Monday, June 1, 2009

Energy News Digest for June 1, 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)

- Canada – Okanogan PUD’s Shanker's Bend Project: Flood of Anger
- June 7 Power Outage is Planned for Skamania County
- 13.5 Percent - Idaho State Regulators Approve Power Rate Increase
- Manager Fills Top Chelan County PUD Energy Post
- Seattle Times Op/Ed - Liftoff for the New Apollo Energy Project
- Kansas - Westar Gets Third Rate Hike This Year
- Shattuck Addresses Constellation's Bumpy Year
- New Mexico’s Smart Grid Might Be Too Smart
- University Of Idaho Utility Executives Course Provides Critical Energy Info
- Crapo: Be Open to Dam Breaching (and NOT breaching too)
- Spokesman Review Op/Ed - Judge Endangers Salmon, Dams Plan
- Breaching Northwest Dams: Push Comes To Shove
- “Jack Salmon” - Bounty of Small Salmon Creates Columbia River Mystery
- Ten Sea Lions Killed Near Bonneville Dam This Season
- Yukon River Villagers Protest Slash in King Salmon Harvest
- Feds Release Lake Ozette Sockeye Salmon Plan
- Tri-City Herald Editorial - Stocking Cascade Lakes Time-Tested Enhancement
- Olympian Op/Ed - Taylor Shellfish Not Part Of Duck Hunting in Eld Inlet
- Oregon - Bill to Tap Columbia River for Aquifer Recharge Stays Afloat
- Lake Chelan Dam Spill to Begin June 8
- Raw Sewage Pouring into Harbor off Bainbridge Island
- Tunnel Problem Delays New King County Sewage Plant
- Capitol Lake - Estuary or Lake
- Flooding Reshapes Waterfalls in Grand Canyon
- Groups Ask EPA to Ban Lead Tire Weights
- Obama move to cut wave power funding upsets NW advocates
- Washington State Wind Power Tax-Break Should Save Cowlitz PUD $1.2 Million
- Tri-Cities Wind Turbine Blade Plant Could Bring 600 Jobs
- The Switch: Cascades Make Oregon a Geothermal ‘Hotbed’
- Hastings Visits REC – Silicon Company Applies to Become Foreign Trade Zone
- Betting the Farm - Wind for a Generation: From Humble Start To Mega 'What Ifs'
- Solar Panel Project Planned At Anacortes High School
- Holland - Energy from Pig Slurry Helps Fight Climate Change
- Biomass Power Generates Traction
- Wartsila Engines Running on Biofuels
- Deadlines Loom for Stimulus' Green Grants
- Energy-Efficient Appliances Can Cut Costs
- Green Promise Seen in Switch to LED Lighting
- Carbon Sequestration - Stimulus Money at Work against Climate Change
- Montana Electricity Co-ops worry about costs of cap-and-trade approach
- GOP Attacks Democrats for Climate Proposal
- Free Carbon Emissions Permits Could Create Added Costs
- Duke Energy Boss Say Obama's Plan Will Drive Up Rates
- Expecting New Tax, Firm Prepares to Track Carbon
- Washington Post Op/Ed - Cap-and-Trade: All Cost, No Benefit
- Topeka Capitol-Journal Op/Ed - Enron's Kyoto Protocols for Global Warming
- Texas Lags As Nation Shifts To Green Policies
- Oregon Health Network to Receive $20M for Rural Hospital Broadband
- Rural Broadband Report Takes 'Middle' Road, But Fiber Shines
- New Data Center Model Reduces Energy Use Up To 50%
- No Foul Play - Mason General Hospital Anesthesiologist Found Dead
- Historic Shelton Church Could Be Demolished
- Hood Canal Bridge Draw Span Testing to Start Tuesday Morning
- More Roadside Trash? Blame Wash. State Budget Cuts
- Radar A “No Duh” For Coast
- Does 'smart growth' also create more sprawl?
- Sign, Sign, Everywhere (An Illegal) Sign
- Olympia Makes Kiplinger's Top Cities List
- Seattle Radio Rankings Shaken Up

WORD OF THE DAY

Malinger • \muh-LING-gur\ • verb - To pretend or exaggerate incapacity or illness (as to avoid duty or work)

After repeated calls, the energy news digest finally staggered into the office claiming that due to illness the example sentence for the “Word of the Day” would be less than stellar. Suspecting that the digest would malinger all morning, I applied a gentle, but soothing lexicological laxative. Let’s just say it worked…

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

Canada – Okanogan PUD’s Shanker's Bend Project: Flood of Anger (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/flood-of-anger/article1161201/

June 7 Power Outage is Planned for Skamania County - BPA will be upgrading transmission lines (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090530/NEWS02/705309962/Power+outage+is+planned+for+Skamania+County

