Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Energy News Digest for December 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)

• Intalco Smelter Gets Some Breathing Room, Support on Power Deal
• BPA deal will keep Intalco smelter running
• Power Contract Gives Lifeline to Big Smelter
• Awkward Juxtaposition - BPA Power Caps Force Utilities to Look Elsewhere
• BPA Eliminates Four Segments from Transmission Line Proposal
• Mason County PUD 1 & PUD 3 Weatherization Grant - Contact the Correct Utility
• Grays Harbor PUD Completes Electrical System Improvements
• Bolz to Lead Chelan PUD Board
• Did We Just Wave Goodbye to Last New Florida Coal Plant?
• New Report Charts Columbia Salmon Progress
• Avista to Draw Down Lake Spokane
• Editorial - Water Storage Can Provide Many Benefits
• Gregoire Approves Final Clean Water Projects
• California - Desert Vistas vs. Solar Power
• California - New Group Seeks to Bring Greener Power to Marin County
• Editorial - Pacific Northwest: Going Green, Yielding Gold
• US Renewable Energy Generation to Double by 2012
• British Columbia Homes for Sale to Have Energy Ratings
• LED Holiday Light Sales Boom
• Inadequate Oversight Cited in Illinois Weatherization Program
• Video Games Can Be Energy Hogs. Three Tips to Cut Your Power Bill
• China Blasts Claim It ‘Hijacked’ Climate Talks
• Carbon Falls on Weak Copenhagen Deal
• Time for a Climate Change Plan B
• Cash cows boost carbon trading
• Study Shows ‘Green’ Shoppers More Likely to Cheat
• Report: FBI Probes Multi-Million Dollar Hacker Attack on Citigroup
• White House Picks New Cyber Coordinator
• Firefox 3.5 Now World’s Most Popular Browser
• Comcast Settles Throttling Class Action - $16 million
• Forecast Calls for More Clouds in Computing
• Two Sheriff’s Officers Badly Hurt in Washington State Shooting
• Court: Microsoft Violated Patent; Can’t Sell Word
• Shelton Sending Urban Growth Area Agreement to Mason County
• Thurston County Commissioners Recall Bid Tossed
• Maine to Consider Cell Phone Cancer Warning
• Jones Soda Considering Bid to Sell to Big Red for $7.9 Million

WORD OF THE DAY

Shamanism • \SHAW-mun-iz-um\ • noun – A religion practiced by indigenous peoples of far northern Europe and Siberia that is characterized by belief in an unseen world of gods, demons, and ancestral spirits responsive only to the shamans; also: any similar religion

Norbert viewed his IS department as nearly a shamanistic cult. He would pound on his keyboard in frustration when his computer began to act up; especially since his rudimentary problem solving skills could not pierce the mysterious veil of technical trickery. It was almost as if his help desk consulted with dark spirits before instantly solving any situation with a simple keystroke.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast & 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

Intalco Smelter Gets Some Breathing Room, Support on Power Deal (Bellingham Herald, WA)
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/255/story/1213324.html?storylink=omni_popular

BPA deal will keep Intalco smelter running – Gregoire says she’ll join BPA in challenging federal court over improper sales (KOMO-TV, Seattle)
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/79840682.html

Power Contract Gives Lifeline to Big Smelter (Northwest Public Radio)
http://www.nwpr.org/07/HomepageArticles/Article.aspx?n=6569

Awkward Juxtaposition - BPA Power Caps Force Utilities to Look Elsewhere (Portland Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/12/21/story7.html?ana=from_rss

BPA Eliminates Four Segments from Transmission Line Proposal (Daily News, Longview, WA)
http://www.tdn.com/news/article_42355238-ee84-11de-99e0-001cc4c002e0.html

Mason County PUD 1 & PUD 3 Weatherization Grant - Contact the Correct Utility (Mason County PUD No. 3)
http://www.masonpud3.org/newsdisplay.aspx?newsid=648

Grays Harbor PUD Completes Electrical System Improvements (KBKW Radio, Aberdeen, WA)
http://kbkw.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1259

Bolz to Lead Chelan PUD Board (Wenatchee World, WA)
http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2009/dec/22/bolz-to-lead-chelan-pud-board/

Did We Just Wave Goodbye to Last New Florida Coal Plant? (St Petersburg Times, FL)
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/did-we-just-wave-goodbye-to-last-new-florida-coal-plant/1060413

FISH & WILDLIFE

New Report Charts Columbia Salmon Progress - Dam improvements on course to meet fish protection targets (Bonneville Power Administration)
http://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/1582/432975/

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Avista to Draw Down Lake Spokane (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/dec/22/avista-draw-down-lake-spokane/

Salem Statesman-Journal - Water Storage Can Provide Many Benefits (Oregon)
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20091222/OPINION/912220303/1046

Gregoire Approves Final Clean Water Projects (Tacoma Daily Index)
http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1684330&more=0

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

California - Desert Vistas vs. Solar Power (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/business/energy-environment/22solar.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

California - New Group Seeks to Bring Greener Power to Marin County (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/business/energy-environment/20sfpower.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Everett Herald Editorial - Pacific Northwest: Going Green, Yielding Gold
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091222/OPINION01/712229967

US Renewable Energy Generation to Double by 2012 (Memphis Business Journal)
http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2009/12/21/story8.html?ana=from_rss

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

British Columbia Homes for Sale to Have Energy Ratings (Victoria Times-Colonist, BC)
http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Homes+sale+have+energy+ratings/2365394/story.html

LED Holiday Light Sales Boom (NY Times)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/led-holiday-light-sales-boom/

Inadequate Oversight Cited in Illinois Weatherization Program (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/us/22illinois.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Video Games Can Be Energy Hogs. Three Tips to Cut Your Power Bill (Christian Science Monitor)
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Bright-Green/2009/1221/Video-games-can-be-energy-hogs.-Three-tips-to-cut-your-power-bill.

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

China Blasts Claim It ‘Hijacked’ Climate Talks (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010567472_apaschinabritainclimate.html?syndication=rss

Carbon Falls on Weak Copenhagen Deal (The Telegraph, UK)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/6859752/Carbon-falls-on-weak-Copenhagen-deal.html

Time for a Climate Change Plan B (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704107604574607793378860698.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Cash cows boost carbon trading (Canada.com)
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=0f804796-c633-417f-8ea5-9fe3e311ea1d&k=39839

Study Shows ‘Green’ Shoppers More Likely to Cheat (Vancouver Sun, BC)
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Study+shows+Green+shoppers+more+likely+cheat/2362923/story.html

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Report: FBI Probes Multi-Million Dollar Hacker Attack on Citigroup (Associated Press)
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_14048614

White House Picks New Cyber Coordinator (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2010563887_apususcyberczar.html?syndication=rss

Firefox 3.5 Now World’s Most Popular Browser (GigaOM)
http://gigaom.com/2009/12/21/firefox-3-5-now-worlds-most-popular-browser/

Comcast Settles Throttling Class Action - $16 million for packet forgery shenanigans (Broadband Reports)
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Comcast-Settles-Throttling-Class-Action-106097

Forecast Calls for More Clouds in Computing (SF Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/21/BUOH1B6B6L.DTL&feed=rss.news

GENERAL NEWS

Two Sheriff’s Officers Badly Hurt in Washington State Shooting (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010567516_apusofficershooting11thldwritethru.html?syndication=rss

Court: Microsoft Violated Patent; Can’t Sell Word (Associated Press)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010568355_apusmicrosoftpatent.html?syndication=rss

Shelton Sending Urban Growth Area Agreement to Mason County (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)
http://masoncountydailynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=915:shelton-sending-u-g-a-agreement-to-mason-county-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50

Thurston County Commissioners Recall Bid Tossed (Olympian, WA)
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/1078964.html

Maine to Consider Cell Phone Cancer Warning (Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/12/20/national/a090209S54.DTL&feed=rss.news

Jones Soda Considering Bid to Sell to Big Red for $7.9 Million (Seattle Times)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010563675_jonessoda22.html?syndication=rss

ALLIGATORS IN THE SEWER - DIVERSIONS

Boston Mom Calls 911 over Son’s Video Game Habit
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2010567661_apusoddvideogame911call.html?syndication=rss

Rent to Own? Police Say Couple Rented to Steal
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/theblotter/2010565515_rent_to_own_police_say_couple.html?syndication=rss

Las Vegas Woman Victim of Foreclosure Mistake
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=11710384

Eau Contraire - English Priest Says Shoplifting OK at Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010567775_apeubritainshopliftingok.html?syndication=rss

Man Commandeers NYC Garage, Charges Parkers - Police Arrest Suspect for Burglary, Criminal Impersonation
http://www.kirotv.com/automotive/22028275/detail.html

SONG OF THE DAY

The Gold Standard: Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOszvL9lgSs

The Author: Mel Torme - The Christmas Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhNM--Qyxp4&feature=related