Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Energy News Digest for January 19, 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

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS (Details Below)

•  BPA, Corps Table Request to Fluctuate the Level of Lake Pend Oreille This Winter
•  TransAlta Tax Break Targeted by Dems
•  Portland General Electric Mulls Biomass if Boardman Closes
•  BPA Hopes to Build New Eastern Washington Transmission Line
•  Hearing Set for Proposed Maine Transmission Line
•  An Idaho County Moves Closer to Allowing a Nuclear Plant
•  A Nuclear Critic Draws a Lesson from France’s Success
•  Montana's Bruce Measure Named New NPCC Chair, Washington's Wallace Vice-Chair
•  Recession To Blame For Drop In Electric Output
•  Florida - Battle over What Power Companies Can Charge
•  Funding Suspended for $10-Billion in Florida Electric Projects
•  Canada - Shocker: We Don't Pay Enough for Electricity
•  University of Tennessee to Ask Tennessee Valley Authority for Lower Rates
•  Monday's Wind Knocks Out Power to About 1,000
•  Grays Harbor - Howler of a Storm KOs Power in Some Areas
•  Windy Weather Leaves Some in the Dark - At Least for a Few Hours
•  High Winds Rake Snohomish County, Cut Power
•  Cowlitz PUD Restores Power To 7,200 After High Winds Hit Region
•  Wild Weather Leaves Thousands without Power Overnight
•  Wind Leaves Kitsap Homes in the Dark
•  High Winds Knock Out Power in Western Washington
•  'This Is What You Get When You Have a Beach'
•  Northwest Power & Conservation Council Endorses BPA Funding for $28 Million in Tribal 'Fish Accord' Projects
•  Leavenworth Fish Hatchery Loses Most Fed Funding
•  Idaho Set to Move Forward on Hatchery Plan to Increase Snake River Sockeye Smolt Production
•  Winter Steelhead Having a Strong Run
•  Salmon Fishery Fails in Alaska, Tied to Climate
•  Saving Delta Is at Core of New California Water Policy
•  Oregon Deals With One of Worst Wild Goose Problems in Nation
•  Justices Won't Close Great Lakes Shipping Locks to Keep Out Carp
•  Work on Belfair Sewers Begins
•  PUD 1 Holding Water Use Efficiency Workshop Wednesday
•  Seattle's Sewers Are Getting Clogged With Grease
•  Idaho - Minidoka Dam repairs could cost $50 million, take three years
•  Columbian Editorial - The Power of ‘Bio’
•  Montana Landowners, Developers Laying Groundwork for Community Wind Farm
•  Texas Judge Orders Halt to Work on Wind Transmission Project
•  Dallas Morning News Editorial: Wind Energy's Future Still Strong in Texas
•  Muskegon Chronicle Editorial - Lessons from the Wind
•  Editorial - Renewable Energy: Wisconsin Pays More if the State Fails to Act
•  Solar subsidy cuts in Germany
•  Arizona - Amid State's Push for Solar Power, Water-Supply Worries Arise
•  Breaking the Planet? Geothermal Drilling Safeguards Imposed
•  Seattle Company Promising Portable Power Plants
•  A Boost for LED Lighting Development
•  Boston Globe Editorial - Why Wait? Save Energy Now
•  U.N. Panel’s Glacier Warning Is Criticized as Exaggerated
•  As Climate Warms, What Will Our Rivers Do?
•  Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels' Green Agenda Wasn't Enough
•  Pastors in Pacific Northwest Find Focus in ‘Green’
•  Found: Missing Broadband Stimulus Funds!
•  What the Net Neutrality Filings Say
•  Broadband Traffic in a Jam on Wireless Expressway
•  Skype Steals Even More Minutes from Phone Companies
•  Google Probing Possible Inside Help on Attack
•  Google Denies Leaving China, Seeks Negotiations
•  FCC Orders Wireless Mike Modifications
•  Judge Ben Settle’s Ruling - Supreme Court to Hear Case on Disclosure of Names on a Petition
•  Congressman Hastings Seeks Fairness in USFS Lease Fees for Cabins
•  Bill Would Make Boeing Say It Cares About Washington
•  Investigators: Local College (Evergreen) Pays for Home to Sit Empty & Unused
•  Cyberbullying Leads to Suspension of 28 Middle-Schoolers at McClure
•  Plug Being Pulled on Decades-Old Marine Navigation System
•  Will Snow Be An Olympic No-Show in Vancouver?
•  Get Ready to Pay for Your NYT Fix

WORD OF THE DAY

Noetic • \noh-ET-ik\ • adjective - of, relating to, or based on the intellect

As far as the noetic capabilities of the common toad, the horned toad is considered the Einstein of the amphibian kingdom.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast & Weather Alerts

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

BPA, Corps Table Request to Fluctuate the Level of Lake Pend Oreille This Winter (Bonner County Daily Bee, Sandpoint, ID)

TransAlta Tax Break Targeted by Dems - Senate Bill Would Strip Coal Plant of Millions of Dollars in Exemptions (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

Portland General Electric Mulls Biomass if Boardman Closes (Portland Business Journal)

BPA Hopes to Build New Eastern Washington Transmission Line (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Hearing Set for Proposed Maine Transmission Line (Associated Press)

An Idaho County Moves Closer to Allowing a Nuclear Plant (NW Public Radio)

A Nuclear Critic Draws a Lesson from France’s Success (NY Times)

Montana's Bruce Measure Named New NPCC Chair, Washington's Wallace Vice-Chair (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Recession To Blame For Drop In Electric Output (Power Engineer)

Florida - Battle over What Power Companies Can Charge Doesn't End With Recent Rate Denials (St Petersburg Times, FL)

Funding Suspended for $10-Billion in Florida Electric Projects (Clean Skies)

Canada - Shocker: We Don't Pay Enough for Electricity (Globe & Mail, Canada)

University of Tennessee to Ask Tennessee Valley Authority for Lower Rates to Deal With Increased Energy Costs (WHNT-TV, Huntsville, AL)

MLK DAY STORM NEWS

Monday's Wind Knocks Out Power to About 1,000 (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Grays Harbor - Howler of a Storm KOs Power in Some Areas (The Daily World, Aberdeen, WA)

Windy Weather Leaves Some in the Dark - At Least for a Few Hours (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

High Winds Rake Snohomish County, Cut Power (Everett Herald, WA)

Cowlitz PUD Restores Power To 7,200 after High Winds Hit Region (The Daily News, Longview, WA)

Wild Weather Leaves Thousands without Power Overnight (KELA Radio, Centralia, WA)

Wind Leaves Kitsap Homes in the Dark (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

High Winds Knock Out Power in Western Washington (Associated Press)

'This Is What You Get When You Have a Beach' (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Northwest Power & Conservation Council Endorses BPA Funding for $28 Million in Tribal 'Fish Accord' Projects (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Leavenworth Fish Hatchery Loses Most Fed Funding (Associated Press)

Idaho Set to Move Forward on Hatchery Plan to Increase Snake River Sockeye Smolt Production (Columbia Basin Bulletin)

Winter Steelhead Having a Strong Run - State officials want anglers to catch as many as possible (Salem Statesman Journal, OR)

Salmon Fishery Fails in Alaska, Tied to Climate (Courthouse News Service)

Saving Delta Is at Core of New California Water Policy (Associated Press)

Oregon Deals With One of Worst Wild Goose Problems in Nation (Associated Press)

Justices Won't Close Great Lakes Shipping Locks to Keep Out Carp (Associated Press)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Work on Belfair Sewers Begins (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

PUD 1 Holding Water Use Efficiency Workshop Wednesday (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Seattle's Sewers Are Getting Clogged With Grease (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Idaho - Minidoka Dam repairs could cost $50 million, take three years (Magic Valley Times-News, Twin Falls, ID)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Columbian Editorial - The Power of ‘Bio’: Pacific Northwest is showing the way for cutting-edge technologies

Montana Landowners, Developers Laying Groundwork for Community Wind Farm (Billings Gazette, MT)

Texas Judge Orders Halt to Work on Wind Transmission Project (Houston Chronicle, TX)

Dallas Morning News Editorial: Wind Energy's Future Still Strong in Texas

Muskegon Chronicle Editorial - Lessons from the Wind

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial - Renewable Energy: Wisconsin Pays More if the State Fails to Act

Solar subsidy cuts in Germany (Biofuels Watch)

Arizona - Amid State's Push for Solar Power, Water-Supply Worries Arise (Arizona Republic, Phoenix)

Breaking the Planet? Geothermal Drilling Safeguards Imposed (NY Times)

Seattle Company Promising Portable Power Plants (KING-TV, Seattle)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

A Boost for LED Lighting Development (NY Times)

Boston Globe Editorial - Why Wait? Save Energy Now

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

U.N. Panel’s Glacier Warning Is Criticized as Exaggerated (NY Times)

As Climate Warms, What Will Our Rivers Do? (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels' Green Agenda Wasn't Enough (Seattle Times)

Pastors in Pacific Northwest Find Focus in ‘Green’ (NY Times)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Found: Missing Broadband Stimulus Funds! (GigaOM)

What the Net Neutrality Filings Say (GigaOM)

Broadband Traffic in a Jam on Wireless Expressway (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Skype Steals Even More Minutes from Phone Companies (GigaOM)

Google Probing Possible Inside Help on Attack (Reuters)

Google Denies Leaving China, Seeks Negotiations (Reuters)

FCC Orders Wireless Mike Modifications (NY Times)

GENERAL NEWS

Judge Ben Settle’s Ruling - Supreme Court to Hear Case on Disclosure of Names on a Petition (Washington Post)

Congressman Hastings Seeks Fairness in USFS Lease Fees for Cabins (Yakima Herald Republic, WA)

Bill Would Make Boeing Say It Cares About Washington (Seattle Times)

Investigators: Local College (Evergreen) Pays for Home to Sit Empty & Unused (NW Cable News)

Cyberbullying Leads to Suspension of 28 Middle-Schoolers at McClure (Seattle Times)

Plug Being Pulled on Decades-Old Marine Navigation System (Associated Press)

Will Snow Be An Olympic No-Show in Vancouver? (Seattle Times)

Get Ready to Pay for Your NYT Fix (Consumerist)

DIVERSIONS

Santa Cruz Developer Arrested after Allegedly Felling Neighbors' Trees to Get Clearer View of the Coast

Nevermore? Mystery Visitor Misses Poe's Birthday

Men Get Financial Boost from Marriage, Data Show

US Faith Group Sends Hundreds of Solar-Powered Bibles to Haiti

SONG OF THE DAY

Handel - Water Music, Air