Energy News Digest for July 9, 2010

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

HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

Bonneville Power Administration Says Power Supply Should be Fine (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/07/09/1086277/bpa-power-supply-should-be-fine.html

World on Track for Warmest Year on Record in 2010, U.S. Scientist Says

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-08/world-on-track-for-warmest-year-on-record-in-2010-u-s-scientist-says.html

Idaho Falls Must Hold Vote before Renewing Contract to Buy Electricity (Associated Press)

http://www.startribune.com/business/98068539.html

Wood-Fired Power Plant - Mason County Commission NOT Holding Health Forum on ADAGE (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/2665-mason-county-commission-not-holding-health-forum-on-adage-

Richland breaks ground on solar power test project (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/07/09/1299435/richland-breaks-ground-on-solar.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

·         Bonneville Power Administration Says Power Supply Should be Fine

·         Seattle Heats Up: No Sweat, Says City Light

·         4,200 South Mason Customers Have Electricity Restored (

·         Idaho Falls Must Hold Vote before Renewing Contract to Buy Electricity

·         Bonneville Power Administration Sets up Website to Monitor Power Consumption

·         Utilities Face the Decision Point of Big Shifts -- to Gas, Renewables & Efficiency

·         Editorial - Nuclear Regulatory Commission Seems Tainted on Yucca Mountain Decision

·         Backers of Palomar Gas Pipeline Say Project Is in Limbo

·         Obama Wants Billions More in Energy Tax Credits

·         Texas Dereg - Rule on Switching Power Providers Prompts Clash

·         24 Employees Laid Off at Alcoa Plant in Arkansas

·         AREVA Pursues Clean Energy Park Project in New Brunswick

·         Shellfish Toxin Found at Lethal Levels in Whatcom County

·         Kittitas County Seeks Water Permit Guidance

·         Smog Advisory Continues in Portland

·         California - Central Coast Growers, Environmentalists Spar over Proposed Water Quality Rules

·         Op/Ed - Public & Private: Restoring a Montana Spring Creek

·         Wood-Fired Power Plant - Mason County Commission NOT Holding Health Forum on ADAGE

·         Biomass Projects in Oregon Awarded $3 Million

·         Wood - Is Our Favorite Renewable Energy Source a Disaster?

·         Richland Breaks Ground On Solar Power Test Project

·         Massachusetts Attorney General Seeks Cape Wind’s Profit Estimates

·         Pickens Stops Plans for Wind Farm in Texas

·         Sacramento Municipal Utility District Signs 20-Year Deal for 60 Megawatts of Solar Power

·         North Carolina - Environmental Group Says Solar Power Costs Less than Nuclear

·         Why Renewable Energy Is at an Impasse

·         Going Green Doesn’t Work

·         Pennsylvania - Walking Tour of Wallenpaupack Dam

·         Editorial - Public Buildings Are Setting High ‘Green’ Standards in Olympia

·         World on Track for Warmest Year on Record in 2010, U.S. Scientist Says

·         Battle over California Climate Law Will Have National Ripple Effect

·         Sea Otters worth $700 Million in Carbon Credits

·         Sky’s the Limit for Kite Power

·         Spokane Ball Club Switches to Green Power

·         Oh Look, a Swamp Cooler - Beat the Heat with Your Green Homemade Air Conditioner

·         Dressing Down for the Heat - Might We Do as the Romans Do?

·         Bill to Ban San Francisco Pet Sales (Except for Fish) Aimed at Pet Owners?

·         Intuit Becoming An Online Services Company – Focuses on Quincy Operations

·         By the Numbers: Nearly Half a Billion Broadband Subscribers Worldwide

·         Internet Service Providers May Rage, But Uncle Sam Supports City-Owned Internet

·         Washington State Treasurer Says Standard & Poor’s Wrongly ‘Destroying’ State’s Fiscal Reputation

·         Senate Transportation Committee Chairwoman Seeks Nalley Valley Viaduct Query

·         Record Heat Throws High 90’s at Us - Cooler temperatures expected into the weekend

·         Body of Missing Boater Found in Mason County, Identified

·         Arson Suspected - Police Targeted in Fire at New Olympia City Hall

·         Greenpeace Founder Dies

·         East Grays Harbor County - Plans for New Mark Reed Hospital Unveiled

·         Get Facts Before Digging Viaduct Tunnel - You Dig?

·         Dissension over Ending Saturday Mail Delivery

·         Belfair Farmers Market: Where Family Traditions Are Made

WORD OF THE DAY

Struthious • \STROO-thee-us\ • adjective - Of or relating to the ostriches & related birds

“Digging a big hole in the ground underneath Seattle,” brayed the struthious tunnel supporter. “What could go wrong? Brightwater notwithstanding,” he uttered in sotto voce.

