Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Energy News Digest for July 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)

• Ohio Representative Gets $3.5 Billion Sweetener in Climate Bill; a New Power Marketing Administration
• BPA Payout - Some Avista Customers May See Rate Decrease
• Wenatchee - Alcoa Approves Spending $20 Million to Improve Electric Supply
• Residents Oppose Grant PUD’s Priest Rapids Park
• Bonneville Power Administration - Getting tough on foliage
• Chelan PUD Commissioners Agree on Governance Policy
• Oregon - Utilities Hold Open House to Explain Pipeline Routes
• Seattle Times Op/Ed - Nuclear Power Should Not Be Blindly Dismissed As Part of Total Energy Solution
• California Nuclear Reactor Shut Down For Blown Fuse
• Maryland Regulators OK 1,600 MW Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
• Exelon Delays Plan for Texas Nuclear Plant
• Nuclear Power Giant Areva to Sell Transmission Division to Raise Cash
• Columbia River Sockeye Returns Still Strong
• Priority Kitsap County Salmon Restoration Projects Remain on Waiting List
• Washington State Receives $16.4 Million for Coastal Restoration
• $2 Million to Aid Elwha River Restoration
• Administration Supports Klamath Settlement Delay
• California Otters Continue To Decline
• Lawsuit Filed Over Water For Franklin County Feedlot
• Less Talk and More Action for Yakima Basin Water Supply
• FEMA Letter Prompts Eviction of Snohomish River Flood Victims
• Strains in the Green-Growth Coalition
• Astorian Editorial - Rush to Wind Is like Haste for LNG
• Bremerton Port's Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Incubator Building May Never Sprout
• Navy Seeks Comments on Kinetic Power Project
• Report Issued On Success of California's Solar Program
• House Energy Bill No Boon for Green Investors
• AstroTurf - Ask Your State Representatives to Support Renewable Energy by 2020
• NHA Praises Secretary Chu's Vision for Hydropower
• Future for Plug-In Cars Linked To Electric Utilities
• Washington Times Op/Ed - Are Plug-In Electric Cars the New Ethanol?
• Nevada Energy Executives See Ecofriendly Future
• Passage of Climate-Change Bill Emerges From Heavy Weather in Wheeling, Dealing
• NY Times Op/Ed – Carbon Tax: Just Do It
• Boston Globe Op/Ed - No Climate Debate? Yes, There Is
• City of Richland - Broadening the Broadband Backbone to Get and Keep Business
• Obama Team Members to Fan Out On Summer Rural Tour
• Can the Free Market Provide Broadband for Everyone?
• Amazon Cutting State Ties To Avoid Sales Taxes
• Yahoo to Shutter Video Service It Bought for $160M
• China Backs Away From Internet Filter
• Going Green in the Data Center
• New Guide Gives Twitterific Advice
• McCleary is still Searching for Missing Girl
• 3.7 Quake under Whidbey Island Rattles Windows
• Fire Danger Growing In Dry Washington State
• Officials Say Fire Season in West Mild So Far
• State Fire Marshal’s Office Warns of Fireworks Dangers
• Grays Harbor County Loses Grant Money over Conflict of Interest
• Allyn-Area Voters Hear About Plan to Secede From Hospital District
• Nearly 1,700 Drivers Ticketed In First Year of State's Hands-Free Law
• Gannett Newspapers Laying Off 1,000 As Ad Sales Slide
• Olympia Press-Corps Loses another Voice

WORD OF THE DAY

Senary • \SENN-uh-ree \ • adjective – Of, based on, or characterized by six : compounded of six things or six part

“Seymore you insidious dolt!” thundered the Asian Studies professor to the cowering student. “Any idiot knows that a haiku doesn’t have a senary bone in its body. The first line is always five syllables, the second seven and the third, five.”

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

Ohio Representative Gets $3.5 Billion Sweetener in Climate Bill – “…what she wanted - a new federal power authority, similar to Washington state's Bonneville Power Administration, stocked with up to $3.5 billion in taxpayer money available for lending to renewable energy and economic development projects…” (Washington Times)
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/01/sweetener-helped-sway-vote-on-house-climate-bill/?feat=home_top5_shared

BPA Payout - Some Avista Customers May See Rate Decrease (Associated Press)
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/898018.html

Wenatchee - Alcoa Approves Spending $20 Million to Improve Electric Supply (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090630/NEWS04/706309969

Residents Oppose Grant PUD’s Priest Rapids Park (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)
http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/06/30/news/doc4a4a75c570ddd273646753.txt

Bonneville Power Administration - Getting tough on foliage (The Columbian, Vancouver, WA)
http://www.columbian.com/article/20090630/COMMUNITY03/707019986

Chelan PUD Commissioners Agree on Governance Policy (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://wenatcheeworld.com/article/20090630/NEWS04/706309979/1001/NEWS04

Oregon - Utilities Hold Open House to Explain Pipeline Routes (Oregon Public Radio)
http://news.opb.org/article/5337-utilities-holds-open-house-explain-pipeline-routes/

Seattle Times Op/Ed - Nuclear Power Should Not Be Blindly Dismissed As Part of Total Energy Solution
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2009403858_guest01morrison.html

California Nuclear Reactor Shut Down For Blown Fuse (Associated Press)
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Calif-nuclear-reactor-shut-apf-3407128329.html?x=0&.v=1

Maryland Regulators OK 1,600 MW Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant (Power Engineering)
http://pepei.pennnet.com/display_article/365428/6/ARTCL/none/PRODJ/1/Maryland-regulators-OK-1,600-MW-nuclear-power-plant/

Exelon Delays Plan for Texas Nuclear Plant (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/30/financial/f160326D89.DTL&feed=rss.business

Nuclear Power Giant Areva to Sell Transmission Division to Raise Cash (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2009403237_apusarevacapitalplan.html?syndication=rss

FISH & WILDLIFE

Columbia River Sockeye Returns Still Strong - Lake Washington sockeye figures show no surprises (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/reeltimenorthwest/2009401812__the_columbia_river_sockeye.html

Priority Kitsap County Salmon Restoration Projects Remain on Waiting List (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jun/30/priority-salmon-restoration-projects-remain-on/?partner=RSS

Washington State Receives $16.4 Million for Coastal Restoration (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009402584_webrestoration30.html?syndication=rss

$2 Million to Aid Elwha River Restoration (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)
http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090701/news/307019985

Administration Supports Klamath Settlement Delay (Oregon Public Radio)
http://news.opb.org/article/5335-administration-supports-klamath-settlement-delay/

California Otters Continue To Decline - Count finds lowest total since 2003 (Associated Press)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12730501

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Lawsuit Filed Over Water For Franklin County Feedlot - Drawing water for 30,000 cattle exempt from state permit requirement (Yakima Herald-Republic, WA)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/2009/06/30/07-01-09-water-suit

Less Talk and More Action for Yakima Basin Water Supply (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.kndu.com/global/story.asp?s=10622238

FEMA Letter Prompts Eviction of Snohomish River Flood Victims (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/49557167.html

Strains in the Green-Growth Coalition - The battle for candidate endorsements reveals some ideological divides between local environmentalists, developers, and independent thinkers who wonder if all urban growth is good (Crosscut Seattle)
http://crosscut.com/2009/07/01/mossback/19090/

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Astorian Editorial - Rush to Wind Is like Haste for LNG: The Columbia River is an example of our ability to alter nature, for good and ill
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=62145&TM=71910.62

Bremerton Port's Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Incubator Building May Never Sprout (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jun/30/seed-incubator-building-may-never-sprout/?partner=RSS

Navy Seeks Comments on Kinetic Power Project (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jun/30/navy-seeks-comments-on-kinetic-power-project/?partner=RSS

Report Issued On Success of California's Solar Program (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12726846

House Energy Bill No Boon for Green Investors - The impact on demand for renewable electric generation would be minimal (Forbes Magazine)
http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/29/waxman-markey-electricity-business-energy-green-investments.html

AstroTurf - Ask Your State Representatives to Support Renewable Energy by 2020 “…A definition of ‘renewable energy’ that doesn't include technologies that can inflict environmental damage, such as large hydroelectric dams…” (Change.org)
http://globalwarming.change.org/actions/view/ask_your_state_representatives_to_support_renewable_energy_by_2020

NHA Praises Secretary Chu's Vision for Hydropower - DOE Investment will spur development in key water power technologies (Renewable Energy World)
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/national-hydropower-association/news/article/2009/06/nha-praises-secretary-chus-vision-for-hydropower?cmpid=rss

Future for Plug-In Cars Linked To Electric Utilities (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE56009V20090701

Washington Times Op/Ed - Are Plug-In Electric Cars the New Ethanol?
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Are-plug-in-electric-cars-the-new-ethanol-49553372.html

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Nevada Energy Executives See Ecofriendly Future - Company files three-year plan with Nevada Public Utilities Commission (Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV)
http://www.lvrj.com/business/49591717.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Passage of Climate-Change Bill Emerges From Heavy Weather in Wheeling, Dealing (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2009405259_climate01.html

NY Times Op/Ed – Carbon Tax: Just Do It
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/opinion/01friedman.html?ref=opinion

Boston Globe Op/Ed - No Climate Debate? Yes, There Is
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/07/01/no_climate_debate_yes_there_is/

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

City of Richland - Broadening the Broadband Backbone to Get and Keep Business (KEPR-TV, Tri-Cities)
http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/49557212.html

Obama Team Members to Fan Out On Summer Rural Tour (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009403744_apusobamaruraltour.html?syndication=rss

Can the Free Market Provide Broadband for Everyone? (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/07/01/can-the-free-market-provide-broadband-for-everyone/

Amazon Cutting State Ties To Avoid Sales Taxes - As revenue-hungry states eye Internet retailers as possible sources of new taxes, Amazon.com is firing back. (San Jose Mercury News, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_12725988

Yahoo to Shutter Video Service It Bought for $160M (San Francisco Business Times)
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/06/29/daily49.html?ana=from_rss

China Backs Away From Internet Filter (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE55O0EO20090630?feedType=nl&feedName=ustechnology

Going Green in the Data Center (Network World)
http://www.networkworld.com/subnets/cisco/063009-ch1-going-green-in-the-data-center.html

New Guide Gives Twitterific Advice (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/01/financial/f082406D44.DTL&feed=rss.business

GENERAL NEWS

McCleary’s still Searching for Missing Girl (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/06/30/local_news/doc4a4a53f8addf4694664243.txt

3.7 Quake under Whidbey Island Rattles Windows (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009406273_apwawhidbeyquake2ndldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Fire Danger Growing In Dry Washington State (KING-TV, Seattle)
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_070109WAB-fire-danger-LJ.2511ff1b.html?rss

Officials Say Fire Season in West Mild So Far (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/30/state/n172658D06.DTL&feed=rss.business

State Fire Marshal’s Office Warns of Fireworks Dangers (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/796459.html

Grays Harbor County Loses Grant Money over Conflict of Interest (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)
http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2009/06/30/local_news/doc4a4a546588de5607766745.txt

Allyn-Area Voters Hear About Plan to Secede From Hospital District (The Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/jun/30/allyn-area-voters-hear-about-plan-to-secede-from/?partner=RSS

Nearly 1,700 Drivers Ticketed In First Year of State's Hands-Free Law (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)
http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/crime/2009/07/01/1_659_drivers_ticketed_in_first_year_of_

Gannett Newspapers Laying Off 1,000 As Ad Sales Slide (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE56000920090701?feedType=nl&feedName=usbeforethebell

Olympia Press-Corps Loses another Voice (writer, actually): Adam Wilson (The Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/politicsblog/story/897436.html

DIVERSIONS

$16 Million in Canadian Gold Goes Missing In Mint Security Meltdown
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/07/01/2613075.htm

Man Had Boss Killed To Save Job?
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE55T4VO20090630?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Mosquito Repellent Firm in Dock for Mosquito Breeding
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE55T4UV20090630?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Man Allegedly Drenches Wife with Hose for Smoking
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090701/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_smoking_attack;_ylt=AriL9u1LIhCqTLn.lpV.x9_tiBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJtcG5tZGU2BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkwNzAxL3VzX29kZF9zbW9raW5nX2F0dGFjawRjcG9zAzIEcG9zAzMEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDbWFuYWxsZWdlZGx5

SONG OF THE DAY

Shirley Bassey – Goldfinger (sung a LITTLE broadly here….)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51Wg6k9cWhM