Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Energy News Digest for March 25, 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)

 

·         Oregonian Columnist - The Case against Fowler's Bonanza

·         Anderson Island’s Underwater Puget Sound Power Cable Repairs Taking Extra Time

·         For Utility Meters: Nearly $34 Million Coming to Kitsap, Other Regional Bases

·         New York Power Authority Scraps Rate Hike Plans

·         California - Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Restarts Reactor

·         Thefts of Electricity and Natural Gas from Utilities Are Increasing

·         Illinois - Utilities Customers May Get Natural Gas Relief

·         Smart Grid Leadership: The Top Ten “Smartest” States in 2009

·         Utilities Can Play a Critical Role in Economic Recovery

·         Hundreds of Killer Whales Seen In Gulf of Mexico

·         What We Need Is 'One Orca, One Vote'

·         Conservation Group Buys Easement to Help Salmon

·         Feds Could Pay For Half of New Ocean Shores Water Plant

·         Lawmakers Debate Clean-Energy Initiative Changes

·         Who Owns the Wind? An Emerging Public Policy Issue

·         U.S. Paper Makers Seek Renewable Energy Credit

·         Some See Daylight at Last for U.S. Feed-In Tariffs

·         Wells Fargo Finances Solar Projects

·         Oregonian Op/Ed - Insuring Ourselves against Energy Uncertainty

·         Marysville Kid Leads Energy-Saving Charge

·         Xcel Energy Launches Home Energy-Efficiency Programs

·         Global Warming Giving Nuclear New Claim to Clean

·         Lake Wenatchee-Area Residents Demand PUD Fiber

·         Risk Factor Could Affect Broadband Stimulus Payouts

·         Cables Of Madison County - Voters in Highland to Weigh Fiber-Optics

·         Sprint Will Roll out Wimax Service in 10 Cities in 2009

·         Union Members Approve Strike at AT&T

·         Mason County Making Additional Cuts to Keep a Balanced Budget

·         South Kitsap Woman Gets 18 Years for Panther Lake Killing

·         Promotion Gives Simpson Investment Company New Chief

·         Lumber Demand Expected To Hit Historic Low

·         Heavy Mountain Snow Creates Fierce Driving Conditions

·         Scaled-Back School Levy May Go to North Mason Voters

·         Senate Approves Former Wash Governor Locke for Commerce

 

WORD OF THE DAY

 

Edentulous • \ee-DEN-chuh-luss\ • adjective - Having no teeth: toothless

 

The lions looked fierce, prowling the moat that surrounded the disgraced energy trading company…the sounds of occasional growls and grunts reaching the ears of startled pedestrians casually passing by on the raised sidewalk. “No need to fear ‘em,” whispered the fantastically garbed doorman. “Since we bought then from the energy regulators, we were sure that they were edentulous.”

 

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

 

Oregonian Columnist - The Case against Fowler's Bonanza: Former Portland General Electric Chief gets $4.5 million going-away present

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/steve_duin/index.ssf?/base/news/1237607708116510.xml&coll=7

 

Anderson Island’s Underwater Puget Sound Power Cable Repairs Taking Extra Time (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/687170.html

 

For Utility Meters: Nearly $34 Million Coming to Kitsap, Other Regional Bases (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/mar/24/nearly-34-million-coming-to-kitsap-other-bases/?partner=RSS

 

New York Power Authority Scraps Rate Hike Plans (The Business Review)

http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2009/03/23/daily25.html?ana=from_rss

 

California - Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Restarts Reactor (Examiner.com)

http://www.examiner.com/a-1923989~Diablo_Canyon_nuclear_plant_restarts_reactor.html?cid=rss-California_Headlines

 

Thefts of Electricity and Natural Gas from Utilities Are Increasing (Kansas City Star)

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1104948.html

 

Illinois - Utilities Customers May Get Natural Gas Relief (The Telegraph, Alton, IL Ed. Note: Ha! Ha! This is one of my favorite headlines of the day!)

http://www.thetelegraph.com/news/gas_24888___article.html/natural_customers.html

 

Smart Grid Leadership: The Top Ten “Smartest” States in 2009 (Smart Grid News)

http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/commentary/Smart_Grid_Leadership_The_Top_Ten_Smartest_States_in_2009-546.html

 

New Jersey - PSEG Says Utilities Can Play a Critical Role in Economic Recovery (Electric Energy Online)

http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&id=107950

 

FISH & WILDLIFE

 

Hundreds of Killer Whales Seen In Gulf of Mexico (Associated Press)

http://www.theolympian.com/breakingnews/story/798057.html

 

What We Need Is 'One Orca, One Vote' - It’s hard to save Puget Sound when we're rummaging under the couch for spare change (Crosscut Seattle)

http://crosscut.com/2009/03/20/puget-sound/18919/

 

Conservation Group Buys Easement to Help Salmon (Associated Press)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_id_salmon_easement.html

 

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

 

Feds Could Pay For Half of New Ocean Shores Water Plant (The Daily World)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/03/24/local_news/04news.txt

 

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

 

Lawmakers Debate Clean-Energy Initiative Changes (Associated Press)

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/41797367.html

 

Who Owns the Wind? An Emerging Public Policy Issue (Energy Pulse)

http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1984

 

U.S. Paper Makers Seek Renewable Energy Credit (Associated Press)

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/03/24/ap6208016.html

 

Some See Daylight at Last for U.S. Feed-In Tariffs (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/03/24/24greenwire-some-see-daylight-at-last-for-us-feedin-tariff-10271.html

 

Wells Fargo Finances Solar Projects (Los Angeles Business from bizjournals)

http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/stories/2009/03/23/daily15.html?ana=from_rss

 

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

 

Oregonian Op/Ed - Insuring Ourselves against Energy Uncertainty

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/03/insuring_ourselves_against_ene.html

 

Marysville Kid Leads Energy-Saving Charge (Everett Herald, WA)

http://heraldnet.com/article/20090325/NEWS01/703259789

 

Xcel Energy Launches Home Energy-Efficiency Programs (Denver Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/03/23/daily32.html?ana=from_rss

 

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

 

Global Warming Giving Nuclear New Claim to Clean (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990325030

 

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

 

Lake Wenatchee-Area Residents Demand PUD Fiber (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090324/NEWS04/703249957?Lake-Wenatchee-area-residents-demand-PUD-fiber

 

Risk Factor Could Affect Broadband Stimulus Payouts (C/NET News)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10203585-38.html?tag=nl.e703

 

Cables Of Madison County - Voters in Highland to Weigh Fiber-Optics (St Louis Dispatch, MO) 
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/sciencemedicine/story/05F4EC7DC35B9F8C86257584001894F1?OpenDocument

 

Sprint Will Roll out Wimax Service in 10 Cities in 2009 – Including Seattle & Portland (Kansas City Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2009/03/23/daily22.html?ana=from_rss

 

Union Members Approve Strike At AT&T (The Business Journal of Milwaukee)

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/03/23/daily27.html?ana=from_rss

 

GENERAL NEWS

 

Mason County Making Additional Cuts to Keep a Balanced Budget (KMAS Radio, Shelton)

http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/6791/reftab/1632/t/COUNTY-MAKING-ADDITIONAL-CUTS-TO-KEEP-A-BALANCED-BUDGET/Default.aspx

 

South Kitsap Woman Gets 18 Years for Panther Lake Killing (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/mar/24/south-kitsap-woman-gets-18-years-for-panther/?partner=RSS

 

Promotion Gives Simpson Investment Company New Chief (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/687425.html

 

Lumber Demand Expected To Hit Historic Low (Puget Sound Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/03/23/daily23.html?ana=from_rss

 

Heavy Mountain Snow Creates Fierce Driving Conditions (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/weather/19009867/detail.html

 

Scaled-Back School Levy May Go to North Mason Voters (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/mar/24/scaled-back-school-levy-may-go-to-north-mason/?partner=RSS

 

Senate Approves Former Wash Governor Locke for Commerce (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008888361_aplockecommerce.html?syndication=rss

 

DIVERSIONS

 

More Americans Go Fishing As Recession Deepens

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090319/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_usa_fishing_feature;_ylt=AkFywg2Hm1KS1PYA6ur50TXtiBIF

 

Bernie Madoff's Jail Number Is a Queens Man's Lotto Winner

http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/03/23/2009-03-23_bernie_madoffs_pain_is_a_queens_mans_gai.html

 

Washington State Capitol Cutback Hits Flowers Too

http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/798053.html

 

Romantic Teen Seeks Prom Date, Gets Cops Instead

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090325/ap_on_fe_st/odd_prom_problem;_ylt=Am_GFu8BJQcbDK4m.v4VfSXtiBIF

 

Guard Fired After Locking New Hire In With Inmate

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090325/ap_on_fe_st/odd_guard_fired_prank;_ylt=Ajx99VmdgatKvzYPRoUvXAvtiBIF

 

SONG OF THE DAY

 

Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run (Studio, 1975)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3t9SfrfDZM

 

Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run (Live, Acoustic)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfzov0Cq90o