Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Energy News Digest for February 24, 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)

·         Jefferson PUD Could Decide This Week on Public Power Issue
·         Contractor to Pay for Defects at Rocky Reach Dam
·         Grant PUD Rate Increases Start Monday - Increase Helps Fund Mandatory Projects
·         Senate Budget Drops Sales Tax Break on Coal for Centralia Power Plant
·         Chelan PUD to Improve Power Line That Supplies Wenatchee
·         Mason PUD 3 to Conduct Tree Trimming on Highway 302
·         Oregonian Editorial - Where You Fellas Going With All Those Tax Credits?
·         Idacorp Profit Grows in 4Q, Company Sets 2010 Guidance
·         TransAlta Q4 Profit Declines 16%
·         New Warrant Obtained in Connecticut Power Plant Explosion Probe
·         Congressman Hastings supports lawsuit over Nuke Waste Site at Yucca Mountain
·         Spanish Town’s Bid to Welcome Nuclear Waste Site Divides Region
·         Skepticism Meets Vermont Nuke Plant’s Cheap-Power Gift
·         A Future for Fusion? Supporters Say It Isn’t a Question of If, But When
·         International Markets Lift Iberdrola
·         New York - KeySpan Electricity Antitrust Complaint Settled
·         Orca Whales - New Calf Spotted With L Pod
·         Fish & Wildlife Director’s Death Prompts Week Delay in Sage Grouse Decision
·         45-Day Sentence for Killing Birds on Long Beach, WA
·         Squaxin Tribe Asks Gregoire to Order Ecology to Halt Johns Creek Well Drilling
·         Waiting to Inhale: Deep-Ocean Low-Oxygen Zones Spreading to Shallower Coastal Waters
·         Federal Study Indicates Wave Technologies Could Harm Marine Resources
·         Clean, Cheap Power from Fuel Cells in a Box?
·         Bloom Energy Claims a New Fuel Cell Technology
·         Reaping the Whirlwind? Europe’s Big Wind Subsidy Race
·         Increased Costs Are Blowin’ in the Wind
·         Alaska - Small Wind Farm Pays Big
·         Renewable Energy Corp - Norwegian Solar Firm Expected to Raise Equity
·         Germany to Cut Solar Photovoltaic Incentives by 16% from July
·         3TIER Completes REmapping the World
·         Geothermal Energy Receives U.S. Cash, but Hits Roadblocks
·         Oregon - Car-Charging Station Has Sticker Shock on Cost
·         Hiring Freezes Hamper Federal Weatherization Plan
·         For a More Energy-Efficient Home, Ample Insulation Is Key
·         California - Menlo Park to Get LED Bulbs in Almost 500 Street Lamps
·         Senate Battles EPA in Greenhouse Gas Showdown
·         UN Climate Talks to Resume in April in Germany
·         Cleaner Heat, Free (Or Nearly Free) for the Asking
·         Facebook Takes Heat Over Coal-Fired Power in Its Prineville Data Center
·         Protestors Take to Facebook to Protest Facebook – Over Data Center Power Source
·         Q&A With Google’s ‘Green Energy Czar’ on Sustainable Computing
·         Greening Deserts for Carbon Credits
·         Okanogan County Phones out After Lines Cut by Contractor
·         FCC: Lower the Price, & Millions More Will Have Broadband
·         FCC Finds Broadband Is Expensive, People Are Strange, Uneducated
·         “I Also Want a Pony” - Appleton May be Google Test Market for Broadband Internet
·         Why Twitter Is Cuddling Up to Yahoo
·         Baltimore Wants to Know Why They Aren’t Worthy of FiO
·         Verizon: Watch What We Say, Not What We Do
·         Intel Discloses ‘Sophisticated’ Hacker Attack
·         Olympia Councilman Hyer Charged, Says He Tried to Grow Pot but Failed
·         Investigator Says Former Clallam County Cashier Stole at Least $617,467
·         Port of Shelton Reduces Estimation on Fairgrounds’ Buildings
·         Energy Department Outlines Options for Nuclear Waste Cleanup at Hanford
·         Copper Wire Thieves Hit Tri-City Farms Again
·         City of Tacoma Settles in Open Meetings Lawsuit
·         Obama Zeros in on Law Professor for 9th Circuit Post

WORD OF THE DAY

Interloper • \inter-LOPE-err\ • noun - One that interlopes an illegal or unlicensed trader b: one that intrudes in a place or sphere of activity

The “flatlanders” were viewed with suspicion by the locals, seen as interlopers in local affairs. Anyone trying to worm themselves into local issues and controversy were carpetbaggers until at least two generations had passed.

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast & Weather Alerts

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Jefferson PUD Could Decide This Week on Public Power Issue (Port Townsend Leader, WA)

Contractor to Pay for Defects at Rocky Reach Dam (Wenatchee World, WA)

Grant PUD Rate Increases Start Monday - Increase Helps Fund Mandatory Projects (Columbia Basin Herald, Moses Lake, WA)

Senate Budget Drops Sales Tax Break on Coal for Centralia Power Plant (Olympian, WA)

Chelan PUD to Improve Power Line That Supplies Wenatchee (Wenatchee World, WA)

Mason PUD 3 to Conduct Tree Trimming on Highway 302 (Mason County PUD No. 3)

Oregonian Editorial - Where You Fellas Going With All Those Tax Credits?