13.5 Percent - Idaho State Regulators Approve Power Rate Increase (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/865609.html

Manager Fills Top Chelan County PUD Energy Post (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090529/NEWS04/705299966?Manager-fills-top-PUD-energy-post

Seattle Times Op/Ed - Liftoff for the New Apollo Energy Project: The House Energy and Commerce Committee has approved legislation that could help build a cleaner-energy economy for the United States, writes U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2009278200_opinb30inslee.html?syndication=rss

Kansas - Westar Gets Third Rate Hike This Year: The increase will pay for environmental upgrades to the company's fossil-fuel-powered plants (Kansas City Star, MO)
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1223969.html

Shattuck Addresses Constellation's Bumpy Year - Constellation CEO faces shareholders after near collapse of company, aborted Buffett merger (Baltimore Sun, MD)
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.constellation30may30,0,2441214.story

New Mexico’s Smart Grid Might Be Too Smart - Stimulus guidelines could limit funding for complex, integrated systems (New Mexico Business Weekly)
http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/06/01/story7.html?ana=from_rss

University Of Idaho Utility Executives Course Provides Critical Energy Info (Idaho Business Review)
http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2009/06/01/Utility-executives-course-provides-critical-energy-info

FISH & WILDLIFE

Crapo: Be Open to Dam Breaching - Idaho's senior senator says he's willing to wade into the region's most heated issue (Idaho Statesman, Boise) Methinks Rocky is reading too much into this: “‘…Does that mean dam breaching must be on the table?’ he said. ‘Yes. But that also means not dam breaching must be on the table.’"
http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews/story/786301.html

Spokesman Review Op/Ed - Judge Endangers Salmon, Dams Plan (Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/may/30/judge-endangers-salmon-dams-plan/

Breaching Northwest Dams: Push Comes To Shove - Judge Redden is nudging the administration that way on the Columbia, and we're about to have some test cases on the Elwha and the Klamath. The departure of the Bush administration could make a big difference (Crosscut Seattle)
http://crosscut.com/2009/05/29/animals-wildlife/19026/

“Jack Salmon” - Bounty of Small Salmon Creates Columbia River Mystery (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009279676_salmon30m.html

Ten Sea Lions Killed Near Bonneville Dam This Season (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/06/ten_sea_lions_killed_near_bonn.html

Yukon River Villagers Protest Slash in King Salmon Harvest (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009281681_apakyukonriversalmon1stldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Feds Release Lake Ozette Sockeye Salmon Plan (KONP Radio, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.konp.com/local/4786

Tri-City Herald Editorial - Stocking Cascade Lakes Time-Tested Enhancement
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/962/story/597430.html

Olympian Op/Ed - Taylor Shellfish Not Part Of Duck Hunting Issue in Eld Inlet
http://www.theolympian.com/opinion/story/866116.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Oregon - Bill to Tap Columbia River for Aquifer Recharge Stays Afloat: Bill would dedicate $2.5M to project (Associated Press)
http://eastoregonian.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=93326&SectionID=13&SubSectionID=48

Lake Chelan Dam Spill to Begin June 8 (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090530/NEWS04/705309996?Lake-Chelan-Dam-spill-to-begin-June-8

Raw Sewage Pouring into Harbor off Bainbridge Island (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009284656_sewage01m.html

Tunnel Problem Delays New King County Sewage Plant (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/867758.html

Capitol Lake - Estuary or Lake: Advisory board preferences expected this summer (The Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/localnewsfeed/story/865917.html

Flooding Reshapes Waterfalls in Grand Canyon (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/31/us/31canyon.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Groups Ask EPA to Ban Lead Tire Weights (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/31/BAJB17TLD7.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Obama move to cut wave power funding upsets NW advocates (The Bellingham Herald, WA)
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/477/story/929938.html

Washington State Wind Power Tax-Break Should Save Cowlitz PUD $1.2 Million (The Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/articles/2009/06/01/area_news/doc4a22b97eef287147930097.txt

Tri-Cities Wind Turbine Blade Plant Could Bring 600 Jobs (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/business/story/761937.html

The Switch: Cascades Make Oregon a Geothermal ‘Hotbed’ (Oregon Public Broadcasting)
http://news.opb.org/article/5102-switch-cascades-make-oregon-geothermal-hotbed/

Hastings Visits REC – Silicon Company Applies to Become Foreign Trade Zone “…one concern involves a federal proposal that could tax industries and entities for the use of carbon-based fuels…” (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/05/29/news/doc4a20425915101716463786.txt

Betting the Farm - Wind for a Generation: From Humble Start To Mega 'What Ifs' (Idaho Business Review)
http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2009/06/01/Wind-for-a-generation-From-humble-start-to-mega-what-ifs

Solar Panel Project Planned At Anacortes High School (Anacortes America, WA)
http://www.goskagit.com/home/article/solar_panel_project_planned_at_ahs/

