The Energy News Digest: Energy News Digest for December 6, 2010

Monday, December 6, 2010

Energy News Digest for December 6, 2010

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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.

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HOT SHOTS – TODAY’S TOP FIVE STORIES

British Columbia Hydro Asks to Boost Rates Nearly 30 Per Cent over Three Years (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Hydro+asks+boost+rates+nearly+cent+over+three+years/3928071/story.html

Hearing on Nippon Permit for Port Angeles Biomass Project Monday (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20101205/news/312059985/hearing-on-nippon-permit-for-biomass-project-monday

Dead Whale Washes Ashore in Totten Inlet (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/05/1452460/dead-whale-washes-ashore-in-totten.html

Giant Alberta-Bound Oil-Sands Shipments Stall in Idaho as Opposition Mounts (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/12/giant_oil_field_equipment_crea.html

Welcome to Trantor - Washington Post Analysis: Why Pepco Can’t Keep the Lights On (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/04/AR2010120403887.html

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

· Oregon - Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative: Electricity Rate Hiked Expected Next Year

· British Columbia Hydro Asks to Boost Rates Nearly 30 Per Cent over Three Years

· Mason County PUD 3 Holding Budget Hearing Tuesday Morning

· Editorial - Clark Public Utilities: Smart Savings, Building a Bigger Cash Reserve Would be a Smart Strategy for Local Utility

· Montana - Gaelectric Officials Talk Transmission for Wind Power

· Giant Alberta-Bound Oil-Sands Shipments Stall in Idaho as Opposition Mounts

· The Sands of Canada: Oil Supply Salvation or Sinkhole?

· Texas - Trial Continues in Pedernales Electrical Cooperative Theft Case

· Welcome to Trantor - Washington Post Analysis: Why Pepco Can’t Keep the Lights On

· NRC Says New York Nuclear Plant’s Impact Manageable

· Nuclear Won’t Turn Connecticut Green

· Wisconsin - EPA Investigates 15 State Power Plants for Possible Clean-Air Violations

· United Kingdom - Coal’s Two-Year High Coaxes Utilities to Burn Wood

· Dead Whale Washes Ashore in Totten Inlet

· Satellite Tagging of Orcas Proposed

· Chelan PUD Hatchery Water Changes Seem to be Producing Stronger Salmon, Steelhead

· Lower Columbia Cormorant Colony’s 2010 Salmonid Consumption Shoots Up to 19 Million Smolts

· Corps: New Wall Boosts Salmon Survival at the Dalles Dam

· Riverkeeper Leader a Hero to Friends, Obstructionist to Foes

· Op/Ed - Hatchery vs. Wild: A Mismanagement of Natural Resources

· Puget Sound Partnership Has Temporary Leader

· Hearing on Nippon Permit for Port Angeles Biomass Project Monday

· In East Texas, Piles of Wood Look Like an Electric Opportunity

· Wisconsin - Supporters Outnumber Opponents at Biomass Public Hearing

· Ohio - Plan to Use Wood at Power Plants Now on Back Burner

· Pacific NW National Laboratory Puts Finishing Touches on Its First Solar Panel Project

· New York Pays Up to $400,000 for Customer Wind Turbines

· Texas - Deadline is Approaching To Object to Electric Lines

· Utilities Join Forces to Share Ideas about Energy Efficiency

· Thirteen Creative Ways to Save Energy in the Winter

· EnerNoc Goes Shopping to Spread Demand Response

· States Want Cap-&-Trade Added to US Carbon Rules

· Carbon Auction Yields $16.9 Million for New York

· Shipping Faces Calls to Lower Its Carbon Footprint

· Atmospheric Tinkering Floated to Ease Warming

· Benton & Franklin Counties Have the Most Green Jobs in Pacific Northwest

· New Electric Car Has Perks, But Takes Planning

· Volt Buyers in Tri-Cities Will Have to Wait for Their Charge

· Does a Rising German ‘Ecological-Industrial Complex’ Threaten the European Union?

