234

Germany Beefs Up Monitoring of Nuclear Shutdown (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2018267801_apeugermanyenergyswitchover.html

Energy Revolution Interruptus - Germany Stalled on the Expressway to a Green Future (Spiegel Online)

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-s-energy-revolution-stalls-without-decisiveness-and-incentives-a-834565.html

Three-Quarters of Japanese Firms Oppose Nuclear Power (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/25/us-japan-nuclear-poll-idUSBRE84O08J20120525

Kansas - Copper Theft Brazen, Costly, Dangerous (Topeka Capitol Journal, KS)

http://cjonline.com/news/2012-05-24/copper-theft-brazen-costly-dangerous

Smart Meter Data: Privacy& Cybersecurity (Congressional Research Service)

https://opencrs.com/document/R42338/

Warm Weather & Low Natural Gas Prices Dampen Spot Electricity Prices This Winter (US Energy Information Administration)

http://205.254.135.7/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=6330

FISH & WILDLIFE

Feds Propose $2.1 Billion Fish Plan for Columbia River (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/public-policy-watch/energy-environment/feds-propose-2-1-billion-fish-plan/44293

Second British Columbia Salmon Farm Under Quarantine for Virus (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Second+salmon+farm+under+quarantine+virus/6677571/story.html

Alaska - Can Bristol Bay Salmon Survive Big Mine? EPA Sets Hearing (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2012/05/24/can-bristol-bay-salmon-survive-big-mine-epa-sets-hearing/

Bringing Back the Olympia Oysters (Smithsonian Magazine)

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/video/Bringing-Back-the-Olympia-Oysters.html

The Decades-Long Comeback of Mark Twain’s Favorite Food - When America’s favorite storyteller lived in San Francisco, nothing struck his fancy like a heaping plate of this Pacific Northwest delicacy (Smithsonian Magazine)

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/The-Decades-Long-Comeback-of-Mark-Twains-Favorite-Food.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Unbound River to Surge through Grand Canyon (USA Today)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/story/2012-05-24/grand-canyon-colorado-river-flood/55192738/1?csp=34tech

EPA Proposes New Rules for Muddy Logging Roads (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018272549_aporloggingroadspollution3rdldwritethru.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Whatcom County Halts Applications for Large Scale Wind Energy (KGMI Radio, Bellingham, WA)

http://kgmi.com/County-Halts-Applications-For-Large-Scale-Wind-Ene/13225460

BLM OKs Engineering for Proposed Transmission Line for Southeastern Oregon Wind Project (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/05/blm_oks_engineering_for_propos.html

Utility Regulators More Than Double California’s Solar Power Goal (Los Angeles Times, CA)

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-puc-solar-20120525,0,4107903.story

Longview City Council Clears Path for Windmills (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/longview-council-clears-path-for-windmills/article_3b7fab5e-a634-11e1-bf9f-001a4bcf887a.html

California - How Much Will Marin Clean Energy Cost You? (San Anselmo-Fairfax Patch)

http://sananselmofairfax.patch.com/articles/how-much-will-marin-clean-energy-cost-you-9cb08cdb

Editorial - Marin Energy Authority’s Local Solar Deal is a Big Step (Marin Independent Journal, Novato, CA)

http://www.marinij.com/opinion/ci_20705531/editorial-marin-energy-authoritys-local-solar-deal-is

In Newton, Obama Calls for Extending Wind Energy Tax Breaks (Des Moines Register, IA)

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120525/NEWS09/305250032/1056/In-Newton-Obama-calls-extending-wind-energy-tax-breaks

What Ails Geothermal? Let’s Count the Ways (Forbes Magazine)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelkanellos/2012/05/24/what-ails-geothermal-let-me-count-the-ways/

Gallery: Inside Vestas’ New Digs (Sustainable Business Oregon)

http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2012/05/gallery-inside-vestas-new-digs.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Has LEED Become So Ubiquitous That it No Longer Stands Out from Traditional Design? (The Albany Business Review, NY)

http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/print-edition/2012/05/25/has-leed-become-so-ubiquitous-that-it.html

Leafully Wins DOE Top Prize for its Green Button App (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/energy/2012/05/24/leafully-wins-doe-top-prize-for-its-green-button-app/

Detroit Shutting Off Street Lights to Save Money (Bloomberg News)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/24/BUVR1ON34M.DTL

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Climate Change Allows Once-Rare British Butterfly to Thrive (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0525/Climate-change-allows-once-rare-British-butterfly-to-thrive

Toxic Shock - A Climate-Change Skeptic is Melting (The Economist Magazine)

http://www.economist.com/node/21555894

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

What is the Break-Even Point on Hybrid Gas Savings? (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/05/what-is-the-break-even-point-on-hybrid-gas-savings/1?csp=34money

Apps Allow Electric Cars to Charge at Cheapest Rates (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/05/apps-allow-electric-cars-to-charge-at-cheapest-rates/1?csp=34money

This Coal-Plant Snow Globe Could be Yours for Only $3,100 (Grist Online)

http://grist.org/list/this-coal-plant-snow-globe-could-be-yours-for-only-3100/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Prospective Buyer Would Turn Hynix’s Shuttered Chip Factory in Eugene into a Big Data Center (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/index.ssf/2012/05/prospective_buyer_would_turn_h.html

RealNetworks Settles $2.4 Million Lawsuit with Washington State (Associated Press)

http://www.kndu.com/story/18617017/realnetworks-settles-24-million-lawsuit-with-wa

Minnesota - Small Telcos Lose Out to Giants on Broadband Money (Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/morning_roundup/2012/05/small-telcos-lose-out-to-giants-on.html

Three Broadband Strategies (Forbes Magazine)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timothylee/2012/05/24/three-broadband-strategies/

PBS Frontline Focuses on Cellular Tower Climbers - ‘The Hidden Cost of the Smartphone Revolution’ (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/PBS-Frontline-Focuses-On-Celullar-Tower-Climbers-119664

Morgan Stanley May Refund Some Facebook Investors (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Morgan-Stanley-may-refund-some-Facebook-investors-3583517.php

GENERAL NEWS

Memorial Day Weekend Forecast: W. Washington Sunny; E. Washington Windy (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018282851_apwaweekendweather.html

AAA: Average Price of Gasoline in Washington $4.24 (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018282865_apwagasprices.html

West Coast Gas Prices Higher Than Other Regions (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

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

More Boozing at 520 Job Site? (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/komo/article/More-boozing-at-520-job-site-3582592.php

Shelton State Run Liquor Store Closes End of Day May 28 (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/30859-shelton-state-run-liquor-store-closes-may-28

DIVERSIONS

Man Ticketed for Dropping Money on the Ground

http://fox8.com/2012/05/22/man-ticketed-for-dropping-money-on-the-ground/

Miniature Titanic Causes a Stir

http://www.nwcn.com/news/153282465.html

Woman Traces Stolen iPhone after Alleged Thief’s Photos Were Uploaded to iCloud

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/9289306/Woman-traces-stolen-iPhone-after-alleged-thiefs-photos-were-uploaded-to-iCloud.html

Man Divorces Wife after She Brings Home 550 Cats

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2012/05/man-divorces-wife-after-she-brings-home-550-cats/1?csp=34news

SONG OF THE DAY

Eagles – Sad Café (no reason, just like the song)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NR6cpkswUU

Energy News Digest for May 24, 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

Intalco Smelter near Ferndale Gets Short-Term Power Contract Extension from Bonneville Power Administration (Bellingham Herald, WA)

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/05/24/2534274/intalco-smelter-near-ferndale.html

Gas Prices Could Jump 35 Cents by Sunday in Washington, Oregon (Northwest Cable News Network)

http://www.nwcn.com/news/Gas-prices-could-jump-35-cents-by-Sunday-in-Washington-Oregon-153245205.html

Chelan County PUD Commissioners Take Next Steps to Stabilize Fiber Finances (North Central Washington TV)

http://www.ncwtv.com/chelan-county-pud-commissioners-take-next-steps-to-stabilize-fiber-finances-2610/

Rural Phone Subsidy Calculation to Change (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/05/23/46772.htm

Steens Mountain: A Green vs. Green Debate - Wind Power Issues Swirl across the Vast Wilderness (KTVZ-TV, Bend, OR)

http://www.ktvz.com/greenlife/31095549/detail.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Intalco Smelter near Ferndale Gets Short-Term Power Contract Extension from Bonneville Power Administration
• Pacific Northwest Nuclear Power Plant Gets New 20-Year License
• Fitch Rates Grant County PUD’s Priest Rapids Hydroelectric Project Bonds ‘AA’; Outlook Stable
• Low Price of Natural Gas Means Credits for Oregon Ratepayers
• City Of Portland Receives $20.9 Million from Portland General Electric
• Mason County PUD 3 Dedication for Johns Prairie Operations Center
• Mason County PUD 1 Commissioner Elected President of State Association
• Mason County PUD 3 Employees Meet with Customers at the May 18 Shelton Business Expo
• Jailed Enron’s Skilling Seeks New Trial, Cites New Evidence
• British Columbia Government Sidelines Utilities Regulator to Lower Power Rate Increases
• California Nuke Trouble Could Prompt Rule Review
• Obama to Promote Energy Plan in Iowa
• Colorado - PUC Attorneys: Boulder May Need Second Utility Vote
• FERC Upholds, Clarifies Grid Rule
• Threatened Chum Salmon Run on Lewis River Gets New Recruits
• Endangered Pygmy Rabbits Really Catch On to Breeding Program
• Japanese Tsunami Debris: Lots of Flotsam by October, Ocean Expert Warns
• Clark Public Utilities Opens Offensive against Knotweed
• Glen Canyon Dam’s Flow Limit Loosened to Feed Grand Canyon
• Steens Mountain: A Green vs. Green Debate - Wind Power Issues Swirl across the Vast Wilderness
• Saving Birds & Bucks: Wind States Its Case
• Photovoltaic Projects Sell Energy to Sacramento Municipal Utility District
• Editorial - California PUC Should Approve Solar Proposal to Create Jobs, Help Environment
• Op/Ed - Cap-And-Trade Will Encourage Move to Clean Energy
• Editorial - How Wind Energy is Sucking the Life Out of Our Bat Population
• Beijing Accuses US of Trade Violations in Energy Sector
• Behind the Scenes at an LED Lighting Lab
• Hair on Fire Theatre - 150,000 More US Heat Deaths Projected by 2100
• Solar Plane Begins First Transcontinental Flight
• Chelan County PUD Commissioners Take Next Steps to Stabilize Fiber Finances
• Rural Phone Subsidy Calculation to Change
• Ohio Start-Up to Bring Gigabit Broadband to Six US Communities
• Five Cable Giants Partner on Wi-Fi
• Google Chrome Becomes Most Used Web Browser
• Lawsuits Pile Up over Facebook IPO
• Yahoo Seeks to Shake Up Search, Web Browsing
• The Growing Epidemic of Web Page Bloat
• In Congress, Talking Like a 12th-Grade Student Makes You a Brainiac
• Gas Prices Could Jump 35 Cents by Sunday in Washington, Oregon
• World’s Most Expensive Gas: Top 10 Countries
• Belfair Liquor Store Last to Close Locally
• One Week without a Liquor Store? For Some Washington Communities; Yes
• Two Ex-Hopelink Workers Accused in $100,000 Bus-Pass Theft
• Two Oregon Tribes Call State’s Native American Mascot Ban Disappointing

WORD OF THE DAY

Damask • \DAM-usk\ • Noun - 1: a firm lustrous fabric (as of linen, cotton, silk, or rayon) made with flat patterns in a satin weave on a plain-woven ground on jacquard looms 2: hard elastic steel ornamented with wavy patterns and used especially for sword blades; also : the characteristic markings of this steel 3: a grayish red

“I think plain old silk-screening would have worked just fine,” groused the corn fed NFL interior lineman to the pencil-necked equipment manager. “Don’t get me wrong, I like damask for our uniforms, it’s kinda classy, but it just doesn’t seem practical.”

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

Intalco Smelter near Ferndale Gets Short-Term Power Contract Extension from Bonneville Power Administration (Bellingham Herald, WA)

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/05/24/2534274/intalco-smelter-near-ferndale.html

Pacific Northwest Nuclear Power Plant Gets New 20-Year License (Associated Press)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/05/23/2155299/northwest-nuke-plant-gets-new.html

Fitch Rates Grant County PUD’s Priest Rapids Hydroelectric Project Bonds ‘AA’; Outlook Stable (Yahoo! Finance)

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/fitch-rates-grant-county-pud-205100696.html

Low Price of Natural Gas Means Credits for Oregon Ratepayers (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

http://news.opb.org/article/low-price-natural-gas-means-credits-ratepayers/

City Of Portland Receives $20.9 Million from Portland General Electric (Portland Business Journal, OR)

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2012/05/23/pge-distributes-50m-in-fee-payments.html

Mason County PUD 3 Dedication for Johns Prairie Operations Center (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/news/news-page/30856-pud-3-dedication

Mason County PUD 1 Commissioner Elected President of State Association (Mason Web TV, Shelton, WA)

http://masonwebtv.com/?p=5461

Mason County PUD 3 Employees Meet with Customers at the May 18 Shelton Business Expo (Mason County PUD No. 3)

http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=1037

Jailed Enron’s Skilling Seeks New Trial, Cites New Evidence (Reuters)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/22/us-enron-skilling-idUSBRE84L01420120522

British Columbia Government Sidelines Utilities Regulator to Lower Power Rate Increases (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/government+sidelines+utilities+regulator+lower+power+rate+increases/6662403/story.html

California Nuke Trouble Could Prompt Rule Review (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2018272701_apusnuclearplantproblems.html

Obama to Promote Energy Plan in Iowa (Associated Press)

http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2012/05/24/in-iowa-obama-touts-election-year-energy-plan

Colorado - PUC Attorneys: Boulder May Need Second Utility Vote (Boulder Daily Camera, CO)

http://www.dailycamera.com/energy/ci_20694670/puc-attorneys-boulder-may-need-2nd-utility-vote

FERC Upholds, Clarifies Grid Rule (Electric Co-op Today)

http://www.ect.coop/power-supply/transmission-distribution/ferc-upholds-grid-rule/44254

FISH & WILDLIFE

Threatened Chum Salmon Run on Lewis River Gets New Recruits (Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife)

http://wdfw.wa.gov/news/may2312a/

Endangered Pygmy Rabbits Really Catch On to Breeding Program (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018264009_bunnies23.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Japanese Tsunami Debris: Lots of Flotsam by October, Ocean Expert Warns (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20120523/NEWS/305239986/japanese-tsunami-debris-lots-of-flotsam-by-october-ocean-expert

Clark Public Utilities Opens Offensive against Knotweed (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/may/23/utility-opens-offensive-against-knotweed/

Glen Canyon Dam’s Flow Limit Loosened to Feed Grand Canyon (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/24/science/earth/dam-limits-loosened-to-feed-grand-canyon.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Steens Mountain: A Green vs. Green Debate - Wind Power Issues Swirl across the Vast Wilderness (KTVZ-TV, Bend, OR)

http://www.ktvz.com/greenlife/31095549/detail.html

Saving Birds & Bucks: Wind States Its Case (Renewable Energy World)

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2012/05/saving-birds-and-bucks-wind-states-its-case?cmpid=rss

Photovoltaic Projects Sell Energy to Sacramento Municipal Utility District (Sacramento Bee, CA)

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/24/4512969/photovoltaic-projects-sell-energy.html

Editorial - California PUC Should Approve Solar Proposal to Create Jobs, Help Environment (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/editorials/ci_20691761?source=rss

Op/Ed - Cap-And-Trade Will Encourage Move to Clean Energy (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/22/ED2N1OKERH.DTL

Editorial - How Wind Energy is Sucking the Life Out of Our Bat Population (Philadelphia Weekly, PA)

http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/152702125.html

Beijing Accuses US of Trade Violations in Energy Sector (Associated Press)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/business/global/beijing-accuses-us-of-trade-violations-in-energy-sector.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Behind the Scenes at an LED Lighting Lab (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/cleantech/behind-the-scenes-at-an-led-lighting-lab/

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Hair on Fire Theatre - 150,000 More US Heat Deaths Projected by 2100 (Reuters)

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/05/23/us-climate-heat-deaths-idUKBRE84M1GQ20120523

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Solar Plane Begins First Transcontinental Flight (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Solar-plane-begins-1st-transcontinental-flight-3581757.php

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Chelan County PUD Commissioners Take Next Steps to Stabilize Fiber Finances (North Central Washington TV)

http://www.ncwtv.com/chelan-county-pud-commissioners-take-next-steps-to-stabilize-fiber-finances-2610/

Rural Phone Subsidy Calculation to Change (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/05/23/46772.htm

Ohio Start-Up to Bring Gigabit Broadband to Six US Communities (Los Angeles Times, CA)

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-gigabit-squared-gigu-20120523,0,7691862.story

Five Cable Giants Partner on Wi-Fi (USA Today)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2012/05/five-cable-giants-partner-on-wifi/1?csp=34tech

Google Chrome Becomes Most Used Web Browser (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_20685166

Lawsuits Pile Up over Facebook IPO (San Francisco Business Times)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2012/05/lawsuits-pile-up-over-facebook-ipo.html

Yahoo Seeks to Shake Up Search, Web Browsing (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2018272993_apustecyahoosearch.html

The Growing Epidemic of Web Page Bloat (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/2012/05/23/the-growing-epidemic-of-page-bloat/

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

In Congress, Talking Like a 12th-Grade Student Makes You a Brainiac (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/dannywestneat/2018263947_danny23.html

GENERAL NEWS

Gas Prices Could Jump 35 Cents by Sunday in Washington, Oregon (Northwest Cable News Network)

http://www.nwcn.com/news/Gas-prices-could-jump-35-cents-by-Sunday-in-Washington-Oregon-153245205.html

World’s Most Expensive Gas: Top 10 Countries (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2012/0523/World-s-most-expensive-gas-top-10-countries/Belgium-1.40-L-8.64-gallon

Belfair Liquor Store Last to Close Locally (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2012/may/23/belfair-liquor-store-last-to-close-locally/

One Week without a Liquor Store? For Some Washington Communities; Yes (KIRO Broadcasting, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/one-week-without-liquor-store-some-washington-comm/nPCxj/

Two Ex-Hopelink Workers Accused in $100,000 Bus-Pass Theft (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018273223_charity24m.html

Two Oregon Tribes Call State’s Native American Mascot Ban Disappointing (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/05/two_tribes_call_state_board_of.html

DIVERSIONS

Insult to Injury - ‘Thank You Seattle’ Thunder Shirt Backlash Boosts Sales

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Thank-You-Seattle-Thunder-shirt-sales-up-153218045.html

Stephen Colbert’s Children’s Book Tops the Bestseller List

http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2012/0523/Stephen-Colbert-s-children-s-book-tops-the-bestseller-list

Lego Theft: Silicon Valley Exec Accused of Stealing $30,000 Worth of Toys

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/05/23/lego-theft-silicon-valley-exec-accused-of-stealing-30000-worth-of-toys/

RIP, ‘Mr.Oreo’: Man Who Invented Oreo Filling Dies at 76

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/05/24/farewell-mr-oreo-man-who-invented-oreo-filling-dies-at-76/

SONG OF THE DAY

Stealers Wheel - Stuck in the Middle with You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DohRa9lsx0Q