Did you know? “Struthious” can be scientific and literal, or it can be figurative with the meaning “ostrich-like,” as in our example sentence. The extended use suggests a tendency to bury one’s head in the sand like an ostrich. But do ostriches really do this? No -- the bird’s habit of lying down and flattening its neck and head against the ground to escape detection gave rise to the misconception. The word “struthious” has been fully visible in English since the 18th century. “Ostrich” is much older. Anglo-French speakers created “ostriz” from Vulgar Latin “avis struthio” (“ostrich bird”); Middle English speakers made it “ostrich” in the 13th century. Scientists seeking a genus word for ostriches turned back to Latin, choosing “struthio.”

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

Bonneville Power Administration Says Power Supply Should be Fine (Tri-City Herald, WA)

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2010/07/09/1086277/bpa-power-supply-should-be-fine.html

Seattle Heats Up: No Sweat, Says City Light (Puget Sound Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2010/07/05/daily27.html

4,200 South Mason Customers Have Electricity Restored (Mason County PUD No. 3)

http://www.masonpud3.org/Newsdisplay.aspx?NewsID=745

Idaho Falls Must Hold Vote before Renewing Contract to Buy Electricity (Associated Press)

http://www.startribune.com/business/98068539.html

Bonneville Power Administration Sets up Website to Monitor Power Consumption (Portland Business Journal)

http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2010/07/05/daily25.html

Utilities Face the Decision Point of Big Shifts -- to Gas, Renewables & Efficiency “…120 coal-fired power plant projects were canceled over the last decade because of environmental & financing issues…” (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/07/09/09climatewire-utilities-face-the-decision-point-of-big-shi-27535.html

Editorial - Nuclear Regulatory Commission Seems Tainted on Yucca Mountain Decision (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2012311883_kate09.html

Backers of Palomar Gas Pipeline Say Project Is in Limbo (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/07/backers_of_palomar_gas_pipelin.html

Obama Wants Billions More in Energy Tax Credits (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/09/AR2010070901269.html

Texas Dereg - Rule on Switching Power Providers Prompts Clash: Consumers with unpaid bills would be barred from switching (Houston Chronicle, TX)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/energy/7100317.html

24 Employees Laid Off at Alcoa Plant in Arkansas (KFSM-TV, Fayetteville, AR)

http://www.kfsm.com/news/sns-ap-ar--alcoa-arklayoffs,0,7184899.story

AREVA Pursues Clean Energy Park Project in New Brunswick (Energy Online)

http://www.energyonline.com/Industry/News.aspx?NewsID=7456&AREVA_Pursues_Clean_Energy_Park_Project_in_New_Brunswick

FISH & WILDLIFE

Shellfish Toxin Found at Lethal Levels in Whatcom County (KING-TV, Seattle)

http://www.king5.com/news/local/SHELLFISH-TOXIN-FOUND-AT-LETHAL-LEVELS-98058154.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Kittitas County Seeks Water Permit Guidance (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)

http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2010/07/08/kittitas-co-seeks-permit-guidance

Smog Advisory Continues in Portland (NW Cable News)

http://www.nwcn.com/news/Smog-Advisory-continues-in-Portland-98122289.html

California - Central Coast Growers, Environmentalists Spar over Proposed Water Quality Rules (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15477074

Op/Ed - Public & Private: Restoring a Montana Spring Creek (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/opinion/09fri4.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Wood-Fired Power Plant - Mason County Commission NOT Holding Health Forum on ADAGE (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/2665-mason-county-commission-not-holding-health-forum-on-adage-

Biomass Projects in Oregon Awarded $3 Million (Daily Journal of Commerce, Oregon)

http://djcoregon.com/news/2010/07/08/biomass-projects-in-oregon-awarded-3m/

Wood - Is Our Favorite Renewable Energy Source a Disaster? (The New Republic)

http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-vine/76135/how-clean-americas-favorite-renewable-source

Richland Breaks Ground On Solar Power Test Project (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/07/09/1299435/richland-breaks-ground-on-solar.html

Massachusetts Attorney General Seeks Cape Wind’s Profit Estimates (Boston Globe, MA)

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/07/09/ag_seeks_cape_winds_profit_estimates/

Pickens Stops Plans for Wind Farm in Texas (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.downtoearthnw.com/stories/2009/jul/08/pickens-stops-plans-for-wind-farm-in-texas/

Sacramento Municipal Utility District Signs 20-Year Deal for 60 Megawatts of Solar Power (Sacramento Business Journal)

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2010/07/05/daily27.html

North Carolina - Environmental Group Says Solar Power Costs Less than Nuclear (News & Observer, Raleigh, NC)

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/07/09/571948/warn-solar-power-costs-less-than.html

Why Renewable Energy Is at an Impasse (Minyanville)

http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/renewable-energy-energy-sector-nuclear-power/7/7/2010/id/29072

Going Green Doesn’t Work (Front Page Magazine - Check out the photo…Yikes!)

http://frontpagemag.com/2010/07/09/going-green-doesn%E2%80%99t-work/

Pennsylvania - Walking Tour of Wallenpaupack Dam “…learn about how the lake was created & how it produces clean, renewable energy…” (Pocono Record, Stroudsburg, PA)

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100709/LOCALENT/7090328/-1/NEWSMAP

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Editorial - Public Buildings Are Setting High ‘Green’ Standards in Olympia (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/07/09/1299166/public-buildings-are-setting-high.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

World on Track for Warmest Year on Record in 2010, U.S. Scientist Says (Bloomberg)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-08/world-on-track-for-warmest-year-on-record-in-2010-u-s-scientist-says.html

Battle over California Climate Law Will Have National Ripple Effect (Solve Climate)

http://solveclimate.com/blog/20100708/battle-over-california-climate-law-will-have-national-ripple-effect

Sea Otters worth $700 Million in Carbon Credits (New Scientist)

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19145-sea-otters-worth-700-million-in-carbon-credits.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Sky’s the Limit for Kite Power (Tech News Daily)

http://www.technewsdaily.com/skys-the-limit-for-kite-power--0829/

Spokane Ball Club Switches to Green Power (Spokesman Review, Spokane, WA)

http://www.downtoearthnw.com/stories/2010/mar/02/ball-club-switches-to-green-power/

Oh Look, a Swamp Cooler - Beat the Heat with Your Green Homemade Air Conditioner (EcoFriend)

http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/beat-the-heat-with-your-green-homemade-air-conditioner/

Dressing Down for the Heat - Might We Do as the Romans Do? (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/might-we-do-what-some-romans-do/

Bill to Ban San Francisco Pet Sales (Except for Fish) Aimed at Pet Owners? (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/09/BAKI1EBLPK.DTL

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Intuit Becoming an Online Services Company “…The company also is making its data centers more efficient, in part by shutting down smaller offices & concentrating more of its operations in a…facility that it built in Quincy, Wash…” (SF Chronicle)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/09/BU1G1EBKJ2.DTL

By the Numbers: Nearly Half a Billion Broadband Subscribers Worldwide (GigaOM)

http://gigaom.com/2010/07/09/worldwide-broadband-subscribers/

Internet Service Providers May Rage, But Uncle Sam Supports City-Owned Internet (Ars Technica)

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/07/who-supports-city-owned-fiber-networks-the-us-government.ars

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE

Washington State Treasurer Says Standard & Poor’s Wrongly ‘Destroying’ State’s Fiscal Reputation (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/213945.asp

Senate Transportation Committee Chairwoman Seeks Nalley Valley Viaduct Query (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/07/09/1257617/haugen-seeks-viaduct-query.html

GENERAL NEWS

Record Heat Throws High 90’s at Us - Cooler temperatures expected into the weekend (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/07/09/1299119/record-heat-throws-high-90s-at.html

Body of Missing Boater Found in Mason County, Identified (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/news/24180140/detail.html

Arson Suspected - Police Targeted in Fire at New Olympia City Hall (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/07/09/1298325/suspicious-fire-causes-minor-damage.html

Greenpeace Founder Dies (Courthouse News Service)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/07/09/28689.htm

East Grays Harbor County - Plans for New Mark Reed Hospital Unveiled (Aberdeen Daily World, WA)

http://www.thedailyworld.com/articles/2010/07/08/local_news/doc4c36104de2e8a058450248.txt

Get Facts Before Digging Viaduct Tunnel - You Dig? (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/connelly/423057_JOEL09.html

Dissension over Ending Saturday Mail Delivery (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2012293297_satmail07.html

Belfair Farmers Market: Where Family Traditions Are Made (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/jul/09/belfair-farmers-market-where-family-traditions-are/

DIVERSIONS

Man Holds His Mom Hostage for Not Ironing

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/07/07/national/a145652D54.DTL

Now Playing on Twitter: the LeBron James Unintentional Comedy Festival

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2010/07/now_playing_on_twitter_the_leb.html

Colbert Teams Up With UFW over Immigration - ‘Colbert Report’ Host Challenges Unemployed to Take Farm Jobs

http://www.kirotv.com/entertainment/24192721/detail.html

Cat Burglar Takes Shine to Washing-Line Underwear

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66730T20100708

SONG OF THE DAY

Grateful Dead - Maggie’s Farm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZst9tOWhE0