Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Energy News Digest for March 2, 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)

·         Worker on BPA Project Killed at Hanford
·         Elma Man Electrocuted by Urinating on Power Line
·         Sierra Club Pushes to End Use of Coal; Union Workers Say Jobs Hang in the Balance
·         TransAlta Mine Tax Break for Washington State Power Plant Faces Threat
·         Nuke Waste Delays - Court Awards Energy Northwest $57 Million from DOE
·         Washington State to Intervene in Yucca Mountain Case
·         MontanaGreat Falls Area Power Plant Gets OK for Financing
·         Power Pole Repairs Will Result in Large Planned Grays Harbor County Power Outage
·         Pacific Power Offers $3,000 Cash Reward to Catch Wire Thieves
·         High Court Justices Seem Receptive to Skilling’s Claim of Unfair Trial
·         Supreme Court Hears Convicted Enron CEO’s Appeal
·         Skilling Case Latest to Test ‘Honest Services’
·         Nuclear Projects Face Financial Obstacles
·         Minnesota - State Again Considers Ending Ban on New Nuclear Plants
·         Earthquake Prone Japan Sees Green in New Nuclear Power Plants
·         Texas - For Buyout Kingpins, the TXU Utility Deal Gets Tricky
·         Texas Electricity Deregulation Opinions All over the Grid in Industry Panel
·         New Deal Sought on Huge Canadian Power Contract
·         Oklahoma – US Supreme Court Turns Down Energy Company over Taxes
·         Coalition Opposing Marin County Public Power Effort Has Ties to Pacific Gas & Electric
·         California Utility Edison International Says 4Q Profit Fell
·         Agate Passage Net Pens Full of Salmon Again
·         Pneumonia Outbreak Kills Hundreds of Bighorn Sheep in West
·         Scientists Confirm Mismanagement by PG&E is Killing Two Northern California Rivers
·         Governor Gregoire Wants $4.1 Million for Droughts
·         California - Enviro Group Wants End to Damning of Eel River
·         Before You Get Those Solar Panels, They Go Through a Battery of Tests
·         Support for Solar: California Doubles Cap on Credits for Excess Power
·         Wind Farm in the Great Lakes? Big Potential Meets Big Opposition
·         Massachusetts - Decision Time for Salazar on Cape Wind
·         West Texas Breezes Push Wind Power to Set a Record on the Grid
·         Waste Not: Brewing Beer Byproducts into Energy
·         Obama to Pitch “Cash for Caulkers” in Georgia
·         Obama to Spell out Rebates for Energy Efficiency
·         Arizona’s Cash for Appliances to Start Soon
·         Climate Scientists Quizzed by British Lawmakers
·         Expert Says Climate Change Effort Will Take Centuries
·         Study Says Climate Change May Extend Allergy Season
·         Studying White Roofs as a Way to Reduce Urban Heat
·         Spokane Indians - Ball Club Switches to Green Power
·         Iowa – Compressed Air: Underground Drill Tests Begin for Energy Storage Project
·         SF Chronicle Columnist - Generate Renewable Energy on Bay Bridge Span
·         Washington NoaNet Getting $84M in Broadband Stimulus Funds
·         $84 Million Grant to Expand Internet in Washington
·         Secretary Locke Announces Recovery Act Investment in Washington
·         NoaNet Awarded $84M BTOP Grant from NTIA to Expand Broadband
·         Google Bandwagon - Topeka Tries Name Change to Get on Google Map
·         Google Bandwagon - Seattle Fiber Planners Could Learn Something from Louisiana
·         Google Bandwagon - Kalamazoo Campaigns to Lure Google
·         Survey Says Seattle Has Nation’s Fastest 3G Network
·         US to Reveal Rules on Internet Security
·         FCC Afraid to Tackle Open Access
·         US Carriers Are Running out of Growth Options
·         Postal Service’s Emerging Model: Never on Saturday
·         Mason County Fire District 5 to Make Decision on Medic One Purchase Wednesday
·         Mukilteo Utility District Board’s Health Benefit Criticized

WORD OF THE DAY

Didactic • \die-DACK-tick\ • adjective – 1a: designed or intended to teach b: intended to convey instruction & information as well as pleasure & entertainment 2: making moral observations

Danny: “What’s under discussion here is the girl’s feelings. Where is the girl?”
Mobster: “We’re gonna take real good care of you, pal.”
Danny: “I wanna say one thing, and I don’t mean to be didactic or facetious in any manner. She doesn’t love him. She doesn’t love him any more. I know it’s hard to take. Because we all want what we can’t have in life.”

-- Broadway Danny Rose

WEATHER

Shelton Forecast & Weather Alerts

ENERGY & UTILITY ISSUES

Worker on BPA Project Killed at Hanford (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Elma Man Electrocuted by Urinating on Power Line (Associated Press)

Sierra Club Pushes to End Use of Coal; Union Workers Say Jobs Hang in the Balance (The Chronicle, Centralia, WA)

News Release - TransAlta’s Strip-Mine Tax Break for Washington State Power Plant Faces Threat from Lawmakers (PR Inside)

Nuke Waste Delays - Court Awards Energy Northwest $57 Million from DOE (Tri-City Herald, WA)

Washington State to Intervene in Yucca Mountain Case (Associated Press)

MontanaGreat Falls Area Power Plant Gets OK for Financing (Billings Gazette, MT)

Power Pole Repairs Will Result in Large Planned Grays Harbor County Power Outage (KIRO-TV, Seattle)

Pacific Power Offers $3,000 Cash Reward to Catch Wire Thieves (KNDU-TV, Tri-Cities, WA)

High Court Justices Seem Receptive to Skilling’s Claim of Unfair Trial (Associated Press)

Supreme Court Hears Convicted Enron CEO’s Appeal (Nat’l Public Radio)

Skilling Case Latest to Test ‘Honest Services’ (Washington Post – Irony NOT intended)

Nuclear Projects Face Financial Obstacles (Washington Post)

Minnesota - State Again Considers Ending Ban on New Nuclear Plants (Minnesota Public Radio)

Earthquake Prone Japan Sees Green in New Nuclear Power Plants (Christian Science Monitor)

Texas - For Buyout Kingpins, the TXU Utility Deal Gets Tricky (NY Times)

Texas Electricity Deregulation Opinions All over the Grid in Industry Panel (Dallas Morning News, TX)

New Deal Sought on Huge Canadian Power Contract (Courthouse News Service)

Oklahoma – US Supreme Court Turns Down Energy Company over Taxes (Associated Press)

Coalition Opposing Marin County Public Power Effort Has Ties to Pacific Gas & Electric (Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, CA)

California Utility Edison International Says 4Q Profit Fell (Associated Press)

FISH & WILDLIFE

Agate Passage Net Pens Full of Salmon Again (Kitsap Sun, Bremerton, WA)

Pneumonia Outbreak Kills Hundreds of Bighorn Sheep in West (Associated Press)

Scientists Confirm Mismanagement by PG&E is Killing Two Northern California Rivers (Electric Energy Online)

WATER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Governor Gregoire Wants $4.1 Million for Droughts (Associated Press)

California - Enviro Group Wants End to Damning of Eel River (Associated Press)

RENEWABLE/ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

Before You Get Those Solar Panels, They Go Through a Battery of Tests (Seattle Times)

Support for Solar: California Doubles Cap on Credits for Excess Power (San Jose Mercury News, CA)

Wind Farm in the Great Lakes? Big Potential Meets Big Opposition (Christian Science Monitor)

Massachusetts - Decision Time for Salazar on Cape Wind (Cape Cod Times, MA)

West Texas Breezes Push Wind Power to Set a Record on the Grid (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, TX)

Waste Not: Brewing Beer Byproducts into Energy (Boston Business Journal)

CONSERVATION & EFFICIENCY

Obama to Pitch “Cash for Caulkers” in Georgia (Reuters)

Obama to Spell out Rebates for Energy Efficiency (Associated Press)

Arizona’s Cash for Appliances to Start Soon (KPHO-TV, Phoenix, AZ)

CLIMATE CHANGE SEQUESTRATION VAULT

Climate Scientists Quizzed by British Lawmakers (Associated Press)

Expert Says Climate Change Effort Will Take Centuries (Las Vegas Sun, NV)

Study Says Climate Change May Extend Allergy Season (Reuters)

Studying White Roofs as a Way to Reduce Urban Heat (Voice of America)

BARREL O’ GREEN POTPOURRI

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

Iowa – Compressed Air: Underground Drill Tests Begin for Energy Storage Project (Des Moines Register, IA)

SF Chronicle Columnist - Generate Renewable Energy on Bay Bridge Span

TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Washington NoaNet Getting $84M in Broadband Stimulus Funds (Puget Sound Business Journal)

$84 Million Grant to Expand Internet in Washington (Associated Press)

Secretary Locke Announces Recovery Act Investment in Washington to Expand Broadband Internet Access & Spur Economic Growth (US Department of Commerce)

NoaNet Awarded $84M BTOP Grant from NTIA to Expand Broadband Access to Rural Unserved & Underserved Areas of Washington State (NoaNet)

Google Bandwagon - Topeka Tries Name Change to Get on Google Map (Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal)

Google Bandwagon - Seattle Fiber Planners Could Learn Something from Louisiana: Seattle applies for Google fiber, also considers building their own (Broadband Reports)

Google Bandwagon - Kalamazoo Campaigns to Lure Google’s High-Speed, Fiber-Optic System (Kalamazoo Gazette, MI)

Survey Says Seattle Has Nation’s Fastest 3G Network (KING-TV, Seattle)

US to Reveal Rules on Internet Security (NY Times)

FCC Afraid to Tackle Open Access - Blair Levin thinks effort wouldn’t survive incumbent legal assault (Broadband Reports)

US Carriers Are Running out of Growth Options (GigaOM)

GENERAL NEWS

Postal Service’s Emerging Model: Never on Saturday (NW Cable News)

Mason County Fire District 5 to Make Decision on Medic One Purchase Wednesday (KMAS Radio, Shelton, WA)

Mukilteo Utility District Board’s Health Benefit Criticized - Former board member says health coverage commissioners receive overcompensates them for their time (Everett Herald, WA)

DIVERSIONS

Orange County Couple Goes to Court for Removing Lawn

New Song Tonight from “United Breaks Guitars” Guy

Thousands Sign Up for Fake Boston Bridal Show

SONG OF THE DAY

The Monkees - Pleasant Valley Sunday