Holland - Energy from Pig Slurry Helps Fight Climate Change (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009283444_apeunetherlandspigsandco2.html?syndication=rss

Biomass Power Generates Traction (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124381655398570779.html

Wartsila Engines Running on Biofuels (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/06/wrtsil-engines-running-on-biofuels?cmpid=rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Deadlines Loom for Stimulus' Green Grants (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2009-05-31-goinggreen_N.htm

Energy-Efficient Appliances Can Cut Costs (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009281555_pfmoneytip31.html?syndication=rss

Green Promise Seen in Switch to LED Lighting (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/science/earth/30degrees.html?th&emc=th

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Carbon Sequestration - Bellevue Firm Puts Stimulus Money to Work against Climate Change (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009282088_co2capture31.html

Montana Electricity Co-ops worry about costs of cap-and-trade approach - Factions squabble over what legislation would mean to the cost of electricity for consumers (Billings Gazette, MT)
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/06/01/news/local/18-capandtrade.txt

GOP Attacks Democrats for Climate Proposal (Associated Press)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5giKvz3EwJs6_tEiZGzBFY_64p0bwD98GGAL80

Free Carbon Emissions Permits Could Create Added Costs (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/05/29/29greenwire-free-carbon-emissions-permits-could-create-add-73326.html

Duke Energy Boss Say Obama's Plan Will Drive Up Rates (Austin Star Telegram, TX)
http://www.star-telegram.com/464/story/1406368.html

Expecting New Tax, Firm Prepares to Track Carbon (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/technology/start-ups/01carbon.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Washington Post Op/Ed - Cap-and-Trade: All Cost, No Benefit
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/31/AR2009053102077.html

Topeka Capitol-Journal Op/Ed - Enron's Kyoto Protocols for Global Warming: “…Remember Enron…Enron owed part of its early success to emissions trading…”
http://www.cjonline.com/interact/blog/reasonmclucus/2009-06-01/enrons_kyoto_protocals_for_global_warming

Texas Lags As Nation Shifts To Green Policies (Dallas Morning News, TX)http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/state/stories/060109dnbustexasenergy.44bd41e.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Nonprofit Oregon Health Network to Receive $20M for Rural Hospital Broadband (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/05/25/daily34.html?ana=from_rss

Rural Broadband Report Takes 'Middle' Road, But Fiber Shines (Utility Automation & Engineering)
http://lw.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ARTCL&SubSection=Display&PUBLICATION_ID=13&ARTICLE_ID=363584

New Data Center Model Reduces Energy Use Up To 50% (Environmental Leader)
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/05/29/new-data-center-model-reduces-energy-use-up-to-50/

GENERAL NEWS

No Foul Play - Mason General Hospital Anesthesiologist Found Dead (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://www.masoncountydailynews.com/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1897/smid/3468/ArticleID/7413/reftab/1632/t/M-G-H-ANESTHESIOLGIST-FOUND-DEAD/Default.aspx

Historic Shelton Church Could Be Demolished (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_060109WAB-shelton-church-endangered-SW.3a195fc8.html?rss

Hood Canal Bridge Draw Span Testing to Start Tuesday Morning; last big test before floating span reopens to traffic (Port Townsend Leader, WA)
http://www.ptleader.com/Main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=24363

More Roadside Trash? Blame Wash. State Budget Cuts (KIRO Radio, Seattle)
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=172922

Radar A “No Duh” For Coast (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/05/30/local_news/doc4a201fa5b0908947932468.txt

Does 'smart growth' also create more sprawl? Urban density, a Seattle and Portland mantra, is supposed to constrain sprawl, but a new analysis suggests that vital, dense cities produce bigger suburbs too (Crosscut Seattle)
http://crosscut.com/2009/05/27/mossback/19015/

Sign, Sign, Everywhere (An Illegal) Sign - Roadside ads: County tries to combat placard proliferation (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA – And, 25 cents to the Five Man Electrical Band)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/761878.html

Olympia Makes Kiplinger's Top Cities List (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_052909WAB-kiplinger-cities-KS.2b6c5b69.html?rss

Seattle Radio Rankings Shaken Up – In new Arbitron rating method talk radio drops off the map (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009284439_radio01m.html?syndication=rss

DIVERSIONS

Dead-On Zombie Costume Gets Man Arrested
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/406716_zombie29.html?source=rss

Lightning Stings Oregon Fast-Food Employee
http://www.examiner.com/a-2044927~Lightning_stings_fast_food_employee_in_S__Ore_.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

Oh, the Humanity! Port a Potties Burst into Flames Spreading to Nearby Trees and Brush in Union Gap
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10447547

SONG OF THE DAY

Signs – Five Man Electrical Band
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1Q7cP3ij5g