Idacorp Profit Grows in 4Q, Company Sets 2010 Guidance (Associated Press)

TransAlta Q4 Profit Declines 16% (RTT News)

New Warrant Obtained in Connecticut Power Plant Explosion Probe (Associated Press)

Congressman Hastings supports lawsuit over Nuke Waste Site at Yucca Mountain (Associated Press)

Spanish Town’s Bid to Welcome Nuclear Waste Site Divides Region (NY Times)

Skepticism Meets Vermont Nuke Plant’s Cheap-Power Gift (Associated Press)

A Future for Fusion? Supporters Say It Isn’t a Question of If, But When (Wall Street Journal)

International Markets Lift Iberdrola (Financial Times of London, UK)

New York - KeySpan Electricity Antitrust Complaint Settled (Courthouse News Service)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Orca Whales - New Calf Spotted With L Pod (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Fish & Wildlife Director’s Death Prompts Week Delay in Sage Grouse Decision (Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID)

45-Day Sentence for Killing Birds on Long Beach, WA (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Squaxin Tribe Asks Gregoire to Order Ecology to Halt Johns Creek Well Drilling - Flows vital to salmon, say tribal leaders (Olympian, WA)

Waiting to Inhale: Deep-Ocean Low-Oxygen Zones Spreading to Shallower Coastal Waters (Scientific American)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Federal Study Indicates Wave Technologies Could Harm Marine Resources (NY Times)

Clean, Cheap Power from Fuel Cells in a Box? (USA Today)

Bloom Energy Claims a New Fuel Cell Technology (NY Times)

Reaping the Whirlwind? Europe’s Big Wind Subsidy Race (NY Times)

Increased Costs Are Blowin’ in the Wind (Oregon Catalyst – another 25 cents for Bobby Zimmerman)

Alaska - Small Wind Farm Pays Big (Alaska Dispatch)

Renewable Energy Corp - Norwegian Solar Firm Expected to Raise Equity through Rights Issue (Edmonton Journal, Alberta)

Germany to Cut Solar Photovoltaic Incentives by 16% from July (REVE)

3TIER Completes REmapping the World - Release of global solar dataset marks final milestone of initiative (Renewable Energy World)

Geothermal Energy Receives U.S. Cash, but Hits Roadblocks (Vancouver Sun, BC)

Oregon - Car-Charging Station Has Sticker Shock on Cost (Ashland Daily Tidings, OR)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Hiring Freezes Hamper Federal Weatherization Plan (NY Times)

For a More Energy-Efficient Home, Ample Insulation Is Key (Christian Science Monitor)

California - Menlo Park to Get LED Bulbs in Almost 500 Street Lamps (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Senate Battles EPA in Greenhouse Gas Showdown (Christian Science Monitor)

UN Climate Talks to Resume in April in Germany (Associated Press)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

Cleaner Heat, Free (Or Nearly Free) for the Asking - to the wood-heat holdouts go the spoils. (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Facebook Takes Heat Over Coal-Fired Power in Its Prineville Data Center (The Oregonian, Portland)

Protestors Take to Facebook to Protest Facebook – Over Data Center Power Source (Oregon Public Broadcasting)

Q&A With Google’s ‘Green Energy Czar’ on Sustainable Computing (The Oregonian, Portland)

Greening Deserts for Carbon Credits (Renewable Energy World)

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Okanogan County Phones out After Lines Cut by Contractor (Wenatchee World, WA)

FCC: Lower the Price, & Millions More Will Have Broadband (Christian Science Monitor)

FCC Finds Broadband Is Expensive, People Are Strange, Uneducated (Broadband Reports)

“I Also Want a Pony” - Appleton May be Google Test Market for Broadband Internet (WFRV-TV, Green Bay, WI)

Why Twitter Is Cuddling Up to Yahoo (Christian Science Monitor)

Baltimore Wants to Know Why They Aren’t Worthy of FiOS - Verizon denies redlining, says their focus is simply elsewhere (Broadband Reports)

Verizon: Watch What We Say, Not What We Do - Carrier is dedicated to ubiquitous broadband, except when they aren’t (Broadband Reports)

Intel Discloses ‘Sophisticated’ Hacker Attack (Associated Press)

GENERAL NEWS

Olympia Councilman Hyer Charged, Says He Tried to Grow Pot but Failed (KOMO-TV, Seattle)

Investigator Says Former Clallam County Cashier Stole at Least $617,467 (Peninsula Daily News, Port Angeles, WA)

Upgrade Costs Lower than Expected - Port of Shelton Reduces Estimation on Fairgrounds’ Buildings (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Energy Department Outlines Options for Nuclear Waste Cleanup at Hanford (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA)

Copper Wire Thieves Hit Tri-City Farms Again (Tri-City Herald, WA)

City of Tacoma Settles in Open Meetings Lawsuit - News Tribune alleged board decided on applicants in secret (News Tribune, Tacoma, WA)

Obama Zeros in on Law Professor for 9th Circuit Post (Los Angeles Times, CA)

DIVERSIONS

Illinois State Police: Man Made His Bed of Weed

Dog Chases Seagull off 300-Foot Cliff - Spaniel Survives Fall

Didn’t Pass the Smell Test - California Agency Gives Waterless Urinals the Flush

New York - No Brownies at Bake Sales, but Doritos May be O.K.

SONG OF THE DAY

Larry Groce - Junk Food Junkie