· Incentives Bring Data Centers to Grant County

· Washington Dept. of Ecology Plans Meeting in Quincy to Discuss Data Center Backup Generators

· Vermont City Stumbles in Effort to Do Telecom Itself

· Chattanooga Fiber Build Complete by Year’s End

· Internet Upgrades Keep Rural Iowans in Loop

· Chrome 8 quietly rolled out by Google

· Washington State Congressional Delegation Mostly Mum on Deficit-Reduction Plan

· GOP Challengers Win in Three WA Legislative Recounts

· John McCoy, Quil Ceda Village Helped Tulalips to Prosperity

· Mason County - After Risky Skokomish River Rescue, Hiker & Friends Face Charges

· Seattle...Most Dangerous City for an Earthquake

· Shelton ‘Shrooms - Meet Washington’s Spirited Mushroom Man

WORD OF THE DAY

Plangent • \PLAN-junt\ • adjective - 1: having a loud reverberating sound 2: having an expressive & especially plaintive quality

“…a stairway…..to hea-ven…” as the last plangent note faded away, Brianna knew she had found the perfect recording studio for her Led Zeppelin ukulele cover album. All she needed now was a way to keep people from using the tile-walled bathroom for at least seven minutes per session.

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

Oregon - Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative: Electricity Rate Hiked Expected Next Year (Curry Coastal Pilot, Brookings, OR)

http://www.currypilot.com/20101204116651/News/Local-News/Electricity-rate-hiked-expected-next-year

British Columbia Hydro Asks to Boost Rates Nearly 30 Per Cent over Three Years (Victoria Times Colonist, BC)

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Hydro+asks+boost+rates+nearly+cent+over+three+years/3928071/story.html

Mason County PUD 3 Holding Budget Hearing Tuesday Morning (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

http://masoncountydailynews.net/news/news/3996-pud-3-holding-budget-hearing-tuesday-morning-

Editorial - Clark Public Utilities: Smart Savings, Building a Bigger Cash Reserve Would be a Smart Strategy for Local Utility (Vancouver Columbian, WA)

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/dec/03/smart-savings/

Montana - Gaelectric Officials Talk Transmission for Wind Power (Great Falls Tribune, MT)

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20101204/BUSINESS/12040308/Gaelectric+officials+talk+transmission

Giant Alberta-Bound Oil-Sands Shipments Stall in Idaho as Opposition Mounts (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/12/giant_oil_field_equipment_crea.html

The Sands of Canada: Oil Supply Salvation or Sinkhole? (Oregonian, Portland)

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/12/the_sands_of_canada_oil_supply.html

Texas - Trial Continues in Pedernales Electrical Cooperative Theft Case: Ex-general manager facing felony charges (KXAN-TV, Austin, TX)

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/crime/trial-continues-in-pec-theft-case

Welcome to Trantor - Washington Post Analysis: Why Pepco Can’t Keep the Lights On (Washington Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/04/AR2010120403887.html

NRC Says New York Nuclear Plant’s Impact Manageable (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013590149_apusindianpoint.html

Nuclear Won’t Turn Connecticut Green - Despite Zero-Emissions Electricity, Nuclear Power Won’t Grow in State (Hartford Business Journal)

http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news15833.html

Wisconsin - EPA Investigates 15 State Power Plants for Possible Clean-Air Violations (Wisconsin State Journal)

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_aa2a3092-fe83-11df-8970-001cc4c03286.html

United Kingdom - Coal’s Two-Year High Coaxes Utilities to Burn Wood (Bloomberg News)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-03/coal-s-surge-coaxes-u-k-utilities-to-burn-wood-energy-markets.html

FISH & WILDLIFE

Dead Whale Washes Ashore in Totten Inlet (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/05/1452460/dead-whale-washes-ashore-in-totten.html

Satellite Tagging of Orcas Proposed (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_orca_tagging.html

Chelan PUD Hatchery Water Changes Seem to be Producing Stronger Salmon, Steelhead (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/402314.aspx

Lower Columbia Cormorant Colony’s 2010 Salmonid Consumption Shoots Up to 19 Million Smolts (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

http://www.cbbulletin.com/402325.aspx

Corps: New Wall Boosts Salmon Survival at the Dalles Dam (HydroWorld)

http://www.hydroworld.com/index/display/article-display/8297885321/articles/hrhrw/environmental/general/corps_-new_wall_boosts.html

Riverkeeper Leader a Hero to Friends, Obstructionist to Foes “…The group now has its sights on a coal export terminal planned for West Longview…” (Longview Daily News, WA)

http://tdn.com/news/local/article_98d8f458-000f-11e0-b3c1-001cc4c03286.html

Op/Ed - Hatchery vs. Wild: A Mismanagement of Natural Resources (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/12/03/1449699/hatchery-vs-wild-a-mismanagement.html

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Puget Sound Partnership Has Temporary Leader (Olympian, WA)

http://www.theolympian.com/2010/12/02/1460241/puget-sound-agency-has-temporary.html

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Hearing on Nippon Permit for Port Angeles Biomass Project Monday (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20101205/news/312059985/hearing-on-nippon-permit-for-biomass-project-monday

In East Texas, Piles of Wood Look Like an Electric Opportunity (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/us/05ttbiomass.html

Wisconsin - Supporters Outnumber Opponents at Biomass Public Hearing (WSAU-Radio, Wausau, WI)

http://www.wsau.com/news/articles/2010/dec/01/supporters-outnumber-opponents-biomass-public-hear/

Ohio - Plan to Use Wood at Power Plants Now on Back Burner (Columbus Dispatch, OH)

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/12/05/plan-to-use-wood-now-on-back-burner.html

Pacific NW National Laboratory Puts Finishing Touches on Its First Solar Panel Project (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=13615418

New York Pays Up to $400,000 for Customer Wind Turbines (Syracuse Post-Standard, NY)

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/12/new_york_pays_up_to_400000_for.html

Texas - Deadline is approaching to object to electric lines - Part of the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones project aimed at…delivering wind energy to bustling parts of the state (San Angelo Times, Texas)

http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2010/dec/05/deadline-to-object-to-electric-lines-is-friday/

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Utilities Join Forces to Share Ideas about Energy Efficiency (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

http://blog.seattlepi.com/energy/archives/230503.asp

Thirteen Creative Ways to Save Energy in the Winter (Project Management Training)

http://www.projectmanagementtraining.net/13-creative-ways-to-save-energy-in-the-winter

EnerNoc Goes Shopping to Spread Demand Response – Says it has acquired Global Energy Partners “…Global Energy Partners…has or continues to work with utilities in the western U.S., including Pacific Gas & Electric…and the Bonneville Power Administration…” (CNET News)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20024680-54.html

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

States Want Cap-&-Trade Added to US Carbon Rules (Bloomberg Businessweek)

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-12-02/states-want-cap-and-trade-added-to-u-s-carbon-rules.html

Carbon Auction Yields $16.9 Million for New York (NY Times)

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/carbon-auction-yields-16-9-million-for-new-york/

Shipping Faces Calls to Lower Its Carbon Footprint (NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/business/energy-environment/06iht-green.html

Atmospheric Tinkering Floated to Ease Warming (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2013597932_climatetaboo05.html

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Benton & Franklin Counties Have the Most Green Jobs in Pacific Northwest (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=13615410

New Electric Car Has Perks, But Takes Planning (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

http://www.kirotv.com/money/26008623/detail.html

Volt Buyers in Tri-Cities Will Have to Wait for Their Charge (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=13611670

Does a Rising German ‘Ecological-Industrial Complex’ Threaten the European Union? (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/The-Adam-Smith-Institute-Blog/2010/1203/Does-a-rising-German-ecological-industrial-complex-threaten-the-EU

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Incentives Bring Data Centers to Grant County - State tax incentives to get more data centers plugged in to Grant County’s cheap power seem to be working (Seattle Times)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013597749_apwadatacenters.html

Washington Dept. of Ecology Plans Meeting in Quincy to Discuss Data Center Backup Generators (Wenatchee World, WA)

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/dec/03/ecology-plans-meeting-in-quincy-to-discuss-data/

Vermont City Stumbles in Effort to Do Telecom Itself (Associated Press)

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2013602407_apustroubledtelecom.html

Chattanooga Fiber Build Complete by Year’s End - As company offers 30 Mbps to 1 Gbps service to locals (Broadband Reports)

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Chattanooga-Fiber-Build-Complete-By-Years-End-111665

Internet Upgrades Keep Rural Iowans in Loop (Des Moines Register, IA)

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101205/NEWS03/12050334/-1/SPORTS09/Internet-upgrades-keep-rural-Iowans-in-loop

Chrome 8 quietly rolled out by Google (Christian Science Monitor)

http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2010/1203/Chrome-8-quietly-rolled-out-by-Google

POLITICS & GOVERNANCE