Thursday, July 9, 2009

Energy News Digest for July 9, 2009

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

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

• Puget Sound Energy Praises Action by Congress on Climate Change
• Groups Sue US over Energy-Transmission Corridors on Public Lands
• Utah Coal Plant Scuttled: 100th in U.S. Since 2002
• Nuclear Power Debate Reignites in Germany
• Standard-Times Opinion - Partisanship Fuels Battles over America’s Energy Policy
• Alcoa Posts Loss as Demand Falls
• Okanogan PUD Picks TWACS Power-Line System
• Port Blakely Strikes Habitat Deal for Tree Farm
• Marbled Murrelete - Court Dismisses Challenge to Seabird Protection
• Study Finds Major Flaws in Spotted Owl Recovery Plan
• Feds Agree To New Bull Trout Protections (
• Summer Salmon Fishing Season Off To a Good Start
• Sacramento Bee Editorial - We Might Need Salmon Czar, Too
• States Lure Consumers with Seafood Branding
• Yakima Valley Water Supply Looks Good
• Umatilla Basin Aquifer Project - Quenching desert's thirst
• Umatilla Basin Aquifer Project - The cost of bringing water back to the basin
• Oregon - Helping the Powder River and Its Users
• Idaho Water Monitoring Programs End amid Budget Cuts
• Totten, Eld Watersheds Gain New Allies
• Wood Burning Creates Top Cancer Risk in Oregon's Air
• Idaho Wind Turbine Maker Gets Fed Loan Guarantee
• Pickens Still Gung-Ho on Wind Farm despite Delay
• Canada - Wind Turbine Health Risks Debated
• Are Wind Turbines Feasible In Your Town?
• S.F. Solar Power Rebate Use Quadruples In 2008
• Couple Sues over Solar Panel Denial
• Gadgets Show How Much Power Your House Eats
• Carbon Storage or Energy Source? What's the Best Use for NW Forests
• Poorer Nations Reject a Target on Emission Cut
• Howell-Oregon Electric Co-op encourages members to contact Congress
• Major economies to agree 2 degrees climate goal
• Four Protesters Remain Blocking Oregon Timber Sale
• Battle of the Bag Heating Up
• What's so disturbing about a new green parenting guide?
• South Korea Bombarded With More Web Attacks
• Tech 101: How a Denial-Of-Service Attack Works
• Firms Using Virtual Offices
• Where Will $4.7B in Broadband Bucks Go? You Decide!
• In Chrome, Hints of a Real Rival to Windows
• When It Comes to Links, Color Matters
• Search for Missing McCleary Girl Scaled Back
• Ten Most Broke States: Includes Washington & Oregon
• Cities Lose Out on Road Funds from Federal Stimulus
• Seattle-Area Arts Director Defends $500,000 Stimulus Funding
• Comcast Employee Assaults, Robs Check Cashing Outfit
• Capitol Press Corps Loses Another

WORD OF THE DAY

Potpourri • \POE-purr-ee \ • noun – Etymology: French pot pourri, literally, rotten pot
1: a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that is usually kept in a jar and used for scent 2: a miscellaneous collection

Amber crouched over the small cauldron, carefully dropping bits of plumeria and vanilla into the boiling, heaving mass. The fragrance of her potpourri concoction wafted through the evening air, its vapor drifting across the dark blue evening sky…its night-time canopy spangled with brightly winking stars. The only noise, besides the soughing wind was the distant sound of a sharp sneeze from Amber’s next door neighbor…a man with a known allergy to the intense perfume of plumeria. Amber’s face reflected a tiny smile at the reaction.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast and 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

Puget Sound Energy Praises Action by Congress on Climate Change (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)
http://www.chronline.com/articles/2009/07/08/news//doc4a54d80def733431493389.txt

Groups Sue US over Energy-Transmission Corridors on Public Lands (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/07/08/08greenwire-groups-sue-us-over-energy-transmission-corrido-17235.html

Utah Coal Plant Scuttled: 100th in U.S. Since 2002 (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE5684UN20090709

Nuclear Power Debate Reignites in Germany (Time Magazine)
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1909228,00.html

Standard-Times Opinion - Partisanship Fuels Battles over America’s Energy Policy “Ed. Note: more on Rep. March Kaptur and her climate bill considerations; see midwest Power Marketing Administration…” (San Angelo, TX)
http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2009/jul/08/no-headline---oilampgas/

Alcoa Posts Loss as Demand Falls (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/business/energy-environment/09alcoa.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Okanogan PUD Picks TWACS Power-Line System (Environmental Protection)
http://www.eponline.com/articles/72739/

FISH & WILDLIFE

Port Blakely Strikes Habitat Deal for Tree Farm (Associated Press)
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_timber_deal.html?source=pimail

Marbled Murrelete - Court Dismisses Challenge to Seabird Protection (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/08/state/n171514D86.DTL&feed=rss.business

Study Finds Major Flaws in Spotted Owl Recovery Plan (Oregon Public Radio)
http://news.opb.org/article/5372-study-finds-major-flaws-spotted-owl-recovery-plan/

Feds Agree To New Bull Trout Protections (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009434240_aporbulltrout1stldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Summer Salmon Fishing Season Off To a Good Start (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2009434226_fish09.html?syndication=rss

Sacramento Bee Editorial - We Might Need Salmon Czar, Too
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/story/2008146.html?mi_rss=Opinion

States Lure Consumers with Seafood Branding (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/08/national/a113744D74.DTL&feed=rss.business

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Yakima Valley Water Supply Looks Good (Associated Press)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/945/story/640305.html?mi_email=Tri-City%20Herald_PM+%26+Breaking+News

Umatilla Basin Aquifer Project - Quenching desert's thirst: Columbia River water can restore declining aquifers (East Oregonian, Pendleton, OR)
http://eastoregonian.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=48&ArticleID=94999

Umatilla Basin Aquifer Project - The cost of bringing water back to the basin (East Oregonian, Pendleton, OR)
http://eastoregonian.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=48&ArticleID=95030&TM=51519.14

Oregon - Helping the Powder River and Its Users (Baker City Herald, OR)
http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/Helping-the-river-and-its-users

Idaho Water Monitoring Programs End amid Budget Cuts (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/905930.html

Totten, Eld Watersheds Gain New Allies - Groups join forces to protect natural areas (The Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/905553.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Wood Burning Creates Top Cancer Risk in Oregon's Air, EPA Says (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/07/pollution_from_burning_wood_in.html

Idaho Wind Turbine Maker Gets Fed Loan Guarantee (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2109424~Idaho_wind_turbine_maker_gets_fed_loan_guarantee.html?cid=rss-Idaho_Headlines

Pickens Still Gung-Ho on Wind Farm despite Delay (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106397688&ft=1&f=2

Canada - Wind Turbine Health Risks Debated (The Tilsonberg News, Ontario, Canada)
http://www.tillsonburgnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1646863

Are Wind Turbines Feasible In Your Town? (Michigan Business Review)
http://www.mlive.com/business/mid-michigan/index.ssf/2009/07/chris_schilling_are_wind_turbi.html

S.F. Solar Power Rebate Use Quadruples In 2008 (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/08/BAET18KC58.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

Couple Sues over Solar Panel Denial (The Observer, Detroit, MI)
http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090709/NEWS03/907090513

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Gadgets Show How Much Power Your House Eats (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052970204261704574276022585190910.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Carbon Storage or Energy Source? What's the Best Use for NW Forests (Oregon Public Radio)
http://news.opb.org/article/5386-carbon-storage-or-energy-source-whats-best-use-nw-forests/

Major Economies To Agree 2 Degrees Climate Goal (Reuters)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKBAT00306820090709

Poorer Nations Reject a Target on Emission Cut (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/world/europe/09prexy.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Missouri - Howell-Oregon Electric Co-op encourages members to contact Congress (Howell County News, MO)
http://www.howellcountynews.com/Stories/news_20090708_114825_19552_.php

BUCKET O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Four Protesters Remain Blocking Oregon Timber Sale (Associated Press)
http://www.examiner.com/a-2109812~4_protesters_remain_blocking_Ore__timber_sale.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Battle of the Bag Heating Up (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/2009/07/battle_of_the_bag_heating_up.html

Smart Mama, Scary Book - What's so disturbing about a new green parenting guide? (Newsweek Magazine)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/205701?from=rss

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

South Korea Bombarded With More Web Attacks (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/09/AR2009070901106.html?wprss=rss_technology

Tech 101: How a Denial-Of-Service Attack Works (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/08/national/a113118D62.DTL&feed=rss.business

Firms Using Virtual Offices - Vancouver locations provide e-mail, space for home-based businesses (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://columbian.com/article/20090708/BIZ01/707089935/-1/BIZ

Where Will $4.7B in Broadband Bucks Go? You Decide! (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/07/09/where-will-4-7b-in-broadband-bucks-go-you-decide/

In Chrome, Hints of a Real Rival to Windows (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/technology/internet/09google.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

When It Comes to Links, Color Matters (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/07/09/when-it-comes-to-links-color-matters/

GENERAL NEWS

Search for Missing McCleary Girl Scaled Back (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/50322687.html

Budget Nightmare- Ten Most Broke States: Includes Washington & Oregon (ABC News)
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/Story?id=8016634&page=1

Cities Lose Out on Road Funds from Federal Stimulus (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/us/09projects.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Seattle-Area Arts Director Defends $500,000 Stimulus Funding
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=187047

Comcast Employee Assaults, Robs Check Cashing Outfit - Cuts phone lines, pretends he's there to help (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/police_seeking_man_who_robbed.html

Spokesman Review Eye on Olympia - Capitol Press Corps Loses Another…Me
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/olympia/2009/jul/09/capitol-press-corps-loses-another/

DIVERSIONS

Arkansas Man Sentenced For Living in Pennsylvania Attic
http://www.kirotv.com/news/19992712/detail.html

Pastor Stops Baptism to Warn Of Robbery
http://www.news4jax.com/news/19990184/detail.html

Man Dies after Falling Into Vat of Chocolate
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/08/national/a112348D04.DTL&feed=rss.business

SONG OF THE DAY

In The Sun - Joseph Arthur
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNF2cbW37mo