Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Energy News Digest for April 22, 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)

- Seattle Times Editorial - Washington Lawmakers Should Negotiate Remedies to Initiative 937's Flaws
- Tough Choices: Salmon, Nukes, and Taxes
- Oregon - Peter Defazio: Congressman takes on cap-and-trade
- PSE to Help Customers Put Green Back into Their Wallets on Earth Day
- ISO New England - Manager Backtracks On Claims of $85M in False Billing
- Kansas City Power & Light Agrees To Settle Missouri Rate Case
- New York - Con Edison Gets $523.4 Million Increase in Delivery Rates
- NY Regulators Approve Constellation Reactor Sale to French Firm
- Energy needs go on Iowa stage
- Smart Grid Stimulus Bill: DOE Snubs IOUs and Meters
- Engineer Shortage Puts Green Economy and Smart Grid at Risk
- US Biologists Say 3 Pesticides Harm Salmon
- California & Oregon Governors Seek Salmon Disaster Declaration
- Skagit Chinook Run to Open to All
- $94M for Eastern Washington Water Projects
- Mason County, City & College Celebrating Earth Day Today At Civic Center
- Environmental challenges remain long after first Earth Day
- Seattle Times Editorial - Lake Tapps, Water for Fish, Cities and Recreation
- Wenatchee World Editorial - When renewable is not renewable
- Seattle Company Floats Idea for Floating Wind Farms
- U.S. To Clear Way for Offshore Wind Farms
- Regional wind projects discussed in Clarkston
- Murray Explores Plan for Green Jobs
- Will Renewable Energy Cost Vermonters?
- Progress Energy Will Offer Solar Water Heating Benefit
- Green and Mean: The Downside Of Clean Energy
- City of Olympia cuts greenhouse gas output
- Science Taking Backseat to Cost In Climate Debate
- High Cost Of Addressing Climate Challenged
- Con Ed Shrugs Off Carbon Tax
- U.S. Prices Carbon Dioxide at More Than $13 a Ton in Draft Plan
- The Gospel of Green
- Deloitte Survey: Energy Regulators in a Green State of Mind
- Net Tool Tracks Carbon Footprint by ZIP Code
- Yahoo to Shed 600 To 700 Jobs after First-Quarter Results
- Oracle's Purchase of Sun Would Pose New Challenge for Microsoft
- Microsoft's Negotiations with Yahoo Intensify
- Profit Declined 9.7% in Quarter for AT&T
- AT&T to Shut down Internet Phone Service
- Hood Canal Bridge Closure Looms
- Seattle Times Online Traffic Grows, PI.Com’s Questioned

WORD OF THE DAY

Piebald • \PYE-bawld\ • adjective - 1: of different colors; especially: spotted or blotched with black and white *2: composed of incongruous parts

Expecting to see a sleek, streamlined example of a deregulated electricity market, the fresh-faced energy regulator was shocked by what he had wrought. Instead of lower prices for electricity; customers that had become better dancers (as well as taller and slimmer) he was delivered a piebald amalgam of disjointed service territories, high prices and a VERY angry Grandma Millie.

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

Seattle Times Editorial - Washington Lawmakers Should Negotiate Remedies to Initiative 937's Flaws
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2009097350_edita22wind.html

Tough Choices: Salmon, Nukes, and Taxes (Blue Oregon)
http://www.blueoregon.com/2009/04/tough-choices-salmon-nukes-and-coal.html?cid=6a00d8341c2c3f53ef0115703a215b970b

Oregon - Peter Defazio: Congressman takes on cap-and-trade, Obama and the Columbia River Crossing (Willamette Weekly, OR)
http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3524/12467/

News Release - PSE to Help Customers Put Green Back into Their Wallets on Earth Day and Every Day (BusinessWire)
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090421006195&newsLang=en

ISO New England - Electric Grid Manager Backtracks On Claims of $85M in False Billing (The Day, CT)
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=1d07bd53-c764-4dd3-9998-46ea44b7459b

Kansas City Power & Light Agrees To Settle Missouri Rate Case (Kansas City Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2009/04/20/daily25.html?ana=from_rss

New York - Regulators Grant Con Edison a $523.4 Million Increase in Delivery Rates (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/nyregion/22coned.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

NY Regulators Approve Constellation Reactor Sale to French Firm (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009094730_apusconstellationenergyreactors.html?syndication=rss

Energy needs go on Iowa stage (Des Moines Register, IA)
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090422/NEWS/90422001/-1/SPORTS09

Smart Grid Stimulus Bill: DOE Snubs IOUs and Meters (Smart Grid News)
http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/commentary/Smart_Grid_Stimulus_Bill_DOE_Snubs_IOUs_and_Meters-570.html

Engineer Shortage Puts Green Economy and Smart Grid at Risk (Electric Energy Online)
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&id=109856

FISH & WILDLIFE

US Biologists Say 3 Pesticides Harm Salmon (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10222051

California & Oregon Governors Seek Salmon Disaster Declaration (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/827290.html

Skagit Chinook Run to Open to All (Everett Herald, WA)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090422/NEWS01/704229863/-1/RSS02

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

$94M for Eastern Washington Water Projects (KIRO Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=158764

Mason County, City & College Celebrating Earth Day Today At Civic Center (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7037/reftab/1632/t/COUNTY-CITY--COLLEGE-CELEBRATING-EARTH-DAY-TODAY-AT-CIVIC-CENTER-/Default.aspx

Environmental challenges remain long after first Earth Day (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://www.seattlepi.com/connelly/405378_joel22.html?source=rss

Seattle Times Editorial - Lake Tapps, Water for Fish, Cities and Recreation
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/2009097351_editb22water.html

RENEWABLE & ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Wenatchee World Editorial - When renewable is not renewable
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090421/OP02/704219875/1025/rss1025

Seattle Company Floats Idea for Floating Wind Farms (Voice of America)
http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2009-04-21-voa63.cfm

U.S. To Clear Way for Offshore Wind Farms (Chicago Tribune, IL)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-windfarm_wedapr22,0,7616411.story

Regional wind projects discussed in Clarkston (KLEW-TV, Lewiston, ID)
http://www.klewtv.com/news/local/43396842.html

Murray Explores Plan for Green Jobs (Associated Press)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10224638

Will Renewable Energy Cost Vermonters? (WCAX-TV, Montpelier, VT)
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=10223262

Progress Energy Will Offer Solar Water Heating Benefit (News & Observer, NC)
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/1495484.html

Green and Mean: The Downside Of Clean Energy (New Scientist)
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227041.300-green-and-mean-the-downside-of-clean-energy.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

City of Olympia cuts greenhouse gas output – Indulgences & Biofuels: Most of the 30 percent reduction comes from buying green power, use of biofuels in vehicles (The Olympian, Olympia, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/827726.html

Science Taking Backseat to Cost In Climate Debate (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009092859_apusclimatehearings.html?syndication=rss

High Cost Of Addressing Climate Challenged - Environmental group challenges claims that major reductions in greenhouse gases would lead to soaring energy costs (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009094697_apusclimatehearingscosts.html?syndication=rss

Con Ed Shrugs Off Carbon Tax (CNBC)
http://www.cnbc.com/id/30327946/

U.S. Prices Carbon Dioxide at More Than $13 a Ton in Draft Plan (Bloomberg News)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=an3CLLybVe8A&refer=canada

The Gospel of Green (Newsweek Magazine)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/194838?from=rss

Deloitte Survey: Energy Regulators in a Green State of Mind (Utility Automation And Engineering)
http://uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=22&ARTICLE_ID=359880&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

Net Tool Tracks Carbon Footprint by ZIP Code (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/22/BA9O176OMG.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Yahoo to Shed 600 To 700 Jobs after First-Quarter Results Fall Amid Worsening Slump (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009096169_apxearnsyahoo.html?syndication=rss

Oracle's Purchase of Sun Would Pose New Challenge for Microsoft (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoft/2009091731_oracleside21.html?syndication=rss

Microsoft's Negotiations with Yahoo Intensify (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoft/2009097778_msftyahoo22.html?syndication=rss

Profit Declined 9.7% in Quarter for AT&T (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/technology/companies/23phone.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

AT&T to Shut down Internet Phone Service (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/22/financial/f070525D00.DTL&feed=rss.business

GENERAL NEWS

Hood Canal Bridge Closure Looms (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009098251_hoodcanal22m.html?syndication=rss

Seattle Times Online Traffic Grows, PI.Com’s Questioned (Puget Sound Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2009/04/20/daily19.html?ana=from_rss

DIVERSIONS

Man vs. Cunning, Destructive Neighbor
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/43405322.html

Olympia City Council Votes against City Hall Bubbles
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/827719.html

OMG —140,000 Text Messages Results In $26,000 T-Mobile Bill
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12195817

Readings Show Four Corners Marker Off By 2.5 Miles
http://www.kirotv.com/travelgetaways/19240434/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

Green Green - The New Christy Minstrels (Why am I having flashbacks to “A Mighty Wind?”)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NvLkBA9vsQ&feature=PlayList&p=B61A5984B07DCDBA